Film Review: Logan

Introduced in a tense Mexico in 2029 an older, meaner, sicker and boozier Logan is living off-the-superhero-grid as a limo driver. It’s for good reason, as almost all the old-school X-Men are dead, and he secretly cares for the 90-something and seemingly demented Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) with help from vampire-like mutant Caliban (English actor and writer Stephen Merchant, funny and tragic).

Logan foolishly thinks that no one knows who he is (despite an opening scene where he tears apart some incidental baddies). When he’s approached by a mysterious woman (Elizabeth Rodriguez) who wants him to drive an 11 year old girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) to North Dakota, he says no.

Naturally this brings the militaristic forces of the highly unethical Dr. Rice (Richard E. Grant) down upon his head, and soon he’s driving the shot-up limo cross-country with Xavier and Laura and realising the truth about the kid that we could have guessed the moment we saw her (or the poster). Laura thinks that supposed sanctuary is waiting for her, especially as it’s featured in some X-Men comics (a weirdly ‘meta’ touch that allows for some odd in-jokes). Getting there is sure to be dangerous though, and Logan’s going to have to lop off heads, impale a few skulls and spill gallons of blood along the way, in scenes quite unlike anything in the series.

Offering a touch of Mad Max, some tense humour, a glimpse of the classic Western Shane for obvious reasons and Hugh’s most glowering performance in X-Men history, this is a fitting and surprisingly moving grand and gory finale to the Wolverine saga.

Rated MA. Logan is in cinemas now.