Logan

A strong film on its own and even one of the best comic-book film in a long time. Director and co-writer James Mangold smartly crafted a superhero film that was character and story driven rather than spectacle and action-led. A road trip, buddy movie masquerading as another entry in the X-Men canon. But at least Hugh Jackman finally gets to flex his acting chops again, and this time with the stellar Patrick Stewart as his more-than-worthy sparring partner.

By limiting the scope of the film to just Wolverine, the script really allowed us to delve deep into the psyche of this man. It is his emotional journey and growth that really drove the story, with Stewart and the young Dafne Keen serving as effective springboards in exploring deeper layers.

Having Logan rated M18 was definitely a smart choice. Wolverine is a violent character, and the sanitised versions of him in the past just felt weird. And he is not only violent in action, but also emotionally and psychologically. The M18 rating really let him be him. whereas Deadpool used its M18 ratings more for laughs and gratuitous gore (which was appropos for the character too).

Jackman lived up to the challenge and this was possibly one of the best roles he has inhabited. Over the years he embodied this character, but it is only in this film that Jackman could really bring him to life as a real character rather than a caricature/superhero.

Truly, throughout most of the film, one forgets that this is another entry in the superhero franchise. Even the bad guys of the film is not as ridiculous and outlandish as in others superhero films. There was actually a moment (or moments) where our protagonists were so beaten that even we wonder how they can get back up (which we all know they will eventually).

The emotional beats were all well earned and the final pathos was deserved. Logan was not what I was expecting and the unexpectedness of it made it refreshing and exciting.