Saving the world is a tough job, but in the realm of comic books someone has to do it over and over again.
In the Marvel Comics universe that someone has always included Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Now, in "Logan," Jackman's final turn as the clawed man-beast with super-fast healing powers, Wolverine is tired, worn out. The mojo is gone, replaced by near-cynicism and a strong desire to just chuck it all _ the heroism, the idealism and everything associated with them _ to lead what could be a reasonably normal life.
That represents a cut above what we've come to expect of the comic book genre. Most are merely entertaining on an epic, ooohs-and-aahhhs scale. See the first series of Spider-Man films. There's nothing wrong with that.
However, "Logan" ups the game in a significant way, exploring the humanity of characters in the X-Men universe in a way no fans of them have seen on film before. For all of the talk of "Deadpool" sneaking into the conversation for awards season 2016, "Logan," directed and written by James Mangold, could and should very well wander into those conversations at the end of this year.
Jackman? An actor who flows from screen to stage with ease and equal skill could be the first actor since Heath Ledger to merit awards consideration for a portrayal in a comic book film. His Logan displays raw emotion in an understated way as if to ask, "Why can't people just leave me alone?"
They can't because he is the Wolverine in all of his conflicted glory, obviously good and moral, but possessing demons he keeps at bay.
In 2029, people still know that. He lives under an assumed name as a limo driver, with his only obligation being to protect Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), but people still need his help.
The person asking this time: a mysterious woman who's fled Mexico with a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen). Laura has all of Wolverine's powers and the same sunny disposition he owned when Xavier plucked him from underground boxing rings and a near life of crime to join his school for mutants way back in the first X-Men film.
Yes, Logan shares a connection with the girl _ the obvious one. There's no sense in belaboring an obvious plot point. She's his daughter born in a lab. She and her former school-age friends are all that's left of a mutant population that's been eliminated, allegedly.
Laura is supposed to be taken to a haven for the mutants the world over, and much to his dismay Logan is tasked with getting her there safely. Of course, that's going to be easier said than done as the mad scientist who developed these children wants them back and has enlisted the necessary psychopathic mercenaries to track them and retrieve them by any means necessary.
Of course, that leads to those Wolverine moments where Logan has to come to grips with the fact that sometimes his morality requires him to do the right thing, even though he may not want to.
Those expecting "Logan" to unfold like a typical comic book film should understand that while it certainly possesses enough action, Mangold's script, in collaboration with Michael Green and Scott Frank, spends as much time contemplating Logan's life alone and with friends like Xavier, the one who also serves as his conscience here.
Jackman's pitch-perfect performance shows the personal ties he has to the character. His successor in future films will have a tough road to follow. Stewart's successor in the X-Men films, in the form of James McAvoy, has already appeared, but that doesn't make Stewart's performance any less relevant and emotionally resonant.
Mangold's direction helps to take this particular genre to another level that is poignant and, at times, tragic.
