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Category:    Home > Reviews > Superhero > Action > Drama > Sequel > Spin-Off > Logan (2017/Fox 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray, plus Logan Noir 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)

Logan 4K (2017/Fox 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray, plus Logan Noir 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)



Picture: A/B+ Sound: A/B+ Extras: B Film: B+



The X-Men franchise takes a more mature route in this final performance by Hugh Jackman as Logan, as known to comic book lovers as 'The Wolverine' in the third film of this spin-off series. Directed by James Mangold (Walk The Line), who also directed the previous installment in the franchise, which saw the character journey to modern day Japan, his entries in the Wolverine franchise are much more 'adult' than the cartoonish approach evident in some of the Bryan Singer X-Men films.


Logan (2017) is the R-rated final film in the trilogy is bloodier, darker, and a more accurate approach to the character (no doubt thanks to the success of Fox's Deadpool last year, which was also R-rated, albeit more comical) and also concludes his story in a interesting and more thought provoking way than his demise in the comics.


When looking back at the Wolverine trilogy, I really wish that Mangold had directed the first installment, the hideous X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), which is a sloppy and muddled popcorn muncher that's almost as bad as X-Men: The Last Stand (the worst X-movie by far.) Mangold's 2013 entry, The Wolverine (the second installment as mentioned earlier), isn't so bad, but could have been improved had it have been given this same R-rated approach and perhaps focuses on past Logan rather than present day. At any rate, Logan is in a whole different league than any of those films, with the focus being more on Logan, an aged Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Laura (played brilliantly by newcomer Dafne Keen) and a few other key mutants, as opposed to previous films, which had a wealth of his extraordinary characters and far more CGI.


In Logan, we find the character battle hardened and weaker than ever before in an alternate timeline, where mutants have become an endangered species. Nearly everyone he knew and loved is dead, save Professor Charles Xavier, who is now dependent on drugs to maintain control of his abilities, and Caliban (Stephen Merchant) - a character who can barely stand in the sunshine due to his mutation. Living in an isolated spot in the desert and driving a limo part-time, Logan ends up coming across a troubled mother and her estranged 'daughter' named Laura (Keen) who is a mutant herself, with abilities similar to Wolverine. Upon a hefty payday and a gang of bad guys who are out for Laura, Logan finds himself (and Professor X) on the run to get to the Mexican border, to bring the girl to a safe place. Hot on their trail are many adversaries that will stop at nothing to stop Logan from his final destination, including a stunning revelation that dates back to his history in the Weapon X program.


Some of the film's weaker points that could improve the film would be a better explanation as to why Logan has diminished powers to the extent that he does (the explanation is alcoholism and adamantium poisoning), and at least one scene where with more of a description as to how everyone died and why. The film has plenty of surprise moments and included in this version is Logan Noir (on 4K and Blu-ray in this set), which shows the film in black and white similar to what Warner Bros. did with last year's home video release of Mad Max: Fury Road. In my opinion, Logan works in black and white and it was the original intention of Mangold to have the film this way, so I'm happy the studio at least included that version in this set. I wish we could see big-budgeted, effects-driven films like this get a theatrical release in black and white and think that it would be an interesting experiment for Hollywood to try (though they probably never will).


As for the 4K presentation, it's absolutely stunning and far superior to the Blu-ray version that is also included. The film is presented in 2160p with a widescreen presentation of 2.38:1 (originally 2.39:1) and of course 1080p high definition for the Blu-ray copies. The noticeable differences between the formats lie in the sharper HDR (high dynamic range 10-bit color) on the 4K and detail throughout the film with small details such as skin textures and even sand in some scenes looking more profound. Note that both the theatrical and the Noir versions are both included in this set on both 4K UHD and 1080p Blu-ray.


The sound mix is as good as it gets with a Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless track on the 4K version, as well as a lossless English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 track on the standard Blu-ray as their respective top sound mixes. The film has very rich soundscapes and a great score by Marco Beltrami, who also scored the previous Mangold Wolverine film as well.


A digital UV copy is also included.



Special Features...


Logan Noir - black and white version of the film in both 4K and 1080p formats


Feature-length audio commentary by Director James Mangold


Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by James Mangold (Blu-ray only)


Making Logan - behind-the-scenes documentary (Blu-ray only)



I'm a little disappointed that the Deadpool 2 short film that was shown with Logan in theaters before the feature presentation isn't included as an extra (or even as an Easter Egg,) but I guess Fox is saving that for a later date. I also heard about a Jean Grey deleted scene that either wasn't included or wasn't filmed; I'm not sure of which.


In short, Logan looks fantastic on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray respectively and is definitely worth picking up if you are an X-Men fan like I am. There are several different editions of the Blu-ray edition of the film from retailers such as Target, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart, however the differences only lie in the packaging and not the discs themselves unlike the recent release of Star Wars: Rogue One, which had an extra disc with more bonus content at one retailer.



Previous X-Men film and animation reviews are elsewhere on this site with more to come, plus we covered the 2013 The Wolverine Blu-ray at this link:


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12535/The+Wolverine+(2013/Fox+Blu-ray+w/DVD+++Di



- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/


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