Gritty, honest and brutal. Just like a movie about Logan should be. This is by far the best X-Men film as far as I'm concerned. Logan doesn't hold back at all which I absolutely loved. For the most part, there is just an onslaught of awful things happening. And apart from the relationship between Laura and Logan, nothing makes you go 'oh, that was nice'.
Very early on in the film, I got huge John Wick vibes. The action was very reminiscent of those films. It was fast, it was brutal and graphic, and it wasn't afraid to show everything. Indeed, you got the sense that Mangold was trying to find more and more interesting and gory ways to kill people. Something that the John Wick franchise also does. This comparison between John Wick and Logan is nothing but a positive one. If you ask me, the John Wick films are some of the best action films to have come out in recent years, as is Logan.
Where Logan really shines though, is not in the action, but in the story of Logan. It's a depiction Logan that I think a lot of people have wanted to see. Although I'm by no means an expert on the comic books, I have always had the feeling that Logan is a much more complex and difficult character than the previous X-Men or Wolverine films have led to believe. Logan is just as brutal with its depiction of the character as it is with its action.
Logan really should be used a case study on how to do a comic book film. The only problem it faces is its R rating. I absolutely loved the rating as it allowed the film to go as dark as it needed and wanted to go. But comic book movies are, of course, supposed to be the highest-grossing films studios make, and an R rating will automatically lower revenues.
If you have been looking for a comic book film that isn't just like all the previous ones, Logan is the one for you. As mentioned, it is brutally honest and gritty, and the action is more brutal than you would ever dare to expect. It's a fantastic action film but it also manages to create such an impressive story that you will find yourself amazed with the depth of it.
Is it my favourite comic book movie ever? No. But is it easily one of the best ones? Absolutely.