Can an alternate one-off superhero movie be any good? Can–

YES. Yes, it can. Logan is amazing.

I’ve been the biggest X-Men fan since I watched the 90s cartoon show and then first got my grubby little mitts on a special issue of What If? Specifically, issue #9 (Volume 2).

 

 

And Logan plays out like a movie version of “What If?” Logan is loosely tied to the rest of the series and is drastic in theme and tone. The film is best summed up as a post-apocalyptic western with mutants.

But the film doesn’t really lean into any of those qualifiers, in fact, it stands above them, instead focusing on the narrative. Patrick Stewart steals the show (and often the swear jar), in a rare look into the character of Professor X. The mere notion of arguably the most powerful Class Five mutant whose mind can wipe us all out, facing the very human disease of dementia is pure genius.

Logan benefits greatly from the liberation of the R rating. Not only can Wolverine hack and slash at will and swear like a sailor, but now he can finally be free to be the lead in a mature story.

If you are expecting cameos or easter egg nods to the films of yesteryear, look somewhere else. There is a short teaser up front, and that’s really it.

As a disenfranchised X-Men fan over the years, it’s good to see Fox stretch its legs a little and grow up. For once this movie isn’t about the end of the world; it’s about the end of an era.

Good luck, Hugh. You’ve earned your bow.

-Jamie (@GuyOnAWire)

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