Yesterday gave us our first peek at Logan, the upcoming final outing for Hugh Jackman’s tenure as Wolverine. Today brings the first trailer and boy is it somber. If you have any strong attachment to the character, this one is going for your heart. It ain’t subtle but it’s definitely effective. Give it a watch but be ready for what amounts to a funeral dirge for everyone’s favorite mutant.
On the positive side, Logan looks to be the most grounded X-Men film yet. One of the big complaints about The Wolverine was how it descended into typical cartoonish action. So far, Logan looks to be much less fantastical in that regard. That fits with the approach and tone for this story. Also, how heartbreaking is it to see a near-decrepit Charles Xavier? Patrick Stewart defined the role of Professor X as much as Jackman did for Wolverine. Seeing Xavier so frail and broken is tough, and if this film also acts as his sendoff for the series, it’s going to be a serious tearjerker.
It’s worth noting how hard this trailer is leaning on the grimness of the story. Using Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt” is a bludgeoning way of getting across how final this film feels. Don’t expect this tone to stick through the marketing. They have to sell this as a comic book action movie at some point, and that’s going to mean betraying the atmosphere cultivated with this first teaser. Honestly, it would be nice to see the marketing take a cue from Deadpool in the sense that it should stay true to itself. If the movie really is this morose, then sell it as such.
We get a peek at quite a few new characters as well. Caliban, Donald Pierce, and a young mutant who is probably… well, follow this link if you want to be spoiled. It’s clear that this is going to be a full cast of characters. Let’s hope Logan doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
Still, it’s hard not to get swept up in the harder hitting moments of this. The images of a bedridden Xavier being carried by Logan is tough. And seeing Logan scarred all over is body definitely elicits a gut reaction. If the film can deliver on the more visceral moments of this trailer, this will be a fitting and earnest farewell to a character that has helped define the superhero cinematic landscape. Logan releases on March 3.
