“The only thing people like more than a hero, is the return of one.”
It was rightly said by, well me. I think this exactly is the idea that the producers of Logan are riding on. As the audience, we might see an old protagonist drooling over his chin in a movie and ignore him. But when we see a character like Wolverine in his old self, we still feel the same sense of pride and excitement as we did when we first saw him. This is because even though you see the character in his weakened version, you still know & remember in the back of your mind what he was capable of doing. Or in Wolverine’s case, hopefully still capable of doing. So when after suffering and getting defeated a lot he lets his claws free, that would be a spectacle. Won’t it?
Of course it is not the event or the spectacle itself that is more important, but the build-up to that event. And you can see that build-up right through the trailer. The trailer starts with an old and broken Logan living in solitude, having witnessed the fall of god knows how many (and which one) of the X-Men. This phase of his life bears quite a resemblance to the previous Wolverine movie. It also began with Logan in a forest, battling his own demons. But that solitude was short lived, and so will this one be I suppose. The obvious difference from the previous one is that Wolverine seems to have lost his healing power. We can see the scars of battle on his back, and the defeated expression on his face, standing as proof. Only this time it appears to be natural, and not some crazy-mutant-induced thing. Even Professor X back in his older version seems weary, tired, and well old. I didn’t even think it was possible for Patrick Stewart to look even older, until now.
But as I said a broken hero is exciting to watch, only because you know that anytime the real one may come out. To bring him back, the old and cliched ploy of using a child in need of assistance seems to be in play. A teenager girl, who quite definitely has the similar powers as Logan, seems to be caught between the world she doesn’t know and a guardian she doesn’t trust. Much like Logan himself in his childhood. The only questions that remain is that who she is, how is she related to Logan, and who are the people that are hell bent on capturing/killing her. My best guess is that they are some government officials, who might also have been responsible for the apparent extinction of the mutant race. For the first two questions I’m afraid I don’t know the answers, yet.
This movie obviously holds a lot of importance for 20th Century Fox, being the final movie with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. They would like it to be as extravagant as all the previous Wolverine movies (most of the X-Men movies) have been so far. A most deserving and necessary farewell to the strangely complex and rugged character of Hugh Jackman would be key for this movie. Not to mention that this would not only pave the path for the future of the character in the upcoming X-Men movies, but also for the franchise as a whole, with Gambit the possible next. How Fox holds its water in this colossal change remains to be seen. For now we have to wait for March 3, and hope Wolverine leaves us with an early summer rush.
Suburban Wordsmith 