Review: Marvel takes a sharp turn in storytelling

Actors show with weakness comes strength

The movie “Logan” broadcasts one of the most indestructible Marvel heroes when they’re most vulnerable through well told plot and character development.

“Logan,” directed by James Mangold, follows the story of the former X-Men character Wolverine or Logan, played by Hugh Jackman. In the film, Logan is much older than how he previously was portrayed. Logan is trying to make money driving a limousine so he can buy a boat and leave the mainland. He ends up running into a woman with a daughter named Laura, played by Dafne Keen, who exhibits similar powers to Wolverine himself. Logan is told that he needs to bring Laura to North Dakota by a certain deadline so she can reach safety.

The few problems with the movie are outweighed by the storytelling and atmosphere of the film. There is constant anxiety and isolationistic essence that emanates from Logan as he makes his trip with Laura. The cinematography of the film isn’t much of a spectacle, but then again, the overall goal of of the cinematography wasn’t supposed to be. Some of the special effects fall short of previous Marvel movies but don’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the movie. This film doesn’t focus all of its energy on CGI. The writing focuses around the story and development of the character Logan — which is executed fantastically. The action scenes in the film were exciting and graphic to watch. I was audibly making noises in the movie theater every time Wolverine or Laura broke out into conflict. The actors are great at showing their pain or agony whenever they’re fighting people who are trying to kill them, or when they’re fighting with each other.

As a result of the R rating of the film, the writers and director took advantage of their creative freedom. Each scene is filled with a different emotion from Logan that evokes a reaction from the audience, whether it’s anger, despair or even love, separating it from any Marvel movie I’ve seen in the past decade. This is one of only a few Marvel films that made me tear up while watching. I sympathized with the characters because I got to know them more as the film progressed, instead of just watching a generic plot with mindless explosions and violence. It was the first time I saw any real depth to Wolverine’s character. Jackman did an outstanding job of showing a hero who could literally tear enemies in half at one moment and then be absolutely powerless at another. This nuance in character and acting ultimately makes the film more enjoyable and satisfying to watch. It creates a fictional character who has real human elements.

I would highly suggest seeing this film whenever you can. It’s great if you want to see a superhero film but want a little more substance to it. The acting is impeccable and the story is heart wrenching. I know for a fact I’ll be seeing this movie again soon.

“Logan”: 4/5