The release of this year’s superhero movie, Logan, had huge praise. Fans had celebrated its decision to make Wolverine’s final outing an R-rated one and bring blood that the rugged hero deserved.
Critics have also lauded the performances and narrative, and Logan rose to a Deadpool status. But a few months on people looked at Logan from an unbiased perspective that is bereft of the hype. It is a film that is adored, but it may not deserve the praise that it is receiving.
Here are the 8 reasons why Logan is overrated.
1. PROFESSOR X’S DEATH IS UNDERWHELMING
Logan signaled the end of Wolverine’s arc and also the end of Sir Patrick Stewart’s role as Professor X. As one of the X-Men franchise’s most iconic characters, his death should have been treated with the right amount of sentimentality and solemnity.
But his death was not handled well. His exit was wasted on a shock tactic, where attention is diverted towards the reveal of X-24.
When the film then slows down and gives the Professor a proper send off with his burial, the tragedy is undercut. It is an unceremonious, unemotional and underwhelming way to say goodbye to Professor X.
2. PACING PROBLEMS
At 141 minutes, Logan is a long movie. However, Logan is devoid of constant action and focused on the personal development of its character. It introduces the characters, the state that they are in and the state of the world. Logan’s act stretch is uneven as we follow Logan, Professor X, and Laura through several detours. Character development is sparse as Logan chooses to introduce a family that takes them in.
3. COOKIE-CUTTER EVIL GOVERNMENT
In Logan, the protagonists are on the run from Essex Corp. They are a governmental organization devoted to creating an army of mutant clones. And that’s it.
Wolverine has faced off against a similar enemy in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, so the company’s inclusion in Logan must find a way to make its existence worthwhile.
The characterization of the villains and faceless henchman, called Reavers offer very little to combat their redundancy.
4. CALIBAN IS WASTED
For much of Logan, only 4 mutants are present, and it is assumed that they comprise the majority of the last mutants. While Wolverine, X-23, and Professor X are each given an appropriate amount of screen time, Caliban gets the short end of the stick. His scenes are very few, and this leaves the audience to wonder what the point of his inclusion was in the film.
The film could have studied his character in detail to examine in depth the state of mutants in 2029. Nobody cares about his sacrifice, as fans never get to know Caliban in the first place.
5. INCONSISTENT WITH THE X-MEN SAGA
Logan is a fresh and different take on the superhero genre. There are advantages to this: it is unique and does not conform to the conventions of its genre. It poses a problem too: the consistency of the franchise.
Logan is different. It is moody, heavy, and light on humor. Yes, it fits Wolverine’s character, but his previous outings in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine marks him as inconsistent and confusing.
6. X-24 IS A GENERIC BIG BADDIE
Is there any villain more overused in superhero films than that of the evil clone?
We have seen Logan face an adamantium-clawed villain, Lady Deathstrike, in X2: X-Men United, but this did not stop the filmmakers from putting X-24 in the movie. X-24 is Logan’s meaner, aggressive clone, though this is all fans can make of his character.
He is a primeval beast, so his one-dimensionality is not without reason, and his character is an afterthought. In a realistic world of grit, X-24 is like a sore thumb.
7. NO MEMORABLE SET PIECE
When you think of the X-Men, some scenes spring to mind from each film. For example, X-Men: First Class- when Magneto lifts a submarine, X-Men: Days of Future Past has a Quicksilver scene, and X2: X-Men United opens with a Nightcrawler sequence.
Logan runs low on memorable moments. There is no huge sequence, and so there is very little to remember in Logan.
The film is intentionally toned down, but dramas also have moments that are used to remember them by.
8. LOGAN AND LAURA’S RELATIONSHIP ISN’T BELIEVABLE
At the end of Logan, a moment of intended catharsis occurs, where Laura calls Logan “Daddy” as he is dying. It is meant to be a moving culmination of two hours of character interaction. But the moment feels unearned as the scene itself is moving because Hugh Jackman’s long career as Wolverine is coming to an end.
The problem is that the relationship between Logan and X-23 is not built up enough. The film focuses too much on side plots.
For all of the focus on the relationship during Logan’s final moments, the “Daddy” feels out-the-blue.
