Logan (Blu-Ray) : Review

Film

In the near future, we encounter a weary Logan (Hugh Jackman – X-Men: Apocalypse, Chappie), looking after an ailed Professor X (Patrick Stewart – The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past). However, his attempts to hide from the world, and the legacy attached to him, are eventually pushed aside rather unceremoniously when a young mutant, Laura (Dafne Keen) needs his help to the team of men attempting to capture her.

Watching Logan again allows one to delve a lot deeper into the story. The rewatch value is very high on this disc, as is with many of the others in the series for Logan / Wolverine, the X-Men stories, and the Marvel Universe as a whole. While the film can stand on its own to a very large degree, there are many story aspects that one might miss on an initial viewing. Not to mention the subtleties of the relationships between each of Logan, the Professor, and Laura.

With a high rewatch value, this disc would have an important place in any collection, and comes with a thoroughly enjoyable film.

Read the full SAMDB review of Logan.

Disc

Overall, the disc is of a really good technical quality. It is a pity that an Atmo soundtrack was not included, but a 7.1 mix is about the next best thing.

There are a fair amount of bonus features on the disc too, making for a decent all-round package.

Logan is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.

Video

Video for the main feature is encoded at a high average bitrate. There are no visible artefacts on screen, nor any visible colour bleed. This holds up in the several fast paced scenes too. Colours are vibrant where applicable. Darker scenes maintain a fair amount of detail.

Video on the bonus features and the disc menu are also of a high quality, with no artefacts, colour bleed, or issues with any of these either.

Audio

Main audio is encoded at a high average bitrate, and presented in a DTS-HD 7.1 mix. Dialogue is clear via the centre speaker, with great use made of the surround channels, totally enveloping the viewer, and serving to expand the on-screen world.

Audio for the bonus features is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, again with clear dialogue for each.

Navigation

Navigation is simple, and easy to follow, with a motion main menu displaying video from the film. All other menus are accessed as pop-outs.

There are options to play the main feature, setup, search, and extras.

The setup options allow for choosing of the desired audio or subtitle language, with English being the only 7.1 sound mix.

The search pop-up allows for choices between scenes or bookmarks. With the scenes choices, the viewer is presented with a timeline and chapter markers, and four colour, still thumbnails synchronised to ones scrolling. The timeline does give an indication of where one is more or less in the film, and while the thumbnails are numbered, they are not labelled, so an amount of guesswork would be needed to navigate to a particular spot. The bookmarks options allows one to add or remove ones own bookmarks.

The extras popup allows for navigation between the various additional features, listed below.

Bonus Features

Deleted Scenes – There are six deleted scenes that one can view from the film, with the option to view these with or without audio commentary by James Mangold. There is also a playlist that will play each in turn. The commentary puts into perspective why the scenes were removed, giving insight into the film editing process. This is sure to be of interest to fans, budding filmmakers, and the average viewer alike.

Making Logan – There are six bonus features for Logan, totalling over an hour and a quarter, each providing a behind the scenes look at differing aspects of the film.

Crafting the Story: The cast and crew talk about the ideas they had for the film, and the path they saw the story taking. Logan is a departure from what we have been presented for Logan before. This feature shares a lot of insight and information, regarding the story and tone of the story, how it fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the rest of the X-Men.

Casting the Film: We get to hear from the cast, who have been with their characters for several films already, yet with this outing, there is also a different aspect, dictated by the new path the story tone has taken. Each cast member shares a bit about their fellow actors, paying tribute to their talent and skill.

Designing the World: The setting of the film, and how to portray a world set in the near future, recognisable to the viewer, yet the ideal place for the characters to play out their stories. Along with input from crew and cast, we are shown areas of concept art, and a fair deal of behind the scenes footage.

Creating the Score: A look at how the music of the film was derived, from matching the feeling of the film, to evoking emotion with the viewer, yet not using the stereotypical cues used by many films in their music, dictating to the viewer. Again, as with the other features on the disc, this video shares a lot of behind the scenes information and video.

Stunts and Fights: With a closer look at the fight scenes and stunts shown in the film, we are treated to a glimpse of the amount of work that goes into those brief, yet action packed, scenes. Seeing Hugh Jackman perform the fights and stunts himself, and all the work and training he has put into perfecting these, adds another dimension to the film.

Wrapping Logan: With this being said to be the last outing as Logan by Hugh Jackman, we get to see the last scene filmed on the film. The end of a long run as the character that he has connected with for so many years.

Trailers – There are choices between the Theatrical 1, Theatrical 2, and the Red Band 2 trailer. Each revealing  Theatrical trailer 2 reveals a little more of the characters and story of the film than 1. The Red Band, by nature, contains more mature content in-line with the main feature’s rating.

Audio Commentary by James Mangold –Director James Mangold shares a plethora of information about the film process, taking the viewer on a behind the scenes journey of the film Logan. Fans of the series, and character will delight with all this extra information, while this can be a treasure trove for those looking for a career in filmmaking themselves.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb