“Logan” Has Emotions That Cut Extremely Raw And Deep
There’s a moment in “Logan” that will hit some people hard, and hit others even harder. It’s probably not the scene you’re expecting either.
You’ve heard all the rave reviews on Logan. I’m not here to tell you how fantastic it is (and if you do want that, our Steve has you covered over here).
You may already know how much of an emotional roller coaster this movie is. But there’s one scene I want to talk about that hit me—and probably some of you, too—pretty darn hard.
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR LOGAN. You have been warned!
As I told my husband afterward, I haven’t cried so hard in a movie theater since the ending of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. From the start, you have that gut feeling you know what’s going to come of it all, who exactly is going to die. It’s like Han Solo walking out onto that platform to talk to his son.
You know Wolverine is going to die. And you’re pretty sure Professor X is going to die before him.
This movie makes you cry. Several times. Logan’s death at the end is heart-wrenching, especially with Laura there in the final moments. And Charles has a moment before he dies where he airs his regrets to make his death sting a little more.
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
I will admit that Charles’ death got to me (take note of the not-stupid way to kill him, The Last Stand). But what absolutely broke me was afterward: his burial scene.
It’s when Logan stands at the foot of the grave of his last remaining friend and family, trying his hardest to hold back tears. “He’s got water,” he remarks with a sideways glance at the nearby lake, trying to find some semblance of meaning in this loss. “He’s got water.”
And that’s when I lost it in the movie theater. Because in that moment, I knew exactly what Logan felt. When my dad passed away, it was unexpected, and my mother, brothers, and I spent the days after scrambling in a haze to come up with funeral arrangements and a burial site.
We found a little cemetery near the family home and plots next to each other. Until viewing Logan, I had completely forgotten a comment my mother made when we decided on the spot: “He’s near a tree, so he’ll be in the shade.”
If anyone has lost a loved one, especially if it was unexpectedly or quickly, you also may have had your heart ripped out by this scene.
Because Logan’s reaction, his body language, his everything vaults you back to those few days you try to forget. When everything is a horrible blur but you keep functioning because you know you have to. When your emotions are raw and everything hurts.
And it doesn’t help that we’ve never seen Logan express that kind of emotion. Have you ever seen him cry like that? Even over Jean Grey? That makes it hurt the most.
Next: Do Not Discount The Emotional Turmoil In “Guardians Of The Galaxy”
There’s a primal undertone to Logan. And those few moments encapsulate it perfectly.