Logan

In the year 2029 Logan (Hugh Jackman), long considered near immortal—certainly un-killable—mutant with the adamantium claws, known as Wolverine, is finally showing his age. Content now to make a living driving a limousine for hire, he uses the money he earns to take care of the ailing Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart). Xavier is frequently disoriented and may be suffering from a degenerative brain disorder, which, when affecting the world’s most powerful telepath, makes him a threat to all around him.

Enter Pierce (Boyd Holbrook), a half-human cyborg who runs security for a company that’s searching for a little girl on the run, one that he is sure will reach out to Logan for help. Logan doesn’t know the girl yet, but soon enough the girl’s mother approaches him, desperate for his help, and Xavier agrees that they should aid her.

Once they are surrounded by Pierce’s forces, it seems that even Logan can do nothing to save her, but he gets aid from the most unlikely source, namely the girl herself. The child Laura (Dafne Keen) shares Logan’s mutant power and fighting abilities and boasts her own set of claws. Amidst the melee that ensues, they manage to escape and go on the run. Can an aging Logan keep his promise to the girl’s mother and Xavier by bringing her to a safehaven called Eden?

Logan is the Wolverine’s last incarnation of the character, at least as played by Hugh Jackman, and his swan song is dark and depressing, resulting in a film that some Wolverine fans have been eagerly anticipating, while others have been dreading. More science-fictional in tone than any other in the series, this R-rated film is absolutely not meant for children or teens, and the action, bathed in carnage, is so brutal that even its value to adults is questionable.

Objectionable Content

Whenever Logan or his group are threatened, the violence that ensues is graphically over-the-top. People are shot, stabbed, run over, crushed, limbs are sliced off, faces and heads are impaled by claws, heads are decapitated, wounds are often open and bloody, and people are shot point blank in the head and body, sometimes repeatedly. Laura is Logan’s match, when it comes to violence, so much of the killing described comes from this little girl, including her decapitation of a soldier, and the use of a foot claw jabbed through a man’s neck. There is talk of suicide, and one character succeeds at this, only to be shown salvaged later, in order to be perversely harvested for his mutant genetic material.

A played video shows other children being experimented on, with their abuse being both physical and mental, and while the child Laura is being given her adamantium skeleton, she is a bloody during surgery. A character is shown being tortured by having his face burned, as though exposed to acid, and a child is seen cutting herself. Many dead bodies are shown, and a prolonged look at one, lifeless in a chair, is thrown in for good measure.

The use of vulgar and profane language is also extreme. The Lord’s name is taken in vain 7 times (Je*sus, G*d-d**m, For G*d’s sakes), plus d*mn (3) and h*ll (1). There are 44 f-words (2 used with “mother”), sh** (25+), bulls*** (3), a**h*** (5), a** (2), and d**k (3). Xavier says a number of the f-words himself, possibly due in part to his deteriorating mental condition. As always, these are minimum approximates, but are provided to indicate the high level of cursing involved. Thankfully, the children do not curse.

Sex/Nudity: Moderate. During one of Logan’s limo assignments a female rider briefly exposes her breasts. There are shirtless males. No sex takes place in the movie.

Lessons

Amidst the breakneck violence and language there are themes worth discussing that touch upon guilt, prayer, life and the fifth commandment.

Guilt. Xavier speaks of having done something terrible in the past that weighs heavily on his heart. It really is a shame that most characters in films rarely turn their hearts to God, because He is the only one that can offer us the peace from our sins that will carry us through this life into eternity with Him.

“I, I am the one who blots out your transgression for my own sake, and I‘ll remember your sins no more.” —Isaiah 43:25

Prayer. Xavier is seen watching the movie “Shane” on TV, which features The Lord’s Prayer and is a reminder of how films used to openly incorporate God. The Munson family, that befriends Logan, Xavier and Laura, openly thank God for their guests during their dinner prayer, and the mother reminds her husband that, “The Lord will provide.” Their attitude reminds us that we all should spend our lives giving thanks to our Father in heaven.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” —Ephesians 6:18

[The Creator of] Life. The genesis of mutants in the X-Men movies has always been attributed to Evolution, without God our intelligent designer. Dr. Rice (Richard E. Grant) believes that he can do one better when he tries to create a mutant without a soul, answerable only to him—demonstrating the hubris of man to believe, without question, that we can create life, when there is but one author.

“The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” —Job 33:4

The Fifth Commandment

Logan cares for Xavier as though he was his father and even introduces him to the Munson family as his dad. Later, he carries him up to bed, just as a good son would. This goes back to the original Ten Commandments, but not in the way most would look at it today. The first set of commandments inscribed in stone, which were shattered, were included with the new ones God gave Moses and placed in the Ark of the Covenant, because, although they were broken, they were still considered holy. Jewish culture likewise says to treat their elderly like those broken tablets, as holy and to be respected. This tradition and mindset continues today, and Logan’s caring for Xavier is one of the few bright spots of the movie.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” —Exodus 20:12

Hugh Jackman plays the role of Logan/Wolverine with the practiced perfection that only 17 years (X-Men, 2000) can bestow. While the series has had its highs and lows, his character has proved to be the favorite guilty pleasure of many fans of the X-Men franchise.

That being said, “Logan” is a bleak film with many of the components of the franchise intact, including fever pitched action sequences and unbridled confidence in the face of impossible odds. However, the film is lacking the cheerful, optimistic elements needed to make a film worth watching again and again. Yes, the hero does get his chance to shine one last time, and the audience still roots for him, but, by film’s end, I was as exhausted by the melodrama and the violence, as his character is of life.

Hardly an edifying film, only those familiar with the franchise can hope to appreciate it, although many may wish to remember Logan only from the previous movies, and that is something I strongly suggest. Not recommended for Christians or otherwise.

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Extreme / Nudity: Moderately heavy, but brief / Sex: None

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