Logan

I watched Logan back in 2017, in a second run theater full of parents and their young kids. It was disturbing, hearing the adults cheer loudly whenever a character got brutally maimed. And like John Connor watching boys fight in Terminator 2, it made me question how any of us turn out OK.

Rewatching Logan six years later, without a bloodthirsty audience, my feelings about the movie itself haven’t changed. It’s a cool experiment. I actually appreciate how the graphic violence has consequences for characters. Contrast this approach to Goldeneye, where James Bond machine guns dozens of Russian soldiers and they just fall down. That depiction of violence is more insidious and dishonest.

Logan ultimately leaves me cold, because of the way Wolverine’s written. His one-note misanthropy throughout the entire movie isn’t interesting to watch, and I don’t care to see multiple scenes of him abusing an elderly Professor X.

But Logan is still worth watching for the great opening sequence, and for any scene with Laura, played by Dafne Keen, who brings a much needed dose of humanity to the movie.