THE TIME
When you think of the the course of the last seventeen years, actor superhero movie, what Hugh Jackman has taken his character, the comes to mind? Probably Wolverine, through a true odyssey. glitzy heroes decked out He has been everywhere and done everyin spandex, generating mind- thing, from fighting ninjas in Japan to travelless popcorn flicks for the ing back in time to the 1970s. But for Jackwhole family to enjoy, because man’s final film as the character, he wanted to that’s exactly what they are. do something different. Well, maybe not for long. Instead of the usual lighthearted, if vioFebruary 2016 brought an un- lent, fun of the classic X-Men movie, director precedented event in the modern James Mangold opted for something much age of superhero movies: a main- different, and much more meaningful. stream, R-rated comic book film. On March 3rd, fans will be treated to a “Deadpool” was studio 20th Century heavier, darker version of the Wolverine Fox’s biggest gamble in a long time, and character than they’ve ever known. His powthe only thing more surprising than the ers slowed and weakened, his body old and fact that they had to guts to do it was decrepit, the film will explore the true mental the fact that they actually pulled it off. and physical tolls that being a superhero can The movie, starring Ryan Reynolds take on a person. shocked the world with its frequent expleFrom the first looks at the movie, it aptives, racy humor, blood and gore, violence pears to be the final Wolverine outing that and the fact that, longtime fans want despite all of and deserve. these things, it was “[LOGAN] LOOKS LIKE A MOVIE But the somber actually pretty fan- THAT MIGHT BREAK THE GLASS tone of “Logan” tastic. brings up anothCEILING” Critics and audiencer question: when es alike agreed that the awards season rolls - RYAN REYNOLDS BY JACK STEIN movie was great, elevataround, could it be a GRAPHIC: FOX STUDIOS ing it to the status of one contender? of the highest grossing R-rated movies of all time. Up until this point, the closest that comic Of course, after the minimal budget and out-of-nowhere suc- book movies have come to winning major cess of “Deadpool,” there was one question on the minds of the awards has been Heath Ledger, who poststudio and the viewers: humously won the award for Best Actor in What would be the next “Deadpool?” And who would be the a Supporting Role for his portrayal of the studio to make it? Joker in 2009’s “The Dark Knight.” Could As it turns out, that studio was, once again, 20th Century Fox. “Logan” continue this trend of darker, more After the resounding success of their first foray into the world of serious comic book films being considered mature X-Men titles, they needed another hit to cement the for awards? Deadpool thinks so. fact that the hard-R-rated comic book movie wasn’t just a one“Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, having trick pony. seen parts of “Logan,” told Variety magazine But their next movie in the vein of “Deadpool” would be that it “looks like a movie that might break its polar opposite. Fox made this abundantly clear when they that glass ceiling,” referring to infamous lack announced, for a March release, “Logan.” of superhero films winning for best picture. Fans of the popular X-Men character Wolverine will rec- After the first forty minutes of “Logan” were ognize Logan as the clawed mutant superhero’s real name, screened for a select group of critics, recepand the title of the next solo movie in which he is slated to tion was similar. appear. So could “Logan” be the first movie of its There are two things that make “Logan” different than kind to win big at the Oscars? Reynolds’ own any other of the other eight X-Men movies in which the “Deadpool” was just recently snubbed, decharacter has appeared to date. spite recent WGA and Golden Globe noms. For one, the movie has, like “Deadpool,” garnered the If “Logan” wins, or is even nominated, it infamous R-rating, this time for what the MPAA refers to as “strong would mean great things for the studio and brutal violence and language throughout, and for brief nudity.” the genre. It would open new doors for suWhile it isn’t entirely clear what that entails, fans are eagerly antic- perhero movies, R-rated and otherwise, and ipating getting to witness some of the character’s “berserker rage,” a would change the world of film and be a pertrait that has only been displayed in a PG-13 format. fect way to close the story of the Wolverine. The other thing that sets “Logan” apart is its mood and tone. Over
THAT MARVEL
WENT R-RATED
AND IT
ACTUALLY WORKED
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
18
THE FOURTH ESTATE