How does one say goodbye to a role and character who for the last 17 years has been a mainstay of the superhero film genre? This is a question many people will have been asking this past weekend, and those who have not seen Hugh Jackman's final performance as James "Logan" Howlett aka Wolverine, one of the most famous and well known members of the X-Men team and one of the main selling faces of the overall X-Men film franchise (this includes his spinoff films, of which 'Logan' is the third and final installment).
Last night I saw 'Logan' with my girlfriend, my brother and a group of our friends. And I will say this right now, be prepared (if you've not seen 'Logan' yet), to have your heart yanked out as you watch Hugh Jackman put on Logan's grit, grim determination, violent tendencies and innate desire to help out/save the world one last time.
I do not intend to give anything away in the way of plot, characters etc. As a nerd and fan of superhero films, I will not be like other blogs/reviewers out there who feel the need to spoil a film for fans who have not seen it yet. I will however talk about Jackman's performance, his last bow as Logan.
Hugh Jackman has always played the character with a certain brashness, because he is in many respects, an animal. Gruff (but with heart), violent, not giving a care about other people (until pulled in to another save the world scenario with the X-Men), and certainly the kind of guy who would sooner punch you then try to talk things out in a situation, this time, Jackman is playing a literally older Logan, a Logan worn down by not just age, but also by the state of the world, and a desire to be left alone, and not get involved in the problems of other people. This is not the Wolverine of old, this is a Wolverine who is ready to die, and would welcome death like a friend.
It's hard to believe, that after 17 years, Hugh Jackman is retired from a role that he has taken and made into his own, and brought the character of Wolverine to life in ways that no other actor could.
Seeing him up there on the screen, being Logan, in all of the characters gritty, hard as nails glory one last time was fantastic! There will quite literally never be another actor to take up that role (and hopefully studios will never try to recast), because how could anyone ever come close to the level of performance and character development that Jackman has put into the character these past 17 years.
In closing, I give 'Logan' the highest of marks for its characters, story, scenery, action and above all else, for allowing Hugh Jackman to hang up the claws in a way that did Wolverine justice, and gave for what I hope many (myself included) consider/will consider, to be a fitting finale to the Wolverine movie story.
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