EDITORIAL: His Time Has Come - LOGAN As The Crowning Achievement Of Superhero Cinema

"Just because someone stumbles, loses their way, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever”.

I believe that the above quotation reflects not only Xavier’s relentless faith in humanity, but also the culmination of Wolverine’s solo outings on the big screen. The conception (or its lack) of Gavin Hood in 2009 should be forgotten by every wise men and the James Mangold’s  first approach to the series left the audience with rather ambivalent feelings. LOGAN has been prepared for a long time – the end of Logan’s story has debuted only a couple of weeks ago. Between 2009 and 2017 the superhero genre changed a lot – a bunch of a-holes conquered the cinemas, Suicide Squad is an Academy Award winner, the not-so-Amazing Spider-Man franchise spectacularly imploded and Deadpool with his satire seemed to be a cure for all the problems and inadequacies of the so called comic book movies which, in the eyes of geeks, played in its own field and majority of criticisms crushed on the arguments that “it’s for fans”, that the covenant requests it.

Since Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight no one has made an outstanding comic-book movie which on its own is just an outstanding movie. That’s when Mangold suddenly strikes the second time – ferociously, vigorously, but also strangely melancholically and tenderly, leading off the shabby genre onto the new, uncharted tracks. LOGAN is the best comic-book film in history and a noteworthy achievement in movie making in general.

It is necessary to start distinguishing two well-known show business definitions: of a movie and film. Both terms are similar, but fundamentally different. One is a production purely entertaining and the other sets broadly defined artistry above pleasing the viewers. Like every definition, both have exceptions, but they perfectly suit the discussed film. LOGAN, is one of the few productions from the genre that seems to naturally levitate to the film term just like Mangold's previous work. The film can be easily qualified as a western with only elements of comic-book movie. Unlike 95% of the comic-book movies which are a comic book adaptation first and secondly, or even thirdly, a genre movie, like The Winter Soldier. The Roots of a western are present throughout almost every frame of LOGAN – from the bar scenes, to the classical horse taming.

On the other hand, the film can be easily colligated with a drama, as a story of dysfunctional family and an attempt of living moral life in unmoral times. Just a third threshold of interpretation is reserved for a comic-book movie, relating adventure of Wolverine, Professor X (it’s telling that almost every one addresses to him with his real name and not the school nickname) and X-23. The end of Logan’s story, besides its emotional baggage of the years spent with Hugh Jackman doesn’t manipulate the viewers in an oafish way. Here, death is a starting point for the plot, an integral part of the story. It’s not a pretext to unite heroes, nor to triumphantly bring them from the other site and save the day. When Xavier, Caliban, the Mason’s entire family and finally Logan, die - it’s definitive and brutally permanent. Mangold knows full well how important it is to ignite the feeling that the viewers see on the movie screen have real consequences. That’s why when the last frame of the film fades to black and from the loudspeakers play Johnny Cash’s The Man Comes Around, it’s hard to hide emotions. Only the best productions are able to engage a viewer so much that he feels the weight of the story, that what has happened will never happen again, that it was also his emotional, personal journey.

Individual ingredients that differ LOGAN from the rest of the genre’s representatives is much more, from the structural to technical issues. It’s telltale on how many ways the Jackman goodbye avoids the traps of other films.

The first one is a fact that comic-booky aureole helps the script, instead of rivaling it. LOGAN loosely adapts the story written by Mark Miller, only borrowing an idea as a reflection for a greater good of the film’s script. OLD MAN LOGAN is written in LOGAN’s DNA, it’s almost impossible to separate these two stories. At the same time, the film stays untrammeled with the direction, contrary to last year’s supposed epic battle of Son Of Krypton and Bat Of Gotham where the source material’s legacy hindered the film maker who was more invested in the fight of The Trinity with Luthor’s creation than the titular Batman v. Superman. On the other side, Age Of Ultron spent a lot of its running time on explaining why the story’s figures are where they currently are and foreshadowing the future that may happen, watering the core of the script down.

On the contrary, Mangold’s film is avoiding introducing characters that may play a role in the future. LOGAN is focused on telling a coherent, finished story. Some of the heroes may show up in the upcoming movies, but their presentation serves a purpose within LOGAN, it’s about now, not future. It’s an art that’s totally messed up at DC (PowerPoint presentation of The Justice League) and bended at Marvel Studios (Thor’s vision). The film spurs a beautiful framing device when Laura shuffles the jerry-built, wooden cross into an X. James’ tomb symbolically shows that this is a place where all unknown mutants repose and that every, even the longest journey comes to an end.

While I’ve started on religion – did you notice that Zack Snyder’s Superman is Christ 2.0? Shooting lasers from his eyes. Being concerned when a bearded man smacks waitress’ butt, but not when he’s using his power and destroys the buildings full of people. I’m sure you didn’t miss the moment when in doubt Clark talks with a priest in a church and the sunlight comes from the Jesus’ face on the stained glass window which occupy the whole background. It’s hard to pass this subtle detail up. And did anyone notice that during the dinner at Mason’s house, there’s a small cross standing behind the main hero? No? A beautiful thing is the fact that the film can be interpret on many layers, even to be content with the literal interpretation. But climbing on the philosophical-religious layer LOGAN shows his true colors. The Howlett’s journey changes into constant temptation to stop, turn back, stay in the bar and drown his sorrows, reject this testing time. His wounds are healing (to some degree) fast on his body, just like stigmas, Logan similar to Christ dies hanged on a tree. Xavier, the daemon of the venture, till the very end preaches the good news of a new, better world, of Eden. Caliban, as a good thief has to suffer due to his sins in the past; albino, just like leper is marginalized. The film can be interpret in another way, discerning the fate weighing heavily on Logan and his friends.

He seems to be doomed from the beginning, in every version of the world which he also created, his loved ones die. Because of his measure, fault or helplessness. Even the bright vision of the future ends up in a tragic way when Xavier during his uncontrolled attack kills his students. Laura, innocent child, from an early age is taught to listen to her animal instincts and her first victim was her mother. Wolverine tried to fix and save the future, but maybe it’s time to give up if the future succumbs to the universal laws of the predestination anyways? The adamantium bullet he’s saving for a rainy day is also a reminder of the events that passed, of the old man’s life experience which may be too heavy for even the strongest, person. Of course all these philosophical divagations can be thrown away, there’s no need to give LOGAN any meaning – the film still has logical sense.

Coming back to the issue of the film’s Eden – it is, but it’s not at the same time. Exactly like comics, where the cue to discover it can be found. In the comics it is a space beyond time, the place not existing, pure escapism. The director presenting the specifically created for the needs of the film comics affords this little digression. He’s trying to form a polemic with many voices that the fans requests an extreme precision in re-creating the comic-book panels, reminding us, that the heroes are not walking costumes, and thinking that Wolverine without his blue-yellow suit in not Wolverine is disrespectful to the core of the character. This wolverine request the audience to pay attention to this subject, because it shows yet another matter that distinguishes LOGAN from the rest of the comic family. It shows a tone shift, a constant feel of the story. Here diseases and limitations are not swept under the rug as sad things, but they hold a prominent position, hunting the true-born people.

Charles, Caliban, Logan – every and each one of them has limits, none of them can survive on their own, as a desert island. The Reavers try to combine biology with technology, to have something more from the simple 1+1 calculation, Alzheimer and epilepsy overtake the most powerful brain on the planet. But these are not problems that once established fade into darkness, it’s just the opposite! The disease puts the characters into uncomfortable positions. Logan tries to earn enough money to buy drugs for Xavier, asking a question if there’s any good left inside of him. But isn’t that the case in the real world? Aren’t we helpless when a tragedy hits us or our loved once? Or maybe it mobilizes us to search, to do something good? This is just a one of the many examples of LOGAN’s subtle themes, it’s reflection of the real world. In the near future the rigorous law is the rigorous injustice and the new wave of racism and xenophobia that shreds the U.S. to pieces. A yacht and high sea is an idyll and Canada becomes the promised land.

The next sin LOGAN avoids is arguably one of the most common gripes in the genre – the genuine fixation on the moment. There’s an important difference between the moment and “the scene”, but it’s rather hard to catch. In the moment only one shot, sometimes few frames are important, they lead (sometimes through many smaller moments) to the big culmination – Snyder’s Watchmen is the best example of a movie with insane visuals making a great impression in the trailers, or even single clips, but the entire movie hobbles as a finished, 2 hour + long product. The above mentioned Age Of Ultron for all of its bigger than life noise managed to save one single scene on the Barton’s farm which serves as not only a minute of breath from the constant bombarding of the viewers, but also a great occasion to develop complex relations within the Avengers. Sadly, even this movie asked Thor to have a pointless bath in the ground waters.



In contrast, LOGAN has a lot of important scenes and the director lets them resonate with the audience. There’s a scene on a farm as well, but Mangold gave it almost an entire II act of the film – this is the place where Logan and Laura learn what a life looks like, this is the place where Charles will have the best day he didn’t deserve in a long time and this is the place where he dies. There’s a simple message in these farm scenes – a family is everyone’s ground and a more subtle one – this is a place where everyone can be what they really are and a lesson that every moment counts.

Within its thoughtful structure, the film lets itself leave purposeful understatements. We’re not 100% sure if Charles really killed his student or if Laura killed her mother when she was born, but LOGAN gives us enough hints to think so – from the dialogues or the bloody chair which fits more in the Nostormo’s furniture rather than hospital equipment. In an age where modern filmmaking treat everything literally it’s a nice and satisfying change of pace.