James Mangold
Logan

Perhaps the sensationalism surrounding the new film in the Wolverine saga is a bit over the top. Mind you, it's a very good piece of work, which, much like Deadpool last year, breaks away from some of the almost pre-established forms of superhero movies. In this case, the central issues concern the manner in which violence is displayed, the possibility that even a young girl can kill with great bloodshed and amputated heads, but also the necessity of taking breaks, of not being enslaved by a frantic or otherwise relentless pace.

Logan stands in opposition to general trends: the hero stabs dozens of heads, without the slightest remorse, unleashing his blind fury on an army of enemies who evidently deserve it. Goodbye to the moral issues so dear to the superhero movies of 2016, we're in 2017 baby! This resurgence in the use of violence and blood finds its sublimation in the actions of the young girl, Laura, who stabs skulls and limbs with the same ferocity as Wolverine, if not more. In this sense, we are faced with a liberating film, an almost nihilistic bloodbath, yet at the same time incredibly fragile. Such a display of death has its well-achieved counterpoint: it is the few, last affections left to the two protagonists, now old and battered, joined by Laura's inexperience and wildness, which amplifies the fragilities of Logan and Xavier.

This particular dimension of the story ties magnificently to the interesting management of rhythm and timing. The beating heart of the film is in the central section, when the three protagonists on the run stop by a family, to live a normal, rejuvenating evening. It is there that the frictions in Wolverine's soul are amplified, and it is there that the management of tension marks its best moments. A calm heart, a small sphere of normality amidst the violence, which represents the true pinnacle of the film. The discourse on the relationship between normal life and mutant life, between reality and comic book fantasy, finds its sublimation there: there's little time to live normal moments, Xavier knows it well and is tormented by it. The bloodbath and deaths come to sweep away that little idyll, as was expected, yet the fact that they were predictable doesn't make them any less painful. The viewer hopes it won't happen, even though they know it will. And this is a great credit to the director and writers, who manage to make us empathize with the family hosting our protagonists.

And so we can talk about the emotional and human dimension that permeates Logan. Certainly, we have three well-defined and fragile characters, quite distant from the most extreme superhuman themes. This difference is remarkable, but I find that here lie the film's flaws. Surely the intention is noble, but all in all what is presented to us is a broad-brush portrait of a character who in the ninth film has really said it all (not that he had much to say to begin with). Wolverine is not Hamlet, his personality is simple, perfectly functional within a group, but he falters a little when alone. Here he is accompanied only by Xavier, and by the girl who hardly ever speaks. In the long run, it becomes apparent that the intention to provide a more detailed and human portrayal doesn’t go much beyond the change of clothes, the scruffiness, and the thick beard. There's a lot of aesthetics, a lot of exteriority, and limited content. Fine, Logan is angry, disappointed, resigned, but without explanations of what occurred prior to 2029, we cannot truly resonate emotionally with the character. And also, the absence of his usual companions ultimately penalizes the events, however significant, that occur over the course of the film.

In fact, after a great management of tension and rhythm in the initial and central phases, the direction begins to lose a bit of focus on the events and emotions of the characters, failing to give them the proper amplification. This combines with a script that, in key moments, proves to be largely imperfect. The entire last part exposes some not insignificant flaws, like those already highlighted: an unremarkable character, the absence of explanations for previous events, a sense of "exile" from the rest of the saga. The events narrated are enormous, but are subdued by the absence of the entire true context of the X-Men.

Furthermore, in the long run, the chosen approach for the battles shows its limits: the soldiers are too insignificant, the villain of the moment is too underdeveloped, and the brawls with X-24 are too repetitive. Only the pervasive presence of blood remains effective until the very end.

A decent film, which confirms the fertility of the superhero movie universe but at the same time does not deny a certain difficulty in achieving true excellence, a full authorial dignity. Certainly, Logan remains a very good and brave attempt.

7/10