Although the X-Men film franchise has been a bit parabolic when it comes to reaction from fans and critics alike over the years, it seems as though Fox has a definite hit on their hands, as Logan is not only receiving great reviews, but it’s also projected to have one hell of an opening weekend.
Aside from the brutal violence, mature themes and F-bombs that come with an R-rating, much of the intrigue behind this movie is due to the fact that it just so happens to be Hugh Jackman’s final outing as Wolverine. Ever since first appearing as the character way back in Bryan Singer’s X-Men in 2000, Jackman has inhabited the role in a variety of outings in the time since, effectively spanning 17 years. Now, I don’t have a Guinness book in front of me, but that may very well amount to some kind of onscreen record for enduring performances.
Granted, I’ve yet to see the film with my own eyes and therefore can’t comment on whether the titular mutant makes it out alive, but the fact of the matter is that some other actor will play this icon eventually. In fact, Jackman recently spoke with Indian movie critic Rajeev Masand and had this to say about passing the torch:
“I think I’ll be fine with it, I hope other people play it, maybe Shah Rukh Khan could play it, who knows? The comic book series is so good because you’ve had so many people interpreting this role. I think there’s like six origin stories. Everyone puts their own stamp on it. This is a great character. I’ll be really interested to see how I’ll feel about it, I want it to be really great… but, I don’t want it to be that much better than me. A little bit better is fine, but if everyone were like ‘Oh thank God, now…” I might find that a little difficult.”
Such a thing is the way with all superheroes, specifically ones as beloved as Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, each of whom have seen no shortage of recastings. But with Wolverine, Jackman is really the only one who got to put his stamp on the character in the live-action realm, so moviegoers have become especially attached to him. All we can hope is that whomever runs with the ball after Logan has just as much passion.