Logan (2017)

Logan is a superhero movie where the hero spends a big chunk of the runtime trying to refill a prescription. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine limps, coughs and drives a limo, and Patrick Stewart’s Charles is a frail old genius whose brain has turned into a public safety issue. It’s a western wearing an X-Men jacket, and James Mangold knows it. Dafne Keen barely says a word for most of the movie and is still the scariest person on screen. The R rating lets the claws finally do what claws do, but the violence is never the point. The point is three worn-out people pretending to be a normal family at a stranger’s dinner table for one night, the best scene in any X-Men movie. The weak spot is the villain side, which leans on a lazy idea that feels like a toy commercial. $619 million worldwide, 137 minutes. A 9.1 because it treats a comic book hero like a real man running out of time. $301 says you call your grandpa this week just to hear him complain about something.

What works: Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart at their rawest, Dafne Keen’s fierce near-silent turn, and a western feel that makes every stake land.

What doesn’t: The final villain is a lazy idea, and the last act trades the movie’s quiet weight for a fairly standard brawl in the woods.

Who it’s for: People who are tired of superhero movies, and anyone who grew up with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.