The movie was many things but a bad production. You would figure that after the third solo film spotlighting the infamous wolverine, that the plot is more anemic than its predecessors, yet it is the opposite. It is a lively swan song, with heart, which the other two seemed to lack. The plot was kept simple, yet in spite of that there is much to be said. Seeing X-24 in action you realize that in spite of Logan's violence, there was always a purpose for it; even if there were more tempered ways to handle things, he didn't exceed the need, too much.
It is an origin "film' in its own right, a minimalistic and focused effort, that applies to his daughter and the next generation mutants; a sub plot, but it was not drawn out like X-Men Origins: Wolverine was. It was a survival story: In their race against the clock, Logan and Professor X must drop Lara off at a haven in South Dakota so all of her composited cohorts can make it to Eden in time.
It also was a film that dealt with bereavement, as the two remaining X-Men had to cope with loss in their own ways; either Xavier subconsciously cast aside his mental baggage into the recesses of his memory, while Logan drank away his misery, or the culprit was old age.
What was spectacular about this film was the humanizing effect the plot had on Logan and Xavier. While their characters may be timeless, it brings us to the realization that their physical counterparts will not last forever, and that they can age just as we. We think of all the power these meta-humans have, but not what happens to it as they age; it nary depreciated, but it was the control that waned. The ever present limp in old man Logan, and the lethargic regeneration that became an inconvenient affliction. We knew his death was approaching, and so did he, he yearned for it, and left his current state well enough alone; to think that which endowed him with the magnificence, would end up as a malfeasance.
Xavier's tremendous mental prowess can be declared a "Weapon of Mass Destruction," especially after being maligned with seizures; the effect it has is paralyzing, and can trigger seizures of other people, among other maladies. It could have been the Alzheimer's that was off duty for that moment of clarity as to how only Logan and he still live and breathe. Yet, Stewart keeps his portrayal far from pitiful, yet stirs empathy, and proves he has not lost complete control of his powers. His manner is less reserved than previous entries, and expresses a spark that was ever present, yet was often managed by a filter; not that he engages in a massive brainstorm, or monsoon, of obscenities. We see that although age can afford us inconveniences, we can still set a higher level of expectations for ourselves instead of limitations.
It was also an example of cine-pihany. We know that Wolverine can be a devilish derriere, but we see Logan as a meta-human and not just a killing machine. When they resided in their new friends' abode for a night, Xavier tried to stress that this was an aspect of life he was missing; this is what life is with people who love each other, and that was paraphrased. He shrugs it off, easier than it was to rescind his responsibility as a father. He retorts "I never wanted this," at some point, to his daughter as she remains adamant that Eden exists. Whether he had fully realized his feelings before he professed "bad things happen to those I care about," I am not certain, yet "Then I should be fine" left a deeper laceration than their claws ever could.
Another aspect, was how they kept the life that Logan lives, and that which Wolverine lives parallel, even if it was just through the comic vehicle and a wolverine action figure at the end. You didn't even feel that it was a superhero movie, and that was some of the charm. Considering the R-rating and the eponymous character, there was a lot of violence, but it was warranted; call it a post-apocalyptic western with true grit.
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