The only thing I really wondered about is how much money Fox paid Warner Brothers to use the Superman music in that Deadpool trailer.

§ April 3rd, 2017 § Filed under movie reviews, wolverine § 9 Comments

So we finally made the time to go see Logan…for free, at the movie theater on the local Navy base, which is always the best way to see a movie in the theater because the other patrons are always so well behaved. No yapping during the film, no foolin’ around with phones, no acting up and causing disruptions…yup, I didn’t do any of those things this time.

As to the movie itself…hoo boy, I was told to expect a bit of the old ultraviolence, and that’s what I certainly got, but it’s not jut exploitative and…well, okay, maybe a little exploitative, but built on the story’s framework of aging, loss, and regret. It’s violent, but it’s serious and it’s funny and it’s sad, and it’s probably one of the more mature works in the superhero film genre. Tonally, it’s difficult to extrapolate Logan from Wolverine’s beginnings in the early X-Men films, which helped establish early on the formula for superhero films, but Logan wouldn’t work nearly as well without the character work performed by Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart in those movies, endearing Wolverine and Xavier to us.

But you all saw it already, so you know all that. One of the things I kept coming across online, in between the film’s opening and my seeing it this past weekend, were a handful of clickbait-y articles declaring that fans were confused by the end of the film. Now, I deliberately didn’t click on said articles, since I didn’t want the film spoiled for myself, and a cursory glimpse today in the various internet arenas where I spotted those particular headlines didn’t turn up anything. I didn’t see anything in the ending that looked like it needed any kind of explaining, so I turned my query to my Twitter pals to see what they had to say. Just what was so confusing about the ending of Logan?

(SPOILERS AHEAD, in case you hadn’t seen it yourself, yet.)

One possible point of confusion that was mentioned was the eulogy Laura recited at the graveside. The thought was that maybe, despite hearing the same speech during the bits of Shane shown earlier in the film, viewers may have forgotten that bit of foreshadowing and later wondered just what she was talking about. That’s a possibility, I guess, thought that scene where they’re watching the movie in the hotel room might as well have had the caption “WE’RE SETTING YOU UP FOR SOMETHING LATER IN THIS FILM” across the bottom of the screen.

The other bit that may have thrown people off is the nature of “Eden” or “sanctuary” that the kids are trying to reach, whether it’s real or not. There’s radio contact with an unseen someone who is trying to help the kids, and we never see the kids reaching their supposed safe haven after leaving their gathering place on this side of the border. And given that the coordinates for that gathering place were taken out of a comic book presenting the fictionalized adventures of the X-Men….well, there’s a lot to parse here, and I think this isn’t so much “confusing” as “deliberately vague.” This movie’s not about kids trying to reach safety. It’s about what Logan goes through to help these kids…any details as to what this safe haven is, and how the kids learned about it, who distributed those kinda terribly-printed X-Men movies, etc. etc., can all be explained in Logan II: Laura Strikes Back.

And the only other thing that struck me as possibly making viewers scratch their head is Laura turning the grave’s cross on its side to make an “X.” Let’s face it, that’s waaaaay subtle.

Also mentioned to me on Twitter, and everyone in my theater thought this too (I know this, thanks to the incredible telepathic powers I’ve developed after seeing every X-Men movie in the theater), was the idea that surely Wolverine’s clawed fist was going to thrust out of the grave in that very last second of the film. C’mon, you expected it too. I’m glad they didn’t, however…just letting the story end right there, as kinda depressing as it was, was the right move.

At least until Logan III: Return of the Mutant, coming Summer 2021.

9 Responses to “The only thing I really wondered about is how much money Fox paid Warner Brothers to use the Superman music in that Deadpool trailer.”

  • Michael Grabowski says:

    Perhaps an appropriate post-credits scene would have been just a shot of the grave again, with absolutely nothing happening at all, just to drive the point home. But yeah, this film works better just ending like it does.

  • JWRollins says:

    Agreed, on all accounts.

  • Dani Matheson says:

    Wait, how did you get on base?

    –m4

  • Jon H says:

    The color tones on the Logan poster make it look like a new installment of the Hostel franchise, or some other torture porn sequel.

  • Nepos says:

    Actually, it never crossed my mind that Wolverine might not be dead, since the whole movie was built around his death. While some filmmakers are certainly capable of undermining their entire point by screwing up the ending, this movie was far too carefully constructed.

    Also, this movie is pretty much the visual equivalent of listening to Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” for two hours.

  • HoorayforGooba says:

    Strictly speaking, Eden doesn’t exist. The coordinates in the comic book are just used as a good place to gather before heading across the border to Canada where they have allies ready to smuggle them into the country.

    Logan just assumed that the nurse had lied to Laura about Eden existing because the coordinates were from a comic book. Instead, the nurse(s) used the comic book to give the kids a gathering point.

  • Jason says:

    Anyone else think wolverine vs. His evil clone was kinda lame? Yes, heavy with symbolism, super super deep, etc etc…but wasn’t anyone else secretly hoping for Magneto, Sabretooth, or a worthwhile opponent?

    How great would Xavier sacrificing his life to save the kids have been? Better than being stabbed to death, I’d say. And ok maybe that’s the safe route, not the gritty realistic route…but at least it’s cannon. It makes sense.

    Fantastic first two acts…letdown third act.

  • Jon H says:

    “Perhaps an appropriate post-credits scene would have been just a shot of the grave again, with absolutely nothing happening at all, just to drive the point home.”

    Maybe a landscaper complaining about how he can’t get a handle on the weeds and grass in that spot, and they just keep coming back as fast as he can pull them.

  • Andrew Davison says:

    I enjoyed the movie, and understand why Logan was forever complaining about his bad leg, back, poor vision, etc. But I found it a bit upsetting that “The Wolverine” was suffering from most of the same problems that I have.

    Did he mention having arthritis in his hands?

    Let’s not forget dementia and Alzheimer’s

    I’ve decided that I want my superheroes to be young and fit from now on.