Hello! I’m Joe Cianciotto, architect and movie buff extraordinaire. I love all movies but I’m mostly drawn to superhero movies. You can probably guess that I loved comic books as a kid. Seeing all my favorite characters on the big screen is a kid’s dream come true. This post is dedicated to reviewing the latest installment in the X-Men movie universe, “Logan”.

Parents need to know that Logan is part of the X-Men series and is said to be Hugh Jackman’s final appearance as Wolverine. Unlike almost all other superhero movies (except Deadpool), it’s rated R, so expect a lot of very edgy material. The main issue is the extremely strong, bloody comic book violence, including characters being sliced through flesh and skulls, shot, shown in pain, and killed. A young girl is involved in the fights, and there’s disturbing footage of children being mistreated in a laboratory setting. Suicide is considered. Language is also rated R, with many uses of “f—k,” “motherf—r,” “s—t,” and more. A woman is shown topless, and the main character drinks frequently—the possibility that he’s an alcoholic (or a “junkie”) is discussed. Despite the mature material, the movie—which explores the importance of family—is quite powerful and is a high point in the superhero genre. Expect teens to be very eager to see it.

It’s almost like a Western, filled with cracked, dusty American spaces. Characters wrestle with the landscape on the exterior while wrestling with their pasts, fears, and desires on the interior. It helps that we know Logan so well and that he’s been so impossibly cool for so long. Now he becomes human for the first time, experiencing what a family might have been like, as well as a longing for resignation. The movie has action, but, rather than celebrating exhilaration, it’s deliberately wearisome, shadowing the end of an era. Perhaps most profoundly, Logan achieves a sense of generations—a story that spans generations of life changes, of exploring the unknown; leaving some folks behind but trudging forever on.

Hugh Jackman gives an astonishing performance as a hurting Logan; he’s no longer Wolverine, just a man who’s lived a hard, hard life and is looking at an unforgiving, grim future. Meanwhile, director James Mangold completely reverses the hatchet job he did on his last outing. The Wolverine here delivers a sad, fatalistic—yet stunningly poignant—look at regret and loss. Go see Logan if you get the chance! You won’t regret it!

Do you wish to share your thoughts about this movie? Please feel free to leave me, Joe Cianciotto, a message!