"Don't Be What They Made You. Laura."
I watched "Logan", (2017) which is a movie from the Marvel stable of movies that concludes the story of Wolverine and the X-Men. This is part of my ongoing attempt to watch all Marvel and DC movies and related paraphernalia which is, of course, quite impossible. But I got to keep on moving. This one was really interesting as it shows the death of Wolverine, Professor X, and Caliban, signaling the end of the X men era, in a sense, as in it the last and most famous of the X men, Wolverine and their founder both die.
This movie was different because it was difficult to classify. Its structure is not mythic/mythological but postmodern, open-ended, with multiple exits, and entry points, leaving it difficult to decipher increasingly what it means to be right or wrong, good or evil, moral or immoral, wise or foolish in such a world. Apart from a lot of gaps that are usual, and the satisfactory end to the plot in which none of the children are harmed and in Greek tragedy style as well as Christian style the hero has to sacrifice himself to save the future mutants, is offset by the grimness of the tale, where the odds are too heavily stacked more and more on the side of the evil ones, reflecting present-day reality rather than any peek into the past. The only relief at the end is things on the ground are not yet as bad as things in the movie, as far as one knows.
The passive-aggressive child character Laura who does not talk for more than half the movie was really a strong pull for me. I don't know if people have a problem with her for being what she is but to be honest she reminded me a lot of kids on the spectrum whom the world considers mutants. In that sense, the whole movie could be about them, which is probably my own angle to it. How they are made, not created, and then someone's purpose is thrust on them, and they rebel and are then considered fit for nothing or only to be got rid of, unless they can be harnessed for the purpose of their creators, which keeps them alive but also on the a 'threat' out in the open in public and 'wanted' category. They escape to a valley across the border which is metaphoric, as the only valley I can think of where mutants can escape to is heaven. The quote that Laura uses from the famous Western at the end which she first sees with Prof. Charles is memorable. It is from Shane, the movie.
"A man has to be what he is, Joey. Can't break the mold. There's no living with the killing. There's no going back. Right or wrong, it's a brand. A brand that sticks. Now you run on home to your mother... you tell her everything's alright. There are no more guns in the valley."
Caliban saying "Beware the light" before blowing himself and some of the/his enemies up to atone for leading them to Logan, the Prof and Laura is also memorable.
But most precious of all is the hope across the border, in the valley, they may finally get to lead normal peaceful lives like all children with the help of whoever arranged their trip.
"If I could start again, a million miles away, I would keep myself, I would find a way…."
The ending song by Johnny Cash was also electrifying to listen to after such a fantastic, realistic gritty movie.
Watched X-Men. However, it seems the first movie in the series is X-Men: First-Class. Have now watched about seven of the entire set. Including five of the spin-offs.
Logan
The Wolverine (not sure which one, have to revisit.)
Apocalypse
New Mutants
X-Men
Dead Pool
Dead Pool 2
The world is divided into humans and mutants, natural or man-made. The humans fear the mutants and vice versa. We come to look at the mutants from their side, and they are not so different, after all, except for their powers. Some are evil, some good, and all have more than fifty shades of grey in them, but most gradually become part of groups that are for humans or against with various positions in between while many are forced to be only hired assassins for the sake of their bread and butter and nothing more.
Trying to make a connection between X men and self, the latter mainly in America and Europe, and if from our countries either outright bad or objects for bringing in the comedy or laughs, is rather difficult. I think my only reason to watch it is as as a child I liked the comics and because I want to get as far away from India in my mind as possible. Escape and fantasy binge-watching of movies.
However, the larger political picture does not escape me which is that the movies stand for the battle in America and the world between the political right and the others, with the mutants representing the others and the political right is represented by the humans, as well as spiritual diversity, a kind of neo-pan Christianity that is inclusive and understated rather than exclusive and divisive, and racist, if at all, only by default.
However, economically, it has nothing to offer, being solidly capitalist, and its futurism is elitist, two points on which it loses out without probably realizing it. In a world ruled by technology that costs money, there is really no hope for reducing either the gap between the haves and have nots or making the less abled or those not abled in any way come up in life in these movies.
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