Upon second viewing, Logan is even better than I originally thought - a discussion of themes (particularly that of fatherhood) in the film by a fan who wasn't sure it lived up to hype the first go around (SPOILERS for both the film Logan and comic book Old Man Logan).

First, my confession: The first time I watched Logan I walked out of the theater feeling thoughrly confused about the entire experience. Sure, it succeeded as an ultra-violent finale and technical marvel, but did it do it's source material justice and subvert the super hero genre in any profound or meaningful way? I didn't think so. Great flick and all, but I figured it was just a bit over-hyped and a bit of a disappointment to a fan of the comic Old Man Logan.

Old Man Logan, as I remember it, builds incredible tension around Logan's refusal to use his claws, and then reveals the plot twist for why Logan thusly refuses, in a terrifyingly disturbing masterstroke. It was such a profound moment in storytelling I'm reticent to spoil it here, despite the fact that I've tagged this entire discussion as a massive spoiler-fest.

So, it was a little disappointing the first time I saw Logan, and within the first few minutes the protagonist begins slicing and dicing human shish kabobs. Then I learned that it wasn't Logan who was responsible for the deaths of the other X-Men, as it is in the comic book, but instead it was Professor X who was responsible, and at first blush I felt like this was a disappointing de-fanging of our protagonist's sordid past. Sure, it gave Chuck some meat to his back story, but the film isn't titled "Chuck," and I wanted to see Wolfie wrestle with such a heavy self betrayal.

Furthermore, I was leery that the filmmakers made this choice simply because they couldn't stand the risk of a Wolverine movie where Wolverine refuses to brandish his iconic claws until part way through. The fanbase has to be placated, after all.

But upon second viewing, I have to say, it's a profound choice to have Professor X, the selfless savior of mutant children everywhere, responsible for the demise of those be protected and cared for. And it highlights a poignant theme in the film: fatherhood is a perilous affair. Even with the best of intentions, especially with the best of intentions, a father is ultimately incapable of protecting his children from the perills of the world - and in fact the instinct to protect or save his children, as was the case with Professor X, might be the very catalyst that leads to his children's downfall.

The theme of fatherhood, and how tenuous and fraught-ridden that mantle can be, is what really sets this film apart from it's source material for me, and elevates it into a masterful story in it's own right.

There are so many conflicted and well-meaning father figures in the film. From the obvious Charles and Logan, to the regretful father who tragically aides our protagonists halfway into the movie, to even the mad scientist who whispers words of care and encouragement while licking the wounds of his monstrous progeny, X-24. No father gets it right, and furthermore, no father gets a second chance.

And that's why the film's closing hit me so hard the second time around. When Laura is saying her final goodbyes, in an obvious juxtaposition to the old heroic ways, the westerns of yester-year, it's apparent that while us fathers would like to think we are protecting and educating our children, it's actually our children who have so much more to teach us.

And furthermore, I love how in the film we don't ever get to see if the new mutants ever make it to Eden, and I surely hope some profiteers don't leverage this as sequel bait, because the message is stronger in the form of a cliffhanger: where our children journey is ultimately up to our children, and we can see them off, but by definition, we can't see them there. That world belongs not to us. It belongs to our children.

There was so much more than this I took away from my second viewing. X-24 felt like such an "evil twin" trope upon my first viewing, and on second viewing such a perfectly twisted metaphor for not only the father-child dynamic, but also Logan's internal struggle with his weaponized rage. The American myths of the old West. The play between myth and history, and how each generation defines which is which for themselves. The caged horses, toy horses, the Bronco that Laura drives to the final setting, and the ironically colorful unicorn t-shirt partially hidden beneath Laura's coat...

... what a beautifully tragic and subversive super hero film. Not since being a teenager watching Pulp Fiction in the theater, with my dad, have I walked away from a film experience so unsure of what to make of it, and thoroughly confused as to whether or not I actually enjoyed it. Probably my own fandom prohibited me from seeing the forest for the trees in my first viewing. And that's okay with me. Because, for whatever reason, the second viewing was a helluva' payoff. Thanks so very, very much for letting me rant and ramble.

'Nuff said.

Submitted March 18, 2017 at 02:14PM by klip_twings http://ift.tt/2mTfRl6