Oh, Wolverine. Our beloved but scary wolf-man with the big hair, deadly claws and feisty temper is finally growling adios. Hugh Jackman, Hollywood's Mr Nice Guy, I will miss you too. The 8th and final film featuring Wolverine as we know him is the most X-Men divergent, dark and painful offering we've had yet, but it's also one of the best. The claws are out; more of a violent drama and Western than a superhero film, it's not perfect but it's pretty damn good.

Considering the last X-Men was the widely-panned X-Men Apocalypse, and that The Wolverine (2013) didn't exactly make it into the comic history books, you might be forgiven for not having the highest of expectations for Logan. But right from the pre-release start, we were promised something different, grittier, grown-up and a fitting goodbye. Even watching the trailers (backed by the haunting vocals from Johnny Cash's Hurt), there's a remarkable change in tone. Logan has aged, he seems fragile and human (for the first time), and it also looks so much more violent than usual as he slashes his way through the screen. The film people have delivered the film that Wolverine fans (over the age of 15 cos it's rated 15/R) have been waiting for.

We have a film set in 2029, although they haven't made a particular effort to make this a futuristic setting in any sense. (It's more Mad Max-style dystopia.) What's different is that this is an age where mutants are dying out and no mutants have been born for 25 years. James Howlett/Logan also appears to have put his Team X-Men days behind him, borderline rotting away with a limp, a job as a limo driver, and dreams of sailing away. Then comes an unexpected wake-up call - the film's trigger in the form of a mysterious girl who likes to eat cereal and wear sunglasses...oh and she has adamantium claws too. She brings out another side of Logan, thus forming the adamantium backbone of the story - and bringing the epic duo claw fights.

And so Logan becomes a wild road-trip of sorts, with the added complication of an ailing Professor X's seizures, mystery girl Laura, a baddie search party who have also been creating mutant super-soldiers in the lab (not new, but there has to be some sci-fi in here), and Logan's inner turmoil. Although the aim is to travel the country and reach the Canadian border (it's 2029 and they really are that desperate to flee America), it still manages to feel close to home.

Jackman first auditioned for the iconic role in 1999 - say whaat!? It's more than fair to say that he has completely developed and defined this character, and Logan takes a sombre approach to digging deeper with this in 2029. He's a Wolverine far from the one we recognise, poisoned, filled with rage and a drinking problem, casually swigging from a bottle at any opportunity. This is no superhero. This is a...wolf. He's spent a lifetime struggling with rage and when Laura arrives unexpectedly, this could be his shot at redemption. I feel to privileged to have watched Jackman as Wolverine all these years, and as an audience-member I feel very much attached to it all. At the premiere of The Wolverine a few years ago, he photobombed my photo (ok, I stood in front of him) and I was like *this* far away from him so I'd definitely say we were close! Seeing him pushed to the limit as his career-defining character in his final and most hard-hitting installment demonstrates just how great an actor he is.


Despite Professor X being in this film, it's still very much a standalone character film, with a lot of emotional investment in Logan and the struggles he faces. Having said this, Patrick Stewart shines, showing us yet another side to Charles Xavier. This Charles is also more vulnerable, whilst simultaneously being classed as a weapon of mass destruction due to the instability of the world's greatest mind. He gets to play a mentor again, and his relationship with Laura is sweet to watch. James McAvoy might be great but I've missed this Prof X. His relationship with Logan is also noteworthy - he has gone from being his teacher to being cared for by Logan and mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant) in a shoddy hideaway in Mexico. Stewart encapsulates the complexities of his character and makes it look effortless. We've all known for ages this would be Jackman's last outing as Wolverine, but Stewart recently announced this would probably be his last appearance too. Noooooo.....

The film 'introduces' 12 year old newcomer Dafne Keen who is mesmerising and truly brilliant, able to capture childlike test-tube innocence and vulnerability... as well as the whole contradictory feral, angry killer claws bit.  With wild-and-wide eyes and some seriously kick-ass action scenes, she impresses without (mostly) having to say a single word. Mini Wolverine symbolises what Logan once was, but with the added element of hope. She's ferocious - she has a lot to learn, like table manners for instance...hmm, perhaps what she needs is a father figure/mentor?! She's intrigued by an iPod (in 2029!?) in one scene, and parkour flipping and attacking face-first with an angry scream in another. I have to say, I'm not comfortable with seeing children in such violent scenes - both attacking and being attacked - but if I overlook that, then Keen puts herself forward as a real raw force to be reckoned with and one to watch for the future.

It doesn't feel like there's a real baddie in this film, even though Richard E. Grant's character had huge potential given that he's kinda responsible for wiping out mutantkind. Dr Zander Rice has a menacing look in his eye, but it doesn't break barriers in the genre, especially since mad scientists hunting Wolverine is hardly new. There's also Boyd Holbrook as Donald Pierce, who obviously poses a threat but doesn't quite have a 'villain' feel either. In fact, I felt that the biggest villain was a surprising someone who looks more familiar and strikes much closer to home...no spoilers. I suppose that, given the focus of the film, this is all about the good and bad within Logan instead, and that even though lack of villain development is a trait across many Marvel movies, this one is intentional.

Logan is a triumphant swansong and I have so much praise for director James Mangold and the team who put this film together. Instead of big budget destruction, we have home visits and desert chases. In the Marvel universe, it kind of sits in its own corner. It's gorier than last year's Deadpool and ambitious in its own right, with a grown-up non-silly script to match. Actually, let's go back to the gore. There are quite a few OMG moments and they really don't hold back graphically either. Get ready to hide behind your hands. Onto the less favourable points...the storyline itself is not complex - it's escaping the bad guys and travelling to the promised land, where supposedly all the world's problems will be solved. Hm, okay. It's got many predictable moments and obvious foreshadowing, as well as some wasted characters, for example Caliban. Not to mention the 2 hour 20 minute running time and the fact that this is deliberately not a fast-paced journey which means it can feel noticeably slow. My brain is also a bit muddled from all the different X-Men timelines and alternate universes, and I'm still Googling answers for some post-film revision. I could have done with some more explanation of context, particularly in one crucial scene. At least with the Doctor Who timey-wimey stuff, we could maybe someday convince Jackman and Stewart to come back eh?!

We've had 17 years of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, and the film has got the bittersweetness down to a tee that stands out within the 17 years.  It's a story that conveys meaning and a whole lotta pain - to see pain in someone who has probably been shot hundreds of times...I mean, that says a lot. He's got an opportunity to find redemption, and going for a 'Logan' non-Wolverine title tells us this will be the most personal story to date. The curtains fall on poignant closure, a sense of finality and so many things we can talk about after. To be honest, I was too busy crying my eyes out: 1) I miss him already, and 2) At the lack of post-credits scene. Boo.

Logan is in cinemas now.

Want a throwback? You'll want to watch this audition...