Sunday!

I went into Logan knowing that it was an R, and I had encountered a number of people who explained that it was a *HARD* R. Which is good.

Because, seriously, it’s a *HARD* R. Lotta violence. Not just violence, because, hey, John Wick 2 had violence. This has, like, violence against children. Worse than that, I suppose, it has children being violent. (And, yes, some light self-harm in there as well.)

You might ask “what’s the big deal with violence in a Wolverine movie! Heck, in the previous movies, it feels like they’ve deliberately turned this awesome violent character into a PG-13ified grouch.” Well, for me, it felt weird because this is a character we’ve spent what? A couple of decades with? (The first X-Men came out in the year 2000(!) and that feels like it can’t be right…) Anyway, this character we’ve spent 17 years with, is no longer the PG-13ified grouch we’ve come to know and love but an aging man whose healing factor is slowing down who, suddenly, gets thrust into the position of father figure for a young mutant (with powers that are surprisingly similar to Wolverine’s) and now he’s got to protect her and get her to safety.

There is a non-zero number of cameos and if you want to be completely unspoiled by the cameos, skip this next line: Patrick Stewart is back as Professor X and he plays an old, old Professor X. One who needs medication to keep from having seizures. And, get this, one who uses the ‘F’ word when it occurs to him to do so. So if you’ve wanted to hear Professor X drop the bomb, well, this is the movie you’ve been waiting for.

So, if you’ve decided that you can handle the violence and the children in peril, how’s the movie?

It’s pretty good. It tells a similar story to ones you’ve likely seen before (and they come out and show you one of the stories they’re paying an homage to) as it’s the story of an aging antihero trying to sort which responsibilities are the most important to him and take care of the people around him when he’s only got but so many social tools in his toolkit… and culminating in a final scene that will make you say “This is like if Mel Gibson directed an X-Men movie!”

I’ve heard a lot of people make noises comparing Logan to Nolan’s treatment of Batman and I’d cosign that. It takes this absurd character and then goes to take this absurd character seriously. And, get this, finds a story worth telling with him (even if it’s a story that’s been told a hundred times before).

But, seriously, it’s really violent.

So… what are you reading and/or watching?