Cinephile No. 634 "Logan"
When I was a kid, my brother's and I would rise before the sun and watch Saturday morning cartoons. Luckily for our parents, it kept us entertained and quite for a few hours while they got some much-needed sleep. Pretty quickly, we fell head over heels for one particular cartoon; X-Men. It was our first introduction to the comic book series that had been entertaining readers for decades. Naturally, we all fell in love with Wolverine. He was defiant, uncouth, and possessed a mysterious backstory that kept us begging for more. As we grew up, the cartoons and comic book movies of our youth were becoming movies. It didn't take long to get X-Men and Wolverine on the big screen. After 9 X-Men movies, most of which featured Wolverine, I was left with an uneasy feeling. After all this time, I never got the Wolverine story I wanted. I wanted something gritty, real, and focused. With "Logan," my wish was granted.
"Logan" surpassed my expectations. In no way, shape, or form is this a movie for children. The language is foul, the violence gory, and the ending troubling, but for us adults who grew up on Saturday morning cartoons, this film is the perfect movie. It does something the other movies in the franchise failed to do; they made the X-Men relateable. In old age, we see Professor X succumbing to his degrading mental health and Logan's ability to heal is deteriorating before our eyes. In their frail state, we see humanly begins much like us. Their powers are fading and death seems closer than ever.
"Logan" and all of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies should be a clarion call for other comic book movies. These films have connected with audiences because we saw ourselves in them. The dialogue seems like our conversations. The torment seems relatable. The edge of death seems possible. Now, don't get me wrong, I will show up for every version of people with mystical powers blow up Manhattan, but I enter each and every one of those theaters knowing I will walk out less than satisfied. I will walk away wanting more from the stories of my childhood. I will walk away wanting a movie like "Logan."
Be good to each other,
-Nathan
