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..for values of serious, of course. I wouldn't call most of them serious, although this definitely is. Basically, by serious X-men movies, I mean "other than Deadpool." And maybe some of that is that any forthcoming X-men movies will have to plug their ears up and shout "Lalala, I can't hear you, and I've never heard of a movie called 'Logan' what is this 'continuity' nonsense you speak of".

I didn't understand (and still really don't) the appeal of Wolverine. The low-end of the superpowers scale has to be occupied by people who have just enough powers or skills or special things to go up against something much worse. Captain America works in his two good films by bucking the whole establishment, standing up for ideals over the state, and his okay film by turning out way better than the nincompoops who made him had any right to expect. Batman works because he's fighting an abstract concept, namely "crime", as well as a corrupt system whose institutions intended for that same purpose have abandoned it. They're both up against the two greatest enemies of a free society, tyranny and crime, abuse of the law, and disregard for the same. Arrow is a Batman ripoff, and Spider-man fights things with more power, most of whom seem bent on being the evil versions of Peter Parker's egotistical nerd. Daredevil is Batman with a gimmick, and Luke Cage is Captain America, but Harlem, instead of America, and like his erstwhile paramour Jessica Jones, flirts with the same problems as Wolverine.

And that problem is that Wolverine is a dick and a bully. He's wish fulfillment for picked-on nerds. They might dream of being like Spider-man or Superman, but they also know that Spider-man and Superman, in their shoes, would never lash out at their tormentors. Wolverine would, because he can do so without fear of consequences. He regenerates any injury he initially survives, and because his skeleton is unbreakable, can't really suffer any wounds that would kill him before he can heal. And if that's not enough, he has indestructible claws that can cut anything. He can kill anything with impunity, and can't be killed himself. How is that heroic? And he's a dick because he acts surly and mean to everyone. It's cool when Han Solo has no time for idealistic farmboys and wise old men and spunky princesses, because Han Solo can, and does, face consequences. He might be resolutely ignoring the fact of his mortality when he charges a squad of stormtroopers, but he's plenty aware of danger, and is constantly having to talk his way out of someone else coming back at him. Literally every person with whom Han Solo interacts who who has pre-movie relationship, is hostile to him to some degree or other. So Han Solo and characters like him, are cool because their belligerence is in defiance of consequences. Wolverine is hostile and belligerent because he CAN be, and no one can put him in his place. The antagonists in both his solo movies were poorly-defined organizations with wizard science (and that's probably why they both sucked), because that's what it takes to pose a conflict for a narrative to the character thus established.

And then there are the X-men. The whole problem with bigotry is that the subjects are human beings, who are undeserving of being singled out for mistreatment based on arbitrary characteristics rather than their actions or choices. Mutants, by their own apparent definitions, exclude themselves from that category, AND a disproportionate number of them, by their very nature, pose threats in ways that no other human being can. Now if they just wanted to tell stories about a bunch of mutants going around having adventures and public opinion being skeptical or distasteful, instead of the adulation that other superheroes receive, fine. But they make everything about fighting the "prejudice" of the real people. Here's a thing about the word "prejudice" - the first three letters indicate it is an opinion held ahead of time. In other words, you've made up your mind BEFORE the person does anything to earn your enmity. Mutants, on the other hand, started out committing atrocities, such as interfering with the actions of sovereign nations for their own defenses, interfering with freedom of the seas, terrorism and attempted genocide. Also impersonating a US Senator to usurp his legislative abilities is electoral fraud and subversion of government on a massive scale. When the first mutants are Magneto and Kevin Bacon, by the time the kid with the eyebeams comes around who is NOT hostile but can destroy public buildings and infrastructure by accident, anti-mutant sentiment is a very reasonable reaction. And the X-men are committed to fighting this, not as parolees seeking to rise above their past wrongs, or showing that there are good examples too, but from the position of the wronged party, like they came to this country in slave ships or something! Couple that with a trio of not-well-done films, and a prequel trilogy of confusing ones that further muddy the issues and erode the established characterization, based largely on the popularity of the actors in the films, and Wolverine is now irrevocably tied down with even more baggage that make him problematic on his own. The best movie in the whole franchise is a specific repudiation of his own film! If "Logan" hadn't come along, I would not have been surprised to the next X-men film being a Taylor Kitsch solo vehicle attempting to fix HIS character from "XO: Wolverine".

So "Logan" is entertaining by taking a massive dump all over Wolverine and the X-men, even featuring Logan specifically sneering in multiple scenes at the X-men comic books, calling them lies and bullshit. The movie is set in 2029, where Wolverine has started aging for some reason, has completely lost his fighting chops, and isn't healing very well either (but the metal claws he lost in his last chronological movie are back). He's eking out a living as a limo driver, and on his downtime is caring for a mentally-deteriorating Charles Xavier. Mutants are pretty much extinct. There aren't any other X-men characters at all, and no mutants are born anymore. A guy named Pierce leads a group of cyborg soldiers called Reavers, who are muscle for one of those ubiquitous genetic engineering corporations, and Logan runs afoul of them when one of their targets insists on trying engaging his aid, with Xavier's support and encouragement.

Absolutely, adamantly opposed to getting involved, Logan, unsurprisingly, because it's a movie, ends up dragged along on mission he believes is nonsensical, more out of obligation to Xavier and self-preservation than any other reason. Along the way it becomes apparent that all the erstwhile X-men do is making things worse, and Logan's sneering rejection of his legend and the comic books is never really disproved or refuted by the movie.

For the fans, Wolverine, despite his deterioration and handicaps, has never looked more formidable in a fight, IMO, and the climatic battle is probably my favorite of any action set piece in an X-men movie. The sanitized nature of the prior ones probably held back from showing what his claws can do, but this one lets him cut loose. Clawed guy with above average recuperative abilities, against an army of cyborgs, is a MUCH more interesting fight than actors glaring while making gestures and CGI happens. Xmen Apocalypse proved that super speed has a limited shelf life, but fights are fights, "Logan" brings 'em back as the main visual expression of narrative conflict.

An interesting and fun character is the little girl everyone has seen in the previews, or holding his hand on the posters, but she's a lot more interesting than the usual McGuffin-kid-burden. She's not the kids from Jurassic Park or that Ashley girl from the Resident Evil games. She's quiet, anti-social and borderline feral, which I think is what Wolverine was supposed to be, and works a lot better as something other than the protagonist. Wolverine probably would have been better had they made Rogue more of the focus of X-men than he, as the John Connor to his terminator. Anyway, with a large part of the personal conflict seeming to be humanizing Laura, the little girl, it is more compelling than a bunch of freaks whining about made-up prejudice.

For those people for whom Wolverine is an awesome, epic, iconic hero on a par with Superman or Batman, they found an ultimate nemesis to challenge him that should satisfy that aspect of his legend, and like his multi-film character arc, this sends off Hugh Jackman's performance of the character in a way I felt appropriately comparable.

Although some people might call "Logan" bleak or nihilistic or something, that's only if you are particularly invested in the future of the institutions of the X-men & their universe, or love and admire Logan and Xavier. Otherwise, it was satisfying and fun.

People that Google tells me exist outside this movie include Pierce, Rictor, Caliban and "X-23".