Logan (2017)

By 2017, Hugh Jackman had played Wolverine across seventeen years and eight films, and Logan was conceived as his farewell to the role, with James Mangold returning after the pair had worked together on The Wolverine (2013). Mangold took his cue from the 2008 "Old Man Logan" comic run by Mark Millar and Steve McNair, though the film departs freely from that source material. The production leaned heavily on the R-rating Fox had been persuaded to pursue following the commercial success of Deadpool (2016), making Logan the first mainline X-Men film to carry that certification. It was shot largely on location in New Mexico and Louisiana, lending it the sun-bleached, road-movie texture Mangold was clearly aiming for. Patrick Stewart, like Jackman, was widely understood to be closing out his own tenure as Charles Xavier.

Logan (2017) is a superhero film that doesn’t just break the mold, it smashes it to pieces and builds something raw, human, and unforgettable. Set in a near-future wasteland where mutants are nearly extinct, it follows an aging, broken Logan as he’s pulled into one final mission: protecting a young girl who may be the key to a new beginning. Hugh Jackman gives the performance of his career (exhausted, angry, grieving) and Patrick Stewart delivers one of his most powerful turns as a fragile, ailing Professor X. Dafne Keen, as Laura, is phenomenal, bringing fierce silence and emotional depth that speaks louder than words. The action is brutal, personal, and gorgeously shot, no CGI armies or city-leveling explosions, just claws, blood, and consequence. The R-rated gore isn’t gratuitous; it’s earned, making every fight feel dangerous and real. And the story of a quiet, road-trip tragedy wrapped in a superhero skin, one about legacy, fatherhood, and what it means to finally rest. It’s touching, devastating, and deeply moving. That said, the pacing does sag a little in the middle. The fact that Logan no longer heals adds weight, but also slows momentum, his pain becomes repetitive, and some stretches feel like they’re treading water. Still, when it hits, it hits hard. Easily one of the greatest superhero films ever made. Not because of powers, but because of heart. For me, it stands above almost all the Marvel films. A masterpiece of character, violence, and soul. Wolverine’s swan song (until Deadpool came along) and what a way to go.

Rating: ★★★★  | Year: 2017  | Watched: 2025-11-02

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Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Disney Plus
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Related on Movies With Macca

More from James Mangold: Ford v Ferrari (2019) · Cop Land (1997) · The Wolverine (2013) · Walk the Line (2005)
More with Hugh Jackman: Van Helsing (2004) · X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) · X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) · The Wolverine (2013)
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