The Weary, Worthwhile Legacy of Wolverine

AKA A story about two dudes

(We've saved the best for last)

Real talk. Logan might be one of the greatest comic book movies of all time. It breaks new grounds for the X-Men films and transcends the genre. But it doesn't come without its costs. Without 17 years of X-Men movies leading up to this grand finale, Hugh Jackman's lead character may not have amounted to much in the end. Thankfully the payoff is well overdue. But before we get to the payoff at all, we must appreciate how we got there. Therefore we must go through it all; all the highlights; all the dreadful moments; every high and low; every up and down. We must go back to the very beginning. So if you'll let me waste your time, we shall journey through the entire X-Men franchise; The good, the bad and the ugly, UGLY continuity.

Yeah, we're really gonna do this...

*COLOR = TIMELINE*

  X1: 

  The year was 2000. Comic book movies were born into a radical modern age beginning with Christopher Reeves' Superman movies in the late 70s and by the end of the 90s they had peaked with Michael Keaton's Batman movies. Before the 2000s, the idea of a quality Marvel movie was a fantasy, the only exception being Wesley Snipes' Blade which was too graphic and violent for many movie-going audiences hindering the full potential for a wide following (although Blade IS dope). And so, Bryan Singer gave birth to the first X-Men film and comic book movies changed forever.

  To call the first X-Men film revolutionary almost sounds comical today given the semi-campy nature of the original, but during the wake of the new millennium it broke ground and transcended the comic book genre in ways having never been done before. It was as if the formula for the modern day super-hero movie was changed over night; the action sequences were breathtaking, the special effects were fresh; the visuals were lush and the whole spectacle was jaw-dropping. It was an incredible way to introduce these mutants and a phenomenal ensemble of actors who would later be forgotten, Hugh Jackman outliving them all (no Logan puns intended). Sure Logan's chemistry with Anna Paquin's Rogue made for the most compelling relationship in arguably the entire X-franchise (pairing up a woman who could not touch people without killing them, and a man who could not die) but Patrick Stewart's Professor Xavier made for a spot-on role that was identifiable as both sentimental and all things powerful, and in his swearing in of Wolverine to his school for the gifted, so began the start of rich characters in a a franchise that would change comic book movies forever (no matter how many bumps were ahead).

Grade: B


X2: 

  If X-Men revolutionized modern day comic book movies, X2 (2003) revolutionized the comic book sequel. Containing one of the greatest introductions to a comic book movie ever made (the Nightcrawler White House sequence), X2: X-Men United stands alone as one of the best comic book movies of the genre. Everything about it is not only bigger but better. The whole universe finally begins to flesh out; the action sequences are larger, the stakes feel higher and we finally get to shred into some true three-dimensional character development.
  Save for the awesome attack on the X-mansion (Logan gets to actually kill a guy!), the story also fleshes out Wolverine's character for the first time. We get glimpses of him being experimented on and we finally get an idea as to who Logan actually was. It's a tragic realization for the character and we actually feel sorry for him; a story that would take up the entirety of a pointless "origins" movie.
  That being said, X2 features some of the greatest moments of the entire X-Men franchise. As stated, there's the attack on the X-mansion (Colossus metalling-up for the first time is straight badass), there's Pyro attacking the police at Bobby's house, the X-fighter-jet tornado sequence, Wolverine vs. Deathstrike, and Magneto's prison escape? Breathtaking! And beyond all the character development, best of all, we truly feel the dynamics of the relationship between Professor X and Magneto for the first time (and the fact that they're played by real-life besties Patrick Sewart and Ian McKellan only make it so much sweeter). 

  Let us also examine the scene when the gang hides out at Bobby's house and Bobby "comes out" to his parents as a mutant for the first time (highlight quote coming from Bobby's mom: "Have you tried... not being a mutant?"); it's a clear parallel to the sexual oppression Singer tries to convey in these films and is arguably one of the biggest metaphorical themes in the entire franchise.

  The movie is just excellent all around. Everything is doubled down and the whole thing works so well, arguably making this the single-handed greatest X-Men movie there is.

Grade: A-


X3: 

  ...Which brings us to X-3. I'm gonna try and blitz through these next two chapters as quick as humanly possible as they are arguably some of the lowest points in the entire franchise but as I stated, you can't have the ups without the downs...

  Now, despite popular conception, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) isn't the complete piece of garbage fans make it out to be. But it's certainly the worst of the first three movies and underwhelming at BEST.
  X3's biggest flaw is that Singer stepped out to do Superman Returns (arguably as messy a film) and all the results of his departure show. Despite much of the cast being killed off, the film suffers from being stuffed with far too many characters and WAY too many rushed intertwining plot lines. That's not even mentioning that the moral of the film tried to convince the audience that the whole franchise up until this point has been about nothing more than Logan and Jean Grey's relationship (which is insulting to the concept of the X-Men being a group effort). I can't be totally in denial though.

  X3 features some of the most entertaining action sequences of the franchise despite the cringeworthy moments. Magneto's Golden Gate Bridge sequence is one of the all-time highlights for the character; Wolverine fighting the man who grew pinecone-daggers from his forearms was fun for 30 seconds; the "Juggernaut bitch" moment was classic despite it being ripped off from a YouTube video and the fight at Jean Grey's childhood home was excellent all around. As a matter of fact, Professor X's "death scene" was one of the more emotional moments of the series and even though it never stuck (because in comic-book-land, no one ever stays dead), it made for some great drama (Magneto's line to Pyro: "Charles Xavier did more for mutants than you'll ever know" signified their relationship so well, despite them having become sworn enemies.

  X3 definitely tried to exude the be-all end-all of the X-Men franchise (because no one ever saw past the idea of a trilogy at the time) with all the finalities it attempted at, what with the Cure and the death of many characters and whatnot. It's definitely sloppy and glossed over too much, for sure. That said, the highlights do exist, one of the biggest being Kelsey Grammer's Beast; a character who's presence had more of an impact with one movie than Nicholas Hoult had with three. But at the end of the day, the movie still absolutely tried to be the literal "last stand," leaving fans with post-credits scenes, keeping them salivating for more. Thankfully, this was not the last note the franchise left Wolverine and the mutants on, despite how badly it wanted to at the time.

Grade: C


XO: 

  X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) is arguably the weakest point of the entire X-Men franchise, with possibly only one other exception (we'll get there soon). It's the spin-off no one asked for about a story the audience already kinda knew. That said, there are (minuscule) moments worth mentioning. Alas, all things good and bad must be mentioned.

  The story winds back to the 1970s/80s. We see a pre-X-Men Wolverine and we date back to Logan's birth and his war with "brother" Victor Creed AKA Sabretooth, played to astronomical effort by Liev Schreiber, Schreiber arguably being the highlight of the entire sloppy Joe of a movie. Actually, the best part of the whole flick is the opening title sequence, bar none. After pairing up Logan (who's "Jimmy" in this movie, because reasons) and Victor in the beginning, the film sees these two immortal mutants through all kinds of wars as the opening credits flash; Civil War, WWII, etc. We see some pretty neat-o sequences of Jackman and Schreiber gun-toting and dressed up in uniform taking cannons and bullets and kicking all kinds of ass in slow motion. They get captured, right around the time of Vietnam, and once the title sequence is over the rest of the movie goes all downhill from there.
  Granted, there are some cool moments with the Weapon X team (Ryan Reynolds as a pre-Deadpool "Deadpool") the movie is ultimately a sloppy charade of shoddy CGI sequences with campy action beat after action beat. The less seriously you treat the film the more fun it is, but it's still a mess of a movie. That said, it IS still fun. Taylor Kitsch makes for an entertaining Gambit (despite his near-cameo appearance); the Blob has a comical boxing bit and the climax of the movie is absolutely bananas (and completely goes off the rails).

  If there's one X-Men movie to forgive despite its flaws, it's this one if only for Hugh Jackman. Jackman continues to give 100% even when the filmmakers are only giving 10.

Grade: D


FC: 

  
  With X-Men: First Class (2011), we see the timeline go all the way back to 1962 and this marks the first time since X2 that we receive a quality X-Men film. 

  What started as a reboot and eventually became a prequel, director Matthew Vaughn essentially threw all the continuity rules out the window allowing him to make the movie he wanted to make regardless of the films that came beforehand. This decision made for the ultimate catch 22 because while it most definitely works as a prequel (the opening Magneto-holocaust scene is nearly shot-for-shot the intro to the first X-Men film), the actions and events that take place, and even some characters just existing, don't fit into the X-Men timeline at ALL. Sure Vaughn making his own rules allowed for a much better story where his characters could breathe naturally, it would eventually cause a spiral of frustration for the die hard fans.
  But what a fun movie it actually is. Sure it may come across as silly, being more of a 60s Bond flick, what with the spy-espionage plots and playful action sequences, but it also moves at a brisk pace, bringing a young Charles Xavier and Magneto to life. James McCavoy as Professor X and Michael Fassbender as Magneto may not quite reach the caliber of Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan but they're almost as likable. The character of Magneto reaches emotional resonance in this one that's almost unmatched in all the other X-movies. And save for Hugh Jackman's brief, explicit cameo (giving just a small taste of what the Logan movie might be like), the inclusion of other, lesser-known characters, gives the film unique purpose and by sticking the mutants right in the middle of the factual Cuban Missile Crisis makes for an exciting plot regardless of the sloppy continuity that would later ensue. That said, without those continuity complains we might never have received a time travel themed sequel that would become one of the all-time best X-Men films.

Grade: B+



TW: 

  The second Wolverine spin-off, dubbed The Wolverine, is not only a much better entry in the X-Men franchise but also a fine entry as a standalone Wolverine movie. 
  
Jumping ahead to present day (2013 at the time), the film is a loose sequel to X3's X-Men: The Last Stand, if only for the use of Jean Grey's death haunting Logan's nightmares. The film uses Logan's grief as a center piece for how broken the character really is. Moving the story to Japan casts Logan as a fish out of water and once again, Jackman sells it all.

  A lot of fans were disappointed with how slow and just how different The Wolverine felt, in tone; in story; in lack of mutants, but these qualities honestly gave the film room to breathe. By slowing things down, we finally focus on Logan as a three-dimensional character who's fractured by his choices and his immortality. Save for the minuscule but savory action sequences (the bullet train fight is spectacular), the film gives the impression of Logan's depression for the very first time. It is with The Wolverine that we see the character longing for mortality; the ability to be human; the ability to die; a theme that would become just poignant enough to drive home his very last outing in 2017. That said, The Wolverine is arguably one of the best entries of the franchise despite the goofy Samurai-Transformers villain during the third act. Director James Mangold takes the franchise into his hands for the first time and gives us a gritty enough look at the emphasis behind Logan as a violent and angry beast thrown into a cruel side of Japan. The PG-13 rating holds back that gritty aspect but the whole film is more so a palate cleanser for the dark side of what would come when Wolverine finally hangs up the claws in the finale (and I promise, we're almost there). 

  Make no mistake, Mangold was a perfect choice to handle Wolverine making this chapter, though flawed, an overall fitting story for such a beaten and broken character.

Grade: B+


DOFP: 

  A sequel to First Class, a sequel to the original trilogy and a means to tie these two timelines together, Days of Future Past (2014) is not only one of the more important entries to the overarching story but overall one of the best X-Men movies ever made. Deemed a number one favorite for many, the film just did so much right making it count for so much of the losses brought by the previous, messy X-Men films.

  With this outing, veteran director Bryan Singer returns and he could not have come back at a better time. Here, the timelines jump from 2023 to 1973. There's a lot of time travel nonsense I'm not going to touch up on because we'd be steering from the conversation. Long story short, Wolverine is designated to travel from an apocalyptic present, where mutants are being wiped out by robots (because reasons), to a 1970s past to prevent these robots from being created. Regardless of all the sci-fi time-jumping mumbo jumbo, the movie is good simply because it's just a good story and makes for some legit character development. 
  Between the ten year gap of events from First Class to DOFP, the characters are all broken and much of the story is tragic for everyone. McAvoy's character arc takes the biggest toll with Professor X going from a washed up junkie to a leader who can "believe again" (how precious) making it just as much his story as Logan's. But make no mistake, this is still very much so Logan's story. What makes Wolverine's presence so fitting is that he's not hogging the screen. Sure he's arguably the star but his character is a tool to affect the characters around him making us truly care for them. Hell, the scene where Magneto and Charles yell at each other on the plane makes for some of the most emotionally devastating conversation in this entire franchise. We feel the dynamics in the flaws of their fractured relationship and for the first time in a few films, we remember WHY we love the X-Men movies.
  All that said, Logan is still such a center piece due to him time jumping and for me, it goes so much deeper than the basic plot of him traveling between 50 years. I break it down like this...
  Once Logan prevents the apocalyptic future for the X-Men of 2023, he essentially resets the timeline. Continuity errors of films past can now be lazily washed away because "hey, the timeline has been reset." Is it truly an answer for every issue the major fans are gonna have? Of course not, but at least it's something to suspend your disbelief. THAT SAID, what's poignant about Logan's journey is that once the future becomes a honky dory place to live in again, Logan is the ONLY character who recalls both timelines. I understand that doesn't seem that big a deal but let's break it down further...

(THIS IS THE ENTIRE POINT OF MY RIDICULOUS ESSAY)

  Logan lives about 100+ years or so and at LEAST 20 of those years (give or take), he watches the people he actually cares about DIE before him. He sees the Professor shatter into a thousand pieces; he stabs Jean Grey to death; he experiences his fellow mutants get wiped out by CGI robots; Sure. But after resetting the timeline, we get the idea that Logan having mentally experienced that trauma is going to have to watch these characters die again. Not only that, no one else shares these memories. He's essentially the only character in the franchise who experiences the entire story. No, the film does not touch on the severity of this at all but if you REALLY think about it, it allows Jackman's character to feel even more poignant and carved out by the time we reach Logan (and by God, I think we're almost there). 
  If there's one X-Men movie to watch for Logan and Xavier's character development, aside from X2, it's this one, hands down.

Grade: A-



DEADPOOL:
APOCALYPSE:

I'm going to condense these next entries into one section for two reasons: 

1) I wrote about them both (here's the one for Deadpool, here's the one for Apocalypse).
2) They're not necessary to talk about and here's why:

- Deadpool is arguably my favorite "X-Men" movie but it's hardly an X-Men movie at all. It is so remarkably disconnected from this franchise some would say it doesn't count. That said, haters can go to hell because in the world of Deadpool, the movie is not only near-flawless but it's the most meta and straight up funniest comic book movie ever made. The hard-R is a fanboy's dream and arguably paved way for Logan. Some of these movies were made for adults and DP knocks every single one of its aspects out of the park.

- X-Men: Apocalypse on the other hand, is single-handedly the #1 WORST X-Men movie ever made; Yes, it's worse than X-Men Origins; worse than The Last Stand. It is so far beyond BAD that talking about it would hinder this conversation more than I already have. May the movie burn in the fiery depths of hell and may God have mercy on its soul. 

Deadpool - Grade: A
X-Men: Apocalypse - Grade: F

WE'VE FINALLY ARRIVED (Thank the LORD)!!!

LOGAN: 

  The year is 2029. Mutants have been nearly all wiped out (again?).

INTRO - Plain, black screen; small white font appears; utterly simple.

  We see Hugh Jackman waking up drunk in the back seat of a car at night, with an unkempt beard and gray-ish messy hair; He looks like shit. The very first line of the film is uttered: "F**k." He steps out of the car; a couple thugs vandalize Logan's car and start to beat the hell out of our lead character. Jackman spits up blood. Logan warns said thugs not to mess with him. They laugh. The claws come out. Jackman lets out his signature yell as he BRUTALLY murders all of said thugs. Hands are cut off; legs are slashed; the blood flies... 

The tone has been set.

  Upon the film's release, fans had one of two reactions to the drastic shift in tone: 

1) "That was f**king AWESOME"
2) "The language and violence was forced and unnecessary."

  Not to disregard the second opinion (parents willing to bend for PG-13 comic book movies should NOT let their children watch this for the love of God), but for Wolverine's finale; for his ultimate swan song, for a slasher of a character who essentially has knives in his knuckles (not to mention for what is essentially a gritty Western), Logan NEEDED the gritty side to finally show its chops. I know it's controversial but the character is not only violent but the whole tone of this last movie is so raw and broken, that a PG-13 rating would have watered down the gravity of this last journey with the character. That said, all controversy aside, Logan is arguably the best comic book movie since The Dark Knight. It hits all the notes it needs to for a comic book flick and it goes out in such a way that is so fitting for the character but more importantly, it is also a very welcome breath of fresh air for the genre. 

  Director James Mangold returns having come off of Western movies, keeping the environment raw, dark, deserted and welcoming for folks who wish to get away from conventional superhero movies. And make no mistake, Logan is the furthest thing from the idea of a conventional "superhero" movie. Don't get me wrong, many of the comic book tropes are there but the tone is so wildly slowed down and so zoned in on Jackman and Stewart that much of the first half of the film could even be a stage production. The whole thing feels like a Clint Eastwood movie with broken characters masquerading their problems behind gunslingers of this post-mutant world. The people are hiding; consistently on the run. Much of the action sequences feel like a stand-off in the old west before the violence gets all nutty (and all of it just works). The tone is so dark and gritty that much of it doesn't even feel like an X-Men movie at all (and with past X-Men movies consisting of overwhelming, conventional plots and continuity issues, this is a VERY welcoming aspect). 

  And damn, what a movie it is. Mangold really sticks it to the audience, making you feel like you've been through hell with these characters and by using only Jackman and Stewart as the two X-veterans you truly feel the depths of loss these characters have experienced, right from the get-go. 

Save for the tragic plot-twists regarding Professor X's confessions, the character of Charles Xavier is just plain sad by this point. By having Stewart portray an old man suffering from Alzheimer disease, the character is immediately grounded in a harsh, devastating reality. The way Logan takes care of him actually feels like a struggling son taking care of his sick father and no X-Men film deserves to be this tragic. That said, it's these heartfelt moments that make the film what it is. 

  It's as if Mangold truly makes us care about these characters for the first time because there are now actual stakes and consequences. Sure there's semi-conventional plots what with clones and cardboard villains and whatnot but the film is so grounded in its tone that it's a bit of a reality check in what this universe can and should look like. On top of the bleak undertones, the film is also just a pure exploration of humanity. By taking the seemingly immortal Logan who just wants to die at this point, and pairing him up with X-23 (AKA Laura AKA Little Logan), we see Jackman's tough-guy play the part of a heartbroken father-figure; the furthest thing from what the character represents. By seeing Jackman's macho-bitter persona against the aggression of this little girl, we see some true clashing character development. And while that's all worthwhile and ultimately what gives the film its deserving credit, it's when the two characters start kicking ass together that will makes audiences feel satisfied. Granted, there are some angry parents out there who feel no child should be portraying such a violent character (some of X-23's kills are just plain brutal) it's all done with purpose, even if that purpose is in vain of some conventional comic book plot (kids being experimented on and held in test camps, yada yada yada).

  Regardless, it's the core centerpiece of Logan that counts and in the end this is easily Jackman's best outing yet, bar none. Granted, we've made it a point to note how he puts 100% effort into even the worst X-Men movies and Jackman never fails to win fans over. And this time, with the bittersweet sendoff for the character, Jackman just might bring grown men to tears. By the time the whole thing is done, you'll feel like you watched an old friend die slowly over time. It sounds bleak for sure but resting on the shoulders of at least six major Logan-heavy X-Men movies, good or bad, the situation feels very final and fitting. 

  Jackman proves time and again that he gives it his all and no one deserved this one more than him. Granted, the character of Xavier exists to represent the once high empire of mutants (and going even deeper, he perhaps even represents this whole franchise; all these past movies and every moment big and small in a very tired 9+ film legacy of convoluted continuity) and the inclusion of Patrick Stewart makes the film even more rich. But to have come so far and to have lost so much, whether it be losing quality filmmaking (looking at you, Apocalypse) or whether it's losing all these characters and their story lines, Logan is a bitter slap in the face that in reality, nothing lasts forever and this last swan song drives that message all the way home. 
  In the end, mutants are wiped out so the motivation for Logan and the Professor to carry on is almost non-existent. Sure, there's hope for the future of mutants with X-23 and the children but Logan as a film exists to signify the end of the road; the end of an era, and with Jackman hanging up the claws, there's no ending for the X-Men more fitting than this one. It will make the entire journey up until now all the worthwhile. No matter how good the best X-Men film is; no matter how dreadful the worst one is, Logan makes up for every high and every low of this franchise. 

  It won't disappoint you that it took 17 years to get here.

Grade: A

I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING