Logan

Hugh Jackman returns to his signature role one last time (so he says), reuniting with filmmaker James Mangold, who also directed 2013's The Wolverine. But this doesn't feel like any other X-Men movie; it strikes a sombre, gritty tone from the start to take the audience on a dark and rather brutal road trip. So while it feels rather long and repetitive, the movie also has a strong emotional kick.

It's set in the year 2029, when mutants have been wiped off the planet, and no new ones have been born for years. Hiding out in a drunken haze as a Texas limo driver, Logan aka Wolverine (Jackman) has stashed Charles aka Professor X (Patrick Stewart) across the border in Mexico, watched over by albino caretaker Caliban (Stephen Merchant). Then a nurse (Elizabeth Rodriguez) appears asking for Logan's help to transport the young Laura (Dafne Keen) to North Dakota. And Laura clearly has a genetic connection with Logan. It also turns out that she has escaped from a Mexico City hospital, so as Logan, Charles and Laura hit the road, the ruthless henchman Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and sinister Dr Rice (Richard E. Grant) are hot on their trail.

Mangold holds all of this in careful control, never tipping over into the usual whiz-bang Hollywood superhero action chaos (the violence is especially grisly). The story moves at a steady pace that adds an involving note of desperation to each sequence. This also makes the movie feel a bit repetitive and even wheel-spinning at times. Since the baddies are able to stay right on the heroes' heels, it's clear that even a nicely offhandedly sojourn with a farmer (Eriq La Salle) and his family will be short-lived. But the gnawing intensity, while never quite building into proper suspense, gets deep under the skin as it fleshes out the characters.

This allows Jackman to deliver perhaps his finest performance yet. Logan is a serious mess throughout this film: angry, wasted, unwell and, as always, unwilling to play the hero even though he has little choice in the matter. It's a complex, rounded character who connects vividly with the viewer, expressing his frustration at both tiny obstacles and earth-shattering events. Jackman also has terrific chemistry with Stewart, who gets the chance to deepen Charles into a flesh and blood man for the first time. And both actors shine in their interaction with the impressive first-timer Keen, who expresses whole conversations wordlessly and dives fearlessly into the action. All of which makes this a truly memorable instalment in the X-Men series, and one that finally realises the potential of both Wolverine and Jackman.

Watch the trailer for Logan: