Logan

No matter how dark superhero movies get (or the comics they're based off of) none are as violent as Logan. The majority of movies in the Marvel franchise in particular have embraced that even if characters die, even if there are real consequences to their actions, it's still a comic book world. Both of the Avengers movies are a blast and no matter how beat up the characters get, it's still funny and cartoonish. Shouldn't it be? Aren't these movies supposed to be an escape from reality, from the bombings, murders, and rapes we see on TV each day? I think they are. They're away of feeling like a kid again, when violence was fun and heroes got out without a bruise or cut.

Wolverine tells his younger, female clone that this is not the comic books she's been reading, people die and get hurt. It's the real world. If there is a thesis statement in the film, that's it. The violence is always entertaining, but we get a glimpse at what fighting an almost-invincible man with claws coming out of his hands would be like: horrific. But what happens when bad guys get their heads cut off? The crowd cheers. Most are probably unaware that the film is critiquing them as much as it is the comic books it's based off of.

Logan doesn't feel like a superhero film. Superhero implies that the protagonist actually wants to help people, to be a vigilante, but Logan wants nothing to do with this. He trudges on nonetheless, trying to get Professor X to safety even though he believes the whole thing is made up. His reluctance seems a little forced to be consistent up until the very end, but without it there would be very little conflict besides the fact the villians are on their tails the whole time. This is a story set in a post-superhero world, where the people who want to make mutants into weapons have already won. In the fashion of Watchmen, this leaves most of them bitter and others hopeful. Luckily, unlike the rest of the Marvel and DC franchises it does not feel the need to cram in as many heroes as possible. We're good with just three, four counting Laura.

Spoiler alert: likeable innocent people die and we see it, unlike other films like The Dark Knight, where the worst of violence is done off-camera and usually by explosion. Oh, and children get hurt. Did I mention that? No one swoops in to save them in the nick of time. The men after them are ruthless and cold, unafraid to shoot at children. Equally, the children don't have much trouble killing either. Logan tells Lara she's going to have to find a way to live with that, as he himself probably has the highest kill rate of any onscreen superhero. Those who didn't complain that Superman killed Zod in the end of Man of Steel will be satisfied with this. Others will likely be mortified. Disturbingly, I saw kids in the audience who looked younger than ten. No matter what Logan says, they are likely to be more entertained by the fifth decapitation than they are to be afraid.

We all enjoy a hero who gets their ass kicked. It's like seeing UFC champion go down when we thought they were invincible. There's a satisfaction in knowing that everyone can be beat and as Logan limps around, covered in scars, we realize that he's not immortal, nor does he want to be. He has a death wish and must decide if he wants to end it all before continuing to die slowly and painfully, or if he wants to go out the hero Professor X made him into.

Out of all the X-Men, Wolverine is probably my favorite. He's scrappy, filled with rage, and grumpy. Like most of Professor X's students he's lost and no matter how many times he becomes found again, sooner or later he ends up a wandering ronin, apathetic and alcoholic, a man who wants nothing but to find some peace of mind and to erase memories filled with violence and loss. In Logan Hugh Jackman gives a final farewell to the iconic character he's played for the past seventeen years, as do we get the peaceful ending that Wolverine deserves. Luckily, unlike so many other films we get closure and no convoluted setups for future films. And finally, Marvel did the right thing and focused on a small group of compelling characters instead of a cliffhanger ending alluding to another sequel or remake.