Regardless of how popular the superhero film genre has been, it hasn't been able to make a fan out of everyone. The genre has been frequently generalized and criticized for being childish, repetitive, and formulaic. In 2017, the Wolverine-focused film Logan deviated from standard superhero fare and gave audiences something very different. It was a mature, western, and noir cinema-inspired film that moved audiences beyond just the spectacle.
At the time, Logan served as both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart's final outings as Wolverine and Professor X, respectively. There was a sense of finality to the film while showcasing just how emotionally resonant a film in the superhero genre could be. To this day, Logan has remained the best-reviewed film in the entire X-Men film franchise, and was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the best films of 2017. With the film being released over five years ago, here's a look at why Logan has been recognized as one of the best superhero movies of all time.
A Focused, Standalone Story
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Films can easily become bloated from an overabundance of plots and characters. Fortunately, Logan had an incredibly focused storyline that carried a surprising amount of emotional depth. What's more, Logan was designed to be a standalone film, completely untethered to any storytelling restrictions of the larger X-Men universe. This allowed Logan to become the film it was meant to be, refraining from using nostalgia and fan-service to tell a story. It also helped make it accessible to those who had not watched all the X-Men movies, or had not watched any of them at all. Nonetheless, Logan still retained the core themes of the X-Men franchise of family and being an outsider.
Excellent Performances from Cast
There weren't that many characters in Logan, but the film could not have had a better cast. Jackman and Stewart were the only actors to reprise their roles from previous X-Men films, and both have impressed since the first X-Men in 2000. Joining them was Dafne Keen as Laura / X-23, who was created using Logan's DNA and became his daughter. Keen received universal praise for her performance, leading to the development of an X-23 spinoff film (via Screen Rant) before Disney acquired Fox. These three actors formed the triangle that Logan was built upon.
In addition, Logan featured some of the best villains in the entire X-Men film franchise. Boyd Holbrook played Donald Pierce, the charming but ruthless leader of the Reavers. Pulling all the strings was Richard E. Grant, who had limited screen time as Dr. Zandar Rice, but made the most of it. Both Pierce and Rice put on a friendly facade, refusing to take it down even in front of people who saw right through it. Being a very character-driven film, Logan relied on the excellent performances from its fantastic cast.
Real Human Struggles
Despite the popularity of enhanced people in fiction, the most beloved stories have always spoken in some way about the human experience. Logan took the larger-than-life Wolverine and was able to tell a human story using the X-Men character. The adamantium coating that once made Wolverine indestructible became something that began poisoning him. As an older man, Logan's healing factor was unable to keep up with the poison, forcing Logan to deal with his mortality. After losing everything in the Westchester Incident, Logan spent his time working as a limo driver and caring for a Charles Xavier with dementia and in his 90s. The X-Men were defunct, unable to help Logan with any of his problems. He was a world-weary man who was left on his own, desperately trying to move on from his past.
Logan was unable to sit by as the Reavers went after Laura, whom Logan later discovered was his biological daughter. Rather than focusing on Logan being a superhero, the film primarily explored Logan as a father. As cheesy as it sounds, a father can be just as if not more heroic than a superhero. Logan protected Laura and even his own father-figure, Charles, from malevolent forces that would do them harm. That did not mean Logan was always successful, as he was unable to stop X-24 from killing Charles. Following Charles' death, Logan experienced an emotional breakdown. It didn't matter that Logan had superpowers, because after so much loss he was ultimately left feeling powerless.
The Father-Daughter Relationship Between Logan and Laura
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Laura wasn't just presented as someone who needed Logan's help; the two also had a lot in common. Both Logan and Laura were mutants that were intended to be used as weapons, who were able to break free from their programming. They both had help on their journeys starting a different path. While Logan found Professor X and the X-Men, Laura received help from Gabriela López and united with the other mutants of Project X-23. Although Logan did not end with Logan and Laura crossing the border together, audiences still got to see their relationship develop throughout the course of the film. Thanks to the chemistry between Jackman and Keen, it was arguably one of the best father-daughter relationships in modern blockbuster films.
Logan showed a beautiful new side to its titular character, showing how much love and care he had for others. That was the ultimate rebellious act against a program that trained Wolverine to be little more than a killing machine. In a not-so-subtle on-screen metaphor, X-24 represented what Logan would have been had he become what he was made to be. Logan ensured during his time with Laura that she would never go down that route. That message was present in Logan's final words to Laura, who would remember him as her father and courageous member of the X-Men.