Hugh Jackman’s last performance as the Canadian with claws was released to the world on March 3rd, 2017. The swan song of the Wolverine character was a touching and compelling story that focused more on the mutants’ humanity than their powers.

The actors’ performances are great. Stephen Merchant, a popular British actor best known to American audiences as Tracy in the Tooth Fairy, creates a comic book accurate portrayal of Caliban, a wonderfully introverted oddball. Dafne Keen, portrayed the new young mutant was a silent, angry, and sheltered child.

Sir Patrick Stewart returns as Charles Xavier with the type of performance you would expect from someone who has been knighted. Logan shows a new side to the professor as he suffers with a illness that renders him in and out of lucidness. Patrick Stewart’s supposedly last performance as this beloved character is a delightful, refreshing, and even heartbreaking take.

Hugh Jackman reminds audiences why he was born to play Wolverine. Although we are at a point where the character and actor are almost inseparable, Jackman portrays a new, darker side to Wolverine. This is allowed, in part by the film’s R rating. Jackman’s performance single handedly sells this movie. Within the first 10 minutes, I became certain that this role could never be recast by anyone else.

The main criticism I have with the film is its opening scene. The scene feels out of place for the rest of the film and was clearly just to show hard R violence to the audience without any actual purpose.

The main story focuses on the lives of these characters and what they have to deal with instead of relying on nostalgic callbacks. The film’s main themes are that of finding a home, and the importance of family. James Mangold, the writer and director, was able to return to the franchise and continue the themes and ideas he brought to fruition in The Wolverine in 2013.

Overall, the film was a wonderful ending to the character’s story line. The film takes its place in my mind, as the best X-Men film in the franchise, transcending the superhero genre in a way that hasn’t been done since The Dark Knight in 2012. It is a bittersweet end to a great legacy where the phrase “save the best for last” is truly achieved.