Wolverine Returns to the Big Screen with R-Rating

Photo courtesy of Maximilian Bühn, Wikipedia

The latest addition to the “X-Men” film franchise, “Logan,” is a true masterpiece, as excellent action sequences and well-written characters combine to create one amazing movie.

In the year 2029, the number of mutants born annually has decreased drastically: no births of superhuman children have been reported in 20 years. An aging Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) lives under the name Logan. Made vulnerable by a depleting healing factor – which, in previous films, granted the superhero the ability to recover from otherwise fatal wounds – the weary superhero spends his days taking care of his mentor Professor Charles Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart), who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Logan’s routine is disrupted when he discovers a little girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), who reveals herself to be a mutant with powers similar to Logan’s. Their meeting sparks a journey with Xavier to Eden, an area reputed to be a haven for mutants everywhere. However, the young woman is pursued by the villain Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and his cybernetically enhanced enforcers, the Reavers.

The father-son relationship between Logan and Xavier is the cause for several funny and touching moments between the two, and the movie expands upon the pair’s friendship, which has existed throughout the “X-Men” franchise. The movie’s amazing dialogue combines with top-notch acting to create truly sympathetic characters.

The film’s extensive fight sequences are brutal yet thrilling, as the easily-wounded Logan and the young Laura slice their enemies with the blades which sprout organically from their knuckles and – in Laura’s case – her feet. The movie’s R-rating allows for plenty of blood to be shed.

This film is an absolute pleasure to watch and can be even enjoyed by those who tend to shy away from superhero films. Audiences will want to see “Logan” again and again to relive the amazing scenes that are found throughout the movie’s runtime.

jkirstei@ramapo.edu