'Logan' Review

I've held off this review because I wanted to be sure I fully expressed my thoughts and did justice to Hugh Jackman's last ride as Wolverine. Below you may now read my in-depth spoiler-free thoughts on Logan. Some areas of my review may seem a bit vague but that's merely to avoid spoiling the film.

'Logan' Review

Nominated For: Best Adapted Screenplay.

The year is 2029 and mutants are all but extinct. A weary Logan now drives limousines for a living and cares for a senile Charles Xavier near the U.S./Mexican border. When Logan's approached by a mysterious woman to transport a young girl named Laura up north to the U.S./Canadian border and shady government forces close in; Xavier, Logan, and Laura must embark on a riveting road trip in search of safe haven. Logan loosely adapts the acclaimed Old Man Logan storyline and stands as ninth X-feature Jackman's appeared in. To put it simply, Logan is the end of an era. 

Hugh Jackman has held the role of Wolverine for seventeen years now, appearing in just about every X-Men film released since 2000, but Logan marks his final appearance as Wolverine. Returning director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman aim to finally deliver the great standalone R-rated Wolverine story fans have eagerly hoped to see. Perhaps the greatest thing about Logan is that there's literally nothing holding it back, which can be attributed to Deadpool's shocking box office success last year. There are no restrictions being placed on the action to meet the MPAA's standards for a more commercially viable PG-13 blockbuster and Logan isn't functioning as a launching pad for more stories to follow up on this bookend (with maybe one exception?). 

The action is unabashedly brutal but violence never occurs for the sake of including an awesome action sequence, it's driven by the story and characters. Sure, Wolverine's claws may dismember a few limbs or go straight through a guy's face but the fact Logan doesn't shy away from showing this only lends further credence to the weight brutality like that carries on one's soul. Scott Frank, Michael Green, and director James Mangold tell a personal story first and foremost that doesn't seek to stun viewers with spectacle but rather one that best services the character. 

Logan is the final chapter in Wolverine's longstanding journey and one that intently and appropriately puts all its focus on him. The trio found an ideal tone for Logan, allowing it to be gritty and gruesome but maintain hopeful and heartfelt moments. Logan isn't dark and gritty in some attempt to be cool, rather because the story calls for it. This is the end of the line, not a fresh start or new beginning. The tone Mangold sets is a perfect match for the desolate surroundings he places our heroes in. 

Mangold effectively balances character drama and edge of your seat action as one never outweighs the other, in fact the action is fueled by the narrative and in turn the character's predicaments are more resonant thanks to the ferocious fighting. Logan doesn't short change the camera and stunt work with quick cuts as Mangold seeks to showcase the aggressive action in play with long takes, and I have to give props for the absolute best excuse and use of shaky-cam I've seen used in an action sequence in years! Mangold and cinematographer John Mathieson frame surreal shots lit by earthy hues while editors Michael McCusker and Dirk Westervelt weave it all together to grant the ambiance of Neo-Western. 

I would be remised if I forgot to mention the superb showing from the hair and makeup team for aging up both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart to look absolutely decrepit (I mean that in the best way possible) and the transformation of Stephen Merchant into the albino mutant Caliban. All the while, Marco Beltrami composes a score full of somber, morose character themes in addition to invigorating, frantic orchestrations that are reflective of Logan's inner conflict and sorrow. 

Hugh Jackman's last portrayal of Logan is easily his best turn yet with Jackman evoking a weary and broken man at the end of his line, all while defining the character's legacy. Jackman has always been perfect for the role but the way he wraps it all up and provides a more multi-faceted, layered performance is truly Oscar worthy. I have rarely spoken of an actor in comic book franchise deserving awards consideration but truly believe Jackman should be in the running for Best Actor in the coming awards season. 

Who knows if 20th Century Fox will choose to pursue that route but I'd love to see them launch an awards campaign for Logan. For those who scoff at that idea, remember Deadpool randomly emerged as a late contender this past awards season picking up plenty of Guild nominations and Best Picture/Best Actor nominations at the Golden Globes. Had Fox been prepared for that outcome, I believe there would have been a stronger awards push and hopefully they see Logan deserves the push. 

Patrick Stewart also gets to push the boundaries of his typical straight-faced Professor X as he puts forth one last spin in his automated wheelchair, characterizing Xavier quite differently than the wise kindred mentor we've grown accustomed to seeing. Stewart gets to be funny, compromised, and more emotionally resonant thanks to Logan's screenplay. Seeing Stewart and Jackman together one last time was rewarding in and of itself but even with a shifting dynamic, they still stand well opposite one another. 

I didn't think it was possible for anyone to match Jackman's spite and ferocity as Wolverine but Dafoe Keen captures all that and much more as Laura, or X-23 as comic fans may be more familiar with. The bond she and Jackman share is truly the emotional core of Logan and their scenes together made me smile, laugh hysterically, and cry a stream of tears. Stephen Merchant is a nice inclusion as Caliban, bringing humor and levity in some cases while stepping up to the tasks set out for him by the screenplay. 

Boyd Holbrook's Donald Pierce matches Jackman as an unsavory foe but takes a back seat to Richard Grant's evil scientist Tim Rice in the film's second half. The two are servicable antagonists but their lacking malevolence actually doesn't stand out as one of Logan's weaknesses, purely because this film is concentrated on Logan not what he's up against. 

While I can't quite condone bringing a child to see Logan due to graphic violence and lots of swearing, for ages 17 and up I highly recommend a trip to the multiplex. If you're a fan of Wolverine and Hugh Jackman's take on the character in particular, then Logan is a must see. Logan is the ultimate swan song for Hugh Jackman's seventeen year stint as the berserker rage filled mutant, a gruesome yet sentimental send-off that I'd say is one of the best comic book films I've ever seen. 

Film Assessment: A+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Wolverine'

Sorry for the delay on this review as this past week had been quite eventful for me. I wasn't able to find time to rewatch The Wolverine this week as I was watching the Academy Awards Sunday evening, saw Get Out on Monday, went to an early screening of Table 19 Tuesday, went to a Kong: Skull Island screening Wednesday, watched Logan Thursday, and then had to balance work and school on top of that all week. Anyways, I'm reviewing The Wolverine to coincide with Logan's release since Logan will be Hugh Jackman's final outing as Wolverine and The Wolverine is the only solo Wolverine movie I've yet to review. Reviews you can expect throughout the remainder of March include Throwback Thursday Reviews over King Kong (2005), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Spider-Man 2 and new releases Logan, Kong: Skull Island, Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Belko Experiment, Power Rangers, Life, The Boss Baby, The Zookeeper's Wife, and Ghost in the Shell (2017).

'The Wolverine' Review

The Wolverine picks up relatively soon after X-Men: The Last Stand with grizzled Logan living in the woods to keep himself distanced from humanity and prevent himself from harming others. Logan is soon invited to Tokyo, Japan by a dying Yashida, a man he saved back during the second World War, keen on repaying his life debt by granting Logan mortality. Logan isn't quite interested but soon discovers something has inhibited his healing factor when he's shot and doesn't recover. He then must protect Yashida's granddaughter from the yakuza, a Japanese mafia of sorts.

The Wolverine is directed by James Mangold, whose filmography consists of actual Westerns like his 3:10 to Yuma remake or films that evoke Western themes like Walk The Line. Mangold brings that mentality to The Wolverine, deciding to mesh a Japanese setting with an intrinsically Western character. An interesting notion that nearly succeeds till everything falls apart in the film's third act.

Mangold and cinematographer Ross Emery do a wonderful job highlighting the serenity of Japan in contrast to the raving action as Wolverine fights dirty through shoji screens and on top of a bullet train. It's really a shame the berserker mutant was constrained to a PG-13 rating though as you never quite feel like the envelope is being pushed in terms of what Wolverine does, supposedly the extended R-rated director's cut is a better version of the film but I've yet to see it.

The screenplay penned by Mark Bomback and Scott Frank has some interesting predicaments for the Wolverine but none of them quite pay off the way you'd like them to. The idea of making Wolverine vulnerable is fascinating and I feel it was well explored but the explanation behind it verges to be a little too cartoonish in contrast to the realistic portrayal of the character. The third act also leans too far on the comic side of things with a CG showdown and some lackluster reveals. I must admit the first two acts of The Wolverine are engaging though and really intricately laid-out but the reliance on exposition and setup keep it from holding up to how I remembered seeing it back in 2013. Meanwhile in the music department, Marco Beltrami's compositions honor the both film's oriental environment and the action on display.

Hugh Jackman's excellent as always in the role of Wolverine (no surprises there) while Rila Fukushima's a capable sidekick in Yukio and Tao Okamoto is left to play the standard damsel in distress trope as Mariko, who admittedly has more spunk than the typical damsel. I just watched The Wolverine yesterday and honestly can't remember much of what Brian Tee, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Will Yun Lee contributed aside from being morally ambiguous henchmen, their characters are relatively two-dimensional but I've got to commend the filmmakers for casting Asian talent in the roles. Svetlana Khodchenkova though is in an entirely different film altogether though as Viper, a vile temptress reminiscent to Batman & Robin's Poison Ivy.

In summary, The Wolverine had potential to be a great Wolverine movie, but settles for just being a good one thanks to a cartoonish third act contrast to the grounded beginning and middle portions.

Film Assessment: B-

Alternate Cut Review: 'X-Men Days of Future Past - The Rogue Cut'

Today, I'm introducing a new type of review called an Alternate Cut Review. The name is simple and pretty self-explanatory but the premise behind it is that I will review the director's cut of a film (Not always called the director's cut but that's basically what these are). The format for the reviews will be similar to my triple-R reviews where I include a link to my initial review, which will likely be the theatrical cut, and then write a review of the alternate cut of the film and even compare them to a degree. I figured this would be appropriate time to start with X-Men: Apocalypse releasing this weekend. I was originally going to do a Triple-R review over X-Men: Days of Future Past but decided that this would be more interesting. For one, it gave me a chance to finally sit down and watch The Rogue Cut, something I'd been meaning to do and it also is a new review format I hope to continue. Also my Triple-R reviews are intended for me to re-review films that I don't feel I did justice to in my older reviews as it's clear that my reviews have gotten much more analytical and more involved in comparison to when I began the blog. I've decided not to completely re-review these movies entirely by just scrapping the old review. I feel that leaving them on my blog shows the progress I've made and I don't want to delete my work since I'm still proud of them regardless. My next planned Alternate Cut Review will likely be Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's Ultimate Edition when it's released on Blu-Ray. This will be a great opportunity to revisit it sooner as my opinion of it has slightly diminished and I feel that the score I gave it was a tad too high based on the preemptive excitement after seeing it for the first time. 

'X-Men Days of Future Past - The Rogue Cut' Review

Nominated for: Best Visual Effects.

Theatrical Cut Review- X-Men: Days of Future Past Review

"The Rogue Cut" Review- X-Men: Days of Future Past marks Bryan Singer's return to the franchise, his last installment being X2 and effectively wiping out what can widely be regarded as everyone's least favorite X-Men films, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, from the X-Men timeline. 

Singer brought it upon himself to not only adapt a beloved comic arc but also unite the cast from his X-Men Trilogy (He didn't make the third but you know what I mean) and X-Men: First Class through the means of time travel. Time travel, when ill-used, can be confusing but Simon Kinberg's screenplay clears up all confusion thanks to limiting the time travel capabilities and some proper explanation through clever expository dialogue. The time travel also provides some meaningful opportunities for some really awesome paralleled editing between the future and past timelines that is amplified a bit in The Rogue Cut, a very welcome change. 

The Rogue Cut doesn't change the story so much as add to it in some meaningful ways. The most significant change is the addition of Rogue in the future portion of the film, an addition I prefer as it provides more plot in the future timeline rather than just waiting around for Logan to change the timeline and the Sentinels to arrive. This allows for a rescue that provides a more meaningful death to a certain character than his end in the theatrical cut and a chance for McKellen's Magneto to shine some more with an awesome sequence cutting between him and Fassbender's Magneto in the past that's appropriately intense and carries plenty of dramatic gravitas. 

There's also a subplot picked up from X-Men: First Class focusing on the relationship between Mystique and Beast that remained untouched and practically ignored in the theatrical cut that really amplifies Mystique's character arc, providing further explanation to her actions. Other than that, the changes from the theatrical release seem fairly minuscule with a few scenes roped in and slight differentiations in dialogue and some cases where and when the said dialogue is delivered. To be fair, I haven't watched the theatrical version in about two years, but still feel confident I was able to derive where The Rogue Cut diverged. 

As for the film itself, Singer's direction is subtle yet brilliant. Singer manages to effectively craft multiple environments for multiple points in time and stay true to all of them based on what's presented. Singer takes the screenplay and runs through events smoothly with engaging action visual effects spectacle, some nicely choreographed fight scenes, and integral character drama. The franchise's visual aesthetic is seemingly at it's peak with this installment where the costuming, visual effects, production design, and cinematography are top notch. In particular, I felt the collaboration of makeup, costuming, and visual effects make all the mutants look remarkable, especially Mystique and Beast. 

In regards to action, the film delivers with a number of entertaining action sequences including the fights against the Sentinels in the bleak dystopian future, any fight scene with Mystique where she utilizes tactile efficiency disposing of her enemies, and the third act finale where Magneto lifts an entire ball park stadium and drops it on the White House Lawn controlling the 70's sentinels amidst the chaos, talk about spectacle! The standout sequence that will be revered for many years to come though is without a doubt the Quicksilver sequence. 

Watching him speed about mischievously to "Time in a Bottle" with all the surrounding action in slow motion was just glorious! 

What elevates X-Men: Days of Future Past above most superhero fare (Not all, just a majority) is it's deluxe treatment for it's main characters and the excellent performances amassed by combining two casts into one full length epic crossover of sorts. 

Hugh Jackman rightfully earns top billing for his turn as Wolverine, at this point it's nearly impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Jackman gets to be a bit more levelheaded than seen previously as he has to be the voice of reason to convince the 70's mutants that their future is in peril. 

James McAvoy gets a more interesting arc as a disillusioned Charles Xavier this time around. Micheal Fassbender is much more villainous and unpredictable with even more motive behind his actions as malevolent Magneto. These two keep up the great work they started in X-Men: First Class further building on that strained relationship and in one sequence it totally pays off as the two verbally hash it out in an intense scene onboard a private jet, each with some valid arguments at their disposal. 

Jennifer Lawrence gives her best turn yet as the lovely but dangerous Mystique. The war for Mystique's soul continues to rage on between Magneto's militaristic view and Xavier's serene sentiment but Mystique manages to carve out her own stake in the matter, somewhere in the middle ground, allowing for some terrific moments between all three actors as they attempt to convince each other that their way is best. 

Nicholas Hoult gets more screen time than his limited portrayal in X-Men: First Class and brings a conflicted Hank McCoy to the fray. McCoy struggles to determine whether his mutation is a blessing or a curse, repressing both his and Charles with a formula that keeps him human and helps Xavier's legs function, and I felt that his scenes focusing on his mutation elicited some memorable moments from Hoult.

Rounding out the 70's characters is Evan Peters' mischievous speed demon, Quicksilver. Like I said earlier, Peters steals just about every scene he's in and his action sequence is incredible. A huge surprise as I lacked confidence in his portrayal in my initial viewing due to his wacko costume, needless to say never judge a book by it's cover.

For our antagonist in the past and in a manner of speaking the future, we have Peter Dinklage's Bolivar Trask, a scientist whose ill feelings towards mutants aren't quite fleshed out enough to agree with. Dinklage is fine in the manner used but had potential to be a great villain.

Meanwhile in the future many of the core cast members from the X-Men Trilogy are brought back including Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Ian McKellen's Magneto, Halle Berry's Storm, Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde, Shawn Ashmore's Iceman, Daniel Cudmore's Colossus, and Anna Paquin's Rogue (In The Rogue Cut that is).

In the future, many new mutants are to be found in the form of Omar Sy's Bishop, Chinese actress Bingbing Fan's Blink, Adan Canto's Sunspot, and Booboo Stewart's Warpath. All the mutants mentioned in the future have their moments to shine fighting the sentinels. And there's a few surprise cameos which I won't spoil for those who have yet to watch X-Men: Days of Future Past.

In conclusion, X-Men: Days of Future Past is the complete X-Men movie package with incredible cast members present from both the X-Men trilogy and X-Men: First Class  memorable epic action sequences, a refined visual aesthetic, and a satisfying story that ties it all together and essentially erases the worst X-Men films from existence.

If you have yet to add X-Men: Days of Future Past to your Blu-Ray collection, I advise that The Rogue Cut is the way to go, since it includes both "The Rogue Cut" and the Theatrical Cut, so even if you don't take a liking to the lengthy The Rogue Cut you still have the more condensed version to watch. X-Men: Days of Future Past remains to be my favorite X-Men film (This includes Deadpool), and I think that The Rogue Cut actually improves on the theatrical cut in some areas, making for a more complete viewing experience that draws little more on it's predecessor, X-Men: First Class.

Film Assessment: A+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'

This week I decided to go back and review X-Men Origins: Wolverine this week to correlate with 

Deadpool's release. This is in large part because it's the only X-Men film to feature the character of Deadpool and this is just one of those comic book films where I felt the need to express my viewpoint.

'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Review

Have you ever wanted to know Wolverine's origin story? Well, X-Men Origins: Wolverine attempts to answer that question. Keyword, attempts. Unfortunately the film doesn't deliver on the mystery and intrigue but rather muddles it with poor writing, a lousy premise and some awful CGI. The film has plotholes galore and completely disregards the continuity of Fox's X-Men film universe. There are about a total of one and a quarter good performances in the film. Hugh Jackman makes for a phenomenal Wolverine and will always be great in the role despite how awful the movie can be. As I stated earlier, the CGI is poorly rendered as Wolverine's claws looked very fake and I can't begin to comprehend why that is, given that all three of the X-Men films released prior to this made Wolverine's claws look cool and somewhat believable. When I said "one and a quarter", the "quarter" referred to Ryan Reynolds, who gets to portray Wade Wilson or as many people will soon know him, Deadpool, but only about a quarter of his screen time is enjoyable and does the character some justice. This film takes the character of Deadpool and literally shows no respect to him. Deadpool is commonly referred to as the Merc with a Mouth, yet for some reason the filmmakers decided to sew his mouth shut? This sloppy portrayal is not by any means Reynolds fault but rather the fault of the screenwriters, the director, and anyone else involved behind the camera. Reynolds is actually quite good at the beginning of the film where he actually gets to be charismatic and crack some jokes, but unfortunately the remainder of the film doesn't give Reynolds the opportunity to do much else then be the equivalent of a silent video game boss. Liev Schreiber is decent as Sabertooth but his motivations are so cluttered that it makes the plot that much more incoherent. Every other performance is pretty awful and a waste of screen time. Will.I.Am was even in this film as a teleporting mutant cowboy? Yeah, that was the point of no return for this film, but for some reason the filmmakers decided to keep pushing forward. As I said there are a few redeemable qualities the film offers, emphasis on the word "few". The film begins with a very well edited montage that showed Wolverine and Sabertooth fighting through all the major American wars leading to the Vietnam War which is followed later by a cool action sequence showcasing all of the mutant strike team, most notably Wade Wilson and his awesome katanas. Alas, the remaining action is laughably ridiculous and the film's plot doesn't really amount to much. In the end, I think it would have been best for everyone if this movie had never been made, hence why Fox rebooted their continuity with X-Men Days of Future Past.

Film Assessment: F

'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Review

Nominated for: Best Visual Effects.

By far the best X-Men movie made so far and it definitely hyped me up for whats to come for the series. It came up with a great solution to solve a majority of the continuity errors from the previous X-Men movies by altering the timeline giving Fox creative freedom to fill in the gap.  Bryan Singer did a wonderful job directing and was able to create action scenes that left my eyes glued to the screen. I saw the film in 3D and think it definitely added to the experience. The acting in this movie was incredible the standout performances were Hugh Jackman, Evan Peters, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult and Michael Fassbender. First of all, Hugh Jackman had some great scenes as Wolverine, he fits the role perfectly and I hope he will continue playing it in the years to come. Evan  Peters portrayed Quicksilver and a few months ago when photos were released of his costume I was worried that this version of Quicksilver wasn't going to be that great. But I ate my words when Evan Peters stole every scene he was in as a mischievous teenager, his scenes were hilarious and amongst my favorite moments of the movie, once I got past the ridiculous costume, I hope he will return in future X-Men films because he was a highlight of the movie. Don't worry there's a great joke that honors his parentage. Next, Jennifer Lawrence was young Mystique and I was very surprised how much the film revolved around her character she was central to the plot and throughout the film Charles and Magneto are fighting for her soul. Charles desires for her to turn back and be good while Magneto desires her to do what is necessary in order to protect mutants and I thought that was interesting dynamic of the movie. She delivered a solid performance and was given much more importance compared to X-Men: First Class. Nicolas Hoult played a young Hank McCoy, aka Beast, and did great for what he had to work with, it was great to see the character return since Beast is one of my favorite mutants. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender each delivered a outstanding performance returning as young Charles Xavier aka Professor X  and young Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto  respectively. Overall the film did a great job utilizing two storylines, the future and the past, without seeming to be overcrowded with characters. I recommend you see this movie but you don't need to see it in 3D, its just an added bonus that makes the action scenes more enjoyable. Make sure you stay through the credits!