There’s a lot to digest about the first Logan teaser, but one thing’s for sure: Hugh Jackman will get the grand finale he deserves after playing this character for seventeen years (this will be his ninth appearance). I’ve certainly been wowed by a lot of recent superhero movie trailers. Suicide Squad (shudder). X-Men: Days of Future Past. Speaking of Days of Future Past, that’s a good place to start. I knew when that film was announced it would be the best X-Men movie ever made. I’ve always had high hopes for Logan, but never in a million years did I think it could surpass the time traveling masterpiece. After one trailer, I’m completely and utterly sold. I’m actually hoping we see no other trailers for this film, but obviously that won’t be the case. For now, let’s focus on this one. It’s a doozy.
First off, the song choice. Johnny Cash’s “Hurt.” Whenever somebody Googles the term “fits like a glove,” this should be used as an example. If that’s not enough, Professor X’s first line completely pulls you into the deep end. “Logan. What did you do?” This lines reminds us that we’re getting a Rated-R Wolverine movie (thank you, Deadpool). What did Logan just do? He probably sliced up a bunch of dudes in brutal fashion. We’ve been fortunate to get away with some solid Wolverine berserker moments, including his most recent gem in X-Men: Apocalypse. Make no mistake – the mother of all berserker moments is coming in Logan. I’m salivating.
This trailer had the same affect that The Force Awakens and The Dark Knight Rises did. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on. It’s all intrigue. When you look at trailers for Batman v Superman or Captain America: Civil War, the entire movie is already mapped out. This trailer actually makes you think for a change. Trailers rarely do that anymore.
There’s plenty to reflect on. Yeah, yeah, we know the Reavers are in this, as is Donald Pierce from the Hellfire Club. We’ll worry about them later. It looks like Logan takes place several years after we saw him wake up in the mansion at the end of Days of Future Past. Both Professor X and Logan look significantly older. We’ll get plenty more X-Men films down the road that take place in various time periods, but if you wanted to look at this as a series finale, I suppose you could. We see Logan standing in a graveyard that certainly has a crap load of graves. I’m guessing many X-Men are buried there. All the mutants are gone. Why are they gone? Didn’t Days of Future Past eliminate the threat of sentinels? I’m guessing something else went very badly. Here’s what this movie won’t be. There won’t be any big sci-fi shenanigans or Apocalypse like action. This movie isn’t about world ending crap or team building. It’s about character.
The best moments are the subtleties. The first image of the entire trailer is Logan’s hand shaking. Geez Louise. Even the look on Patrick Stewart’s face as Logan jerks the car around really grabs you. Logan’s body is scarred as hell. Holy matza. Have we reached the point where Logan has gotten so old that his healing factor can’t keep up anymore? Is it expiring? Did his trip through time screw him up? There are so many great angles they could take.
The other component we haven’t delved into yet is the little girl that Logan and Professor X seem to be protecting. We can assume she’s a healer. Professor X pretty much spells that out. This gives the movie a real Midnight Special feel. I have no doubt that relationship will hit hard.
If I hear one person complain about how this looks too serious, and it’s not as fun as a Marvel movie, please leave me alone. This isn’t the kid’s table. This is a Rated-R Wolverine movie. The big boy pants are on. That leaves one final thought to consider? Will Wolverine meet his end? All signs seem to point to yes. As this is Hugh Jackman’s swan song, the stars seem to be aligned. It’s important to consider that Wolverine is the most popular X-Men character, although Deadpool is nipping at his heels. Having said that, we’re going to get more X-Men films. It seems unlikely that Wolverine will be completely out as a character after this. Recasting seems to be inevitable, but we’ll cross that bridge later.
Who knows what the future holds for Wolverine on film. All I know is I’m waiting with bated breath to see Hugh Jackman leave it all out on the field. It’s going to be one hell of a last ride.
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Daniel Cohen is the Film Editor for Pop-Break. Aside from reviews, Daniel does a weekly box office predictions column, and also contributes monthly Top Tens and Op-Ed’s on all things film. Daniel is a graduate of Bates College with a degree in English, and also studied Screenwriting at UCLA. He can also be read on www.movieshenanigans.com. His movie crush is Jessica Rabbit. Follow him on Twitter @dcohenwriter.
