Logan
I went to see Logan this afternoon. I very much enjoyed it. Biggest thing I was disappointed about was the complete lack of the Deadpool teaser thing! I was really looking forward to seeing that too. I wonder if it was just being shown in the US :(
I have thoughts which may be spoilery so read on at your own risk. They're not necessarily in any order or cohesion, just as they've come to me!
I've seen several complaints from people saying that the film is too brutal and Logan swears too much. During the first scene where he fights the people who are trying to steal his limo, I was just thinking that finally, this is a better representation of Wolverine as he is in the comics: stabby, sweary, blunt and with a temper. It was nice to get a glimpse of that berserker rage too, although his strong moral compass which is one the main things the character is known for seemed to be a little wonky on occasion.
It was quite painful to see both him and Charles so old and ravaged. At the same time, it is nice to get an idea of what it's like when superheroes get old because that's certainly the kind of thing people wonder about. To see Logan caring for Charles like that, particularly the scene where he takes him to the toilet, it just makes it very real, and it puts an interesting spin on their relationship. It was also interesting where Logan said that the adamantium is poisoning him. It is mentioned in the comics that Charles has a theory that without Logan's healing factor, adamantium poisoning would be an major issue. Although with the amount Logan smokes, who's to say it's not part lung cancer as well, which would explain the cough! He didn't smoke at all in this film though, perhaps that's why!
Who knew that Charles could communicate with horses? That surprised me. It's certainly known that Logan can communicate with animals with having that side of his nature, so I was more expecting that from him in the rescue, rather than Charles.
It's also interesting to see Logan using his original name of James Howlett. Although that was revealed a few years ago, he never used it in the comics until the end of 1 Month To Die, his penultimate series, where he asked Kitty Pride to call him James. It's strange that the film would not only show that was his name but have other characters refer to him with it. I couldn't work that one out.
Having X-Men comics be a thing was weird! The kid at the end with the Wolverine action figure in his original yellow and blue costume amused me. The kids seemed to have this knowledge and a bit of hero worship of Logan, knowing who he was through the comics. The scene where they trimmed his beard back into his usual mutton chops while he slept was funny. And so brave of them, knowing how he has a history of lashing out in his sleep! And yet, at the end, while Laura is very upset, the rest of them all seem rather 'eh' about it, like he was of no real meaning to them.
I thought the adamantium bullet was a strange touch. That was already used in the Origins film where all it did was erase his memory, but obviously things have changed since then *wink wink* Then with the introduction of X-24, having the bullet made sense. I never thought Wolverine would be one to kill himself, going back to his strong morals and everything, and certainly not with a gun considering how much he doesn't like them. It is mentioned in the Death of Wolverine series where he says, "Sometimes I wonder if it might be better to find some place where I can watch the sun set, then just *puts his fist under his chin* ...snikt." And that's sort of the ending he gets at the end of that issue, after risking his life to save others from being put through the Weapon X programme, he gets covered in molten adamantium and without his healing factor, it kills him. He survives just long enough to watch the sun set and falls to his knees where the metal cools and hardens around him. It's a very symbolic and fitting end. Certainly better than being killed by a bloody tree as he is in the film! I really wished he would have been given a more noble and suitable end. The comic book ending really got to me, the film one, not so much. I mean, it was sad, but not as sad as it could have been.
I wasn't entirely sure about the whole X-24 thing. As soon as he appeared, it was very obvious that there was going to be a Wolverine v Wolverine show-down at the end. The whole 'fighting my evil clone' thing is rather overdone too, so it just seemed a wee bit trite. And seriously, did they learn nothing from the Deadpool/Weapon 11 Origins debacle? And to be honest, I couldn't work out how although all the previous clones were kids, X-24 (who obviously came after Laura seeing as she's X-23) is a full grown man. That didn't make sense. I get the symbolism: Logan has been fighting his anger and his animal nature all his life, and now here he is literally fighting it but it just seemed like he deserved more than such a well-used trope. Especially if that's the way he's going out. Killed by a tree... sheesh.
I had wondered if the film would lead towards having X-23/Laura take over, especially as that's what has happened with the comics. In 2015, the new series All-New Wolverine started which has Laura Kinney taking on Wolverine's identity in Logan's memory. She has a yellow and blue costume which is very similar to his original one. Obviously Dafne Keen is a little young for that yet but it seems like both she and James Mangold are wanting that to happen in the future. All in all, the film was really good, definitely the best one and the best rendition of Wolverine, and certainly a high point for him to go out on. It's just a shame it took them so long to get there!
I have thoughts which may be spoilery so read on at your own risk. They're not necessarily in any order or cohesion, just as they've come to me!
I've seen several complaints from people saying that the film is too brutal and Logan swears too much. During the first scene where he fights the people who are trying to steal his limo, I was just thinking that finally, this is a better representation of Wolverine as he is in the comics: stabby, sweary, blunt and with a temper. It was nice to get a glimpse of that berserker rage too, although his strong moral compass which is one the main things the character is known for seemed to be a little wonky on occasion.
It was quite painful to see both him and Charles so old and ravaged. At the same time, it is nice to get an idea of what it's like when superheroes get old because that's certainly the kind of thing people wonder about. To see Logan caring for Charles like that, particularly the scene where he takes him to the toilet, it just makes it very real, and it puts an interesting spin on their relationship. It was also interesting where Logan said that the adamantium is poisoning him. It is mentioned in the comics that Charles has a theory that without Logan's healing factor, adamantium poisoning would be an major issue. Although with the amount Logan smokes, who's to say it's not part lung cancer as well, which would explain the cough! He didn't smoke at all in this film though, perhaps that's why!
Who knew that Charles could communicate with horses? That surprised me. It's certainly known that Logan can communicate with animals with having that side of his nature, so I was more expecting that from him in the rescue, rather than Charles.
It's also interesting to see Logan using his original name of James Howlett. Although that was revealed a few years ago, he never used it in the comics until the end of 1 Month To Die, his penultimate series, where he asked Kitty Pride to call him James. It's strange that the film would not only show that was his name but have other characters refer to him with it. I couldn't work that one out.
Having X-Men comics be a thing was weird! The kid at the end with the Wolverine action figure in his original yellow and blue costume amused me. The kids seemed to have this knowledge and a bit of hero worship of Logan, knowing who he was through the comics. The scene where they trimmed his beard back into his usual mutton chops while he slept was funny. And so brave of them, knowing how he has a history of lashing out in his sleep! And yet, at the end, while Laura is very upset, the rest of them all seem rather 'eh' about it, like he was of no real meaning to them.
I thought the adamantium bullet was a strange touch. That was already used in the Origins film where all it did was erase his memory, but obviously things have changed since then *wink wink* Then with the introduction of X-24, having the bullet made sense. I never thought Wolverine would be one to kill himself, going back to his strong morals and everything, and certainly not with a gun considering how much he doesn't like them. It is mentioned in the Death of Wolverine series where he says, "Sometimes I wonder if it might be better to find some place where I can watch the sun set, then just *puts his fist under his chin* ...snikt." And that's sort of the ending he gets at the end of that issue, after risking his life to save others from being put through the Weapon X programme, he gets covered in molten adamantium and without his healing factor, it kills him. He survives just long enough to watch the sun set and falls to his knees where the metal cools and hardens around him. It's a very symbolic and fitting end. Certainly better than being killed by a bloody tree as he is in the film! I really wished he would have been given a more noble and suitable end. The comic book ending really got to me, the film one, not so much. I mean, it was sad, but not as sad as it could have been.
I wasn't entirely sure about the whole X-24 thing. As soon as he appeared, it was very obvious that there was going to be a Wolverine v Wolverine show-down at the end. The whole 'fighting my evil clone' thing is rather overdone too, so it just seemed a wee bit trite. And seriously, did they learn nothing from the Deadpool/Weapon 11 Origins debacle? And to be honest, I couldn't work out how although all the previous clones were kids, X-24 (who obviously came after Laura seeing as she's X-23) is a full grown man. That didn't make sense. I get the symbolism: Logan has been fighting his anger and his animal nature all his life, and now here he is literally fighting it but it just seemed like he deserved more than such a well-used trope. Especially if that's the way he's going out. Killed by a tree... sheesh.
I had wondered if the film would lead towards having X-23/Laura take over, especially as that's what has happened with the comics. In 2015, the new series All-New Wolverine started which has Laura Kinney taking on Wolverine's identity in Logan's memory. She has a yellow and blue costume which is very similar to his original one. Obviously Dafne Keen is a little young for that yet but it seems like both she and James Mangold are wanting that to happen in the future. All in all, the film was really good, definitely the best one and the best rendition of Wolverine, and certainly a high point for him to go out on. It's just a shame it took them so long to get there!