When the first X-Men film came out over seventeen years ago, Wolverine was not initially the central role. But over time he became the character the audience most wanted to see, defined by an undeniable bad-ass quality that Hugh Jackman embodied with unusual conviction.
Jackman’s consistent presence across the subsequent films — as the franchise expanded, contracted, and timeline-jumped — made Wolverine the through-line of a sprawling universe. The adamantium in his body presented the narrative mechanism for eventually letting the character go.
[Spoilers ahead]
Logan was created to transition Jackman out of the role and introduce a successor — his daughter, played brilliantly by Dafne Keen. The film depicts an ageing Wolverine dying from adamantium poisoning, alongside an Alzheimer’s-afflicted Professor X. Patrick Stewart delivers what may be his best work in the role.
Professor X becomes the only character in the movie series to have been killed twice on screen — a distinction he earns twice over here. And the film is exceptionally gritty. More hand-to-hand combat than stylised superhero action. More emotional weight than any previous entry in the series.
Recommended for those who want to see what happens when superhero films treat their characters as people.