Logan (2017)

[Totenkindly]

Kind of impressive for a MSU movie... 95% on RT with an 8.1/10 rating.

Brian Tallerico (prominent reviewer at Ebert) says it's not just a great hero movie, it's just a great movie and harkens across genre.
Logan Movie Review & Film Summary (2017) | Roger Ebert

...it's undeniable that the modern superhero movie has relied on CGI, particularly in final acts comprised almost entirely of apocalyptic explosions. And so many of them have served as bridges between franchise entries that one feels like they’re constantly watching previews for the next movie instead of experiencing the one they’re watching. “Logan” has stakes that feel real, and fight choreography that’s fluid and gorgeous instead of just computer-generated effects. Most importantly, “Logan” has characters with which you identify and about whom you care. It's not just "great for a superhero movie," it's a great movie for any genre.

“Logan” calls back directly to “Shane,” including a scene in which the characters watch the film, but it has more echoes of late-career films for icons such as “The Shootist” and “Unforgiven” in the way it deconstructs the line between hero and legend...

I typically only go out for a few of these, but I might see this one.

 

[Totenkindly]

I saw it today. Hard to believe it came from the Fox / X-Men side of things; it's probably one of my top three MSU movies now.

The R rating actually made this movie great. I just watched the trailer on IMDB and you don't really get a sense of all from the trailer of how damn grungy, gritty, and haggard this movie and Logan is here, he looks kind of cleaned up for the trailers. Lots of blood, lots of F bombs, but it makes sense in context of the movie. It's all necessary to really get a sense of what Logan has been dealing with in his life. it is not watered down. (I felt like Gibson seemed to obsess with some of the violence in Hacksaw Ridge, by comparison, like he took delight in just being as insane as possible; but this is actually pretty real for Wolverine.)

This pic merges in the Logan / poisoned+sick Wolverine line + the X23 storyline, but what it really does is finally take the emotional gravitas that the X movies should have been playing with -- what it really means to live as a mutant and a targeted class, and follow it through to the human conclusion. Jackman's Logan isn't entirely articulate; Patrick Stewart really brings a lot of nuance; and the kids are really great, especially Daphne Keen (Laura). Even Boyd Holbrook (Pierce) has a great way about him as one of the main villains of the picture, and here they bring the Reavers in. Stephen Merchant does a decent Caliban.

Some of the subplots go as you'd expect but have some gravity and play out a bit different / more darkly real than expected, and I really like how Logan doesn't really back down even when convenient. He plays the crusty surly "stay the F away from me" guy far longer than convenient for the plot, and any ground he might give up on that front is hard-won and deserved.

I wish Days of Future Past and some of the others had the earned weight of this movie. It's why they range from only a bit above average to fairly decent while Logan might actually be considered a "great" movie in the MSU.