Deadpool and Wolverine Films Ranked
2. The Wolverine (2013)
In this, the second standalone Wolverine film, we find Logan at a low point in his life. Struggling with the loss of Jean Grey and living in self-imposed exile, he is located by Yukio (Rila Fukushima), a mutant with the ability to foresee people’s deaths, who takes him to Japan at the request of her employer, Yashida (Hiroyuki Sanada). Yashida is a former Japanese soldier whose life Logan saved during World War II. Now a powerful tech tycoon, Yashida is dying and offers to transfer Logan’s healing abilities to himself, allowing Logan to become mortal. Logan declines, but soon finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy involving Yashida’s family. Logan finds himself protecting Yashida’s granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto) from various threats, including the Silver Samurai and the toxin-wielding mutant Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova).
What works well here is the great use of setting. Based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s popular comic, The Wolverine places our mutant hero out of his depth in Japan, which leads to some fun fish out of water moments. Japanese iconography (such as the bullet train) houses thrilling action set pieces that are the film’s highlight. Typical Japanese cultural beliefs, such as honour, fit naturally with the Wolverine character and help create a film that is successfully character-focused as opposed to being concerned with cameos and a wider universe.
Unfortunately, not all of the parts come together as satisfyingly as they could have, stopping this entry from topping the list. The plot sags in the middle as Logan’s chemistry with Mariko is never really tangible and, despite a fun Wolverine vs ninjas fight scene that picks up the pace, the actual end fight is very underwhelming – partly due to the disappointment of having the Silver Samurai coming across as a discarded Transformers villain instead of the formidable warrior from the comics. In addition, Viper’s role in this final act feels shoehorned, making the film go out on a whimper instead of a bang as earlier action scenes promised.
1. Logan (2017)
Was it ever going to be anything else? The gap between Logan and the rest of the entries on this list is sizable.
Taking place after every other X-Men film, in a universe in which mutants are close to extinction, an aging Logan cares for Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in a hideout near the Mexican border. Logan’s healing abilities are fading as his body battles adamantium poisoning. Their quiet life is disrupted when they meet a young mutant named Laura (Dafne Keen), whose powers are oddly similar to Logan’s. Reluctantly, Logan agrees to protect Laura from the people who are hunting her, and he promises to take her to a safe haven.
Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart are at their best here. Their father-son dynamic is not something that is touched on in the previous franchise instalments, but here it is played beautifully. Despite his bitterness, Logan clearly cares for and respects Charles, which leads to many of the film’s most emotional moments. This film has the Herculean task of being an ending to not one but two legacy characters in Wolverine and Professor X, yet no one misses a beat, and their resolution is the perfect pairing of writing and performance. Newcomer Dafne Keen is a great addition, and brings out a side of Wolverine that we hadn’t really seen since his interactions with Rogue in X-Men (2000). Their final scene is heart-wrenching and maybe the greatest scene in any comic book movie.
James Mangold carries over his brilliant character work from The Wolverine and, with a newly added R-rating, his vision of the character reaches its full potential. Mangold approaches Logan as a Western through its reluctant loner protagonist and dusty landscapes, while his work is also likely informed by Mark Millar’s “Old Man Logan” comic. Furthermore, the humanist elements and theme of desperation are evocative of Italian Neorealist cinema and the works of directors like Vittorio De Sica. Mangold’s influences result in a film that is powerful and emotive, a fitting end to this character. It is no surprise that Logan became the first live-action comic book movie to be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.
Recommended for you: Every X-Men Movie Ranked
Despite the varying degrees of quality, there is no denying the impact that Deadpool and Wolverine have had on cinema. Hugh Jackman’s 24 year run as Wolverine has cemented him as one of the most beloved actors across fandoms and will leave some big shoes to fill, while Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool is something of cinematic legend, going from one of the genre’s lowest points to a monumental victory.
If you’re a fan of the Deadpool and Wolverine films, why don’t you tell us (and everyone else) about the best moments from either character, or any of these movies, in the comments below? And be sure to follow @thefilmagazine across social media, including on Facebook and X (Twitter).
