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| Scene from Logan (2017) |
As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.
The Movie
Logan (2017)
Directed By: James Mangold
Written By: James Mangold (Story), Scott Frank & James Mangold & Michael Green (Screenplay), John Romita Sr. & Roy Thomas & Len Wein & Herb Trimpe (Character), Mark Millar & Steven McNiven (Comic Book)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Running Time: 137 minutes
Summary: In a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.
The Movie
If the term Marvel Movie has come to mean anything, it's about cinematic universes that plan to never end or no time soon at worst. In 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe found themselves culminating a 20-movie franchise with Endgame that wrapped up 11 years of plot in ways that satisfied audiences. Even then, that was the end of a phase. There are already plans for more. Even the D.C. Extended Universe has come to include their second Joker in the past five years with director Todd Phillips' Joker, which has gotten traction for an Oscar campaign. It could just be that it's Joaquin Phoenix making his comic book movie debut, but it's also that it's a dark, mature take on the character that has courted controversy the entire way. It's an R-Rated take on a character who up until now has been reserved for battling Batman in the PG-13 realm. Even then, how could Joker compare to The Dark Knight, Batman '89, or even Batman '66?
Only time will tell for Joker, but it does create somewhat of a reminder of how radically the last major R-Rated superhero movie differed from the norm. Director James Mangold's Logan was his second stab at the character following The Wolverine, and this one has quickly become considered an outlier in the modern superhero canon. In a time where the world is constantly expanding, Logan presented a different question: what would it be like for a legend to end? It's a hook that not just anyone can have in the 2010s, especially in an era where Batman has been rebooted twice and is also a talking LEGO figure. How could the only man who has ever played Wolverine on the big screen possibly walk away from the role that defined him, giving him opportunities that nobody could've to fathom? Considering that many are rumoring Endgame to get Robert Downey Jr.'s performance as Tony Stark an Oscar nomination for a mere 11 years, once again once must be reminded of Logan.
Jackman first came to the character in X-Men in 2000 and has been in every iteration since then, including several standalone movies. He was the defacto hero that defined the franchise, and there was an emotional attachment to him being there because not only was he the most charismatic character, but his entire physique showed a commitment that was incomparable. He WAS Wolverine. He even managed to exist after X-Men rebooted with First Class. He escaped the logic of time, so Logan felt especially shocking because it revealed something human about Jackman as an actor. He couldn't keep playing the role forever.
That's why there was endless fascination around the film, leaving many one final chance to say goodbye to Jackman, who has been good to his word since that he won't reprise the role. Considering that Mangold also has Ford v. Ferrari coming out later this Fall, it's a big year for the team behind Logan. Then again, it's a big year for comic book movies, especially with Joker receiving endless comparisons more towards Martin Scorsese movies than previous iterations. It's a dark take that's intending to be disturbing and full of a deeper poignancy. However, it would be nothing without Logan, which set a modern precedent that isn't totally apparent until it's explained clearly. Without it, there's a good chance that Joker and (to a lesser extent) Black Panther wouldn't be the Oscar front runners that they are. It was the film that proved that superheroes could be human and sources rich with drama. They could be real films.
This isn't to say that it won, but it did symbolize a new era of sorts for the Oscars. That year's Best Picture winner was The Shape of Water, itself another achievement for monster movies. This was a sign that comic book movies would begin to be taken seriously. In the year to follow, Black Panther would become the first to win a Best Picture nomination. Things have become less predictable since, and that's exciting. In spite of comic book movies being so ingrained in our culture, Logan was the real turning point, and it ironically symbolized an end of sorts. Jackman may or may not return to the comic book genre. It's the bittersweet uncertainty. Still, Logan's choice to say goodbye in a time when everyone prefers to stick around made a grander statement of the genre as something worthy of deeper consideration.
Logan even serves as a strong comparison point for 2019's class of superheroes coming into the Oscar fray. In act, Jackman's Oscar campaign feels like a dry run for whatever Downey Jr.'s Endgame campaign will look like. He's the only icon who comes close to the length and commitment that Jackman had - and arguably is nowhere near as exciting. Still, this is a point where roles can be taken seriously, where screenplays can be up for Oscars alongside prestige dramas. In the world of R-Rated movies, Joker marks the first serious contender since 2017 that could show comic book movies as something darker and more profound. While some credit should go to the films that built the reputation of a superhero film as something greater than popcorn fare, Logan made it a reality.
Jackman's career is doing fine (mostly), especially given his turn in The Greatest Showman that has dominated the movie musical community and helped to revive the genre. Mangold also returns this Fall with his latest Oscar-ploy in Ford v. Ferrari - though it's going to be hard to determine how well it will do as of this publication. Still, in a time where Joker is being taken seriously, it's important to remember that this trend has been building for a while. While we've lived with superhero movies for decades now, it's only now looking like The Academy is accepting them as real films. Who knows what the future will look like. Maybe when the genre grows weary, they will look at Logan as to how to say goodbye. Still, it's a small moment that deserves more recognition, even if it didn't quite reach the finish line.
Only time will tell for Joker, but it does create somewhat of a reminder of how radically the last major R-Rated superhero movie differed from the norm. Director James Mangold's Logan was his second stab at the character following The Wolverine, and this one has quickly become considered an outlier in the modern superhero canon. In a time where the world is constantly expanding, Logan presented a different question: what would it be like for a legend to end? It's a hook that not just anyone can have in the 2010s, especially in an era where Batman has been rebooted twice and is also a talking LEGO figure. How could the only man who has ever played Wolverine on the big screen possibly walk away from the role that defined him, giving him opportunities that nobody could've to fathom? Considering that many are rumoring Endgame to get Robert Downey Jr.'s performance as Tony Stark an Oscar nomination for a mere 11 years, once again once must be reminded of Logan.
Jackman first came to the character in X-Men in 2000 and has been in every iteration since then, including several standalone movies. He was the defacto hero that defined the franchise, and there was an emotional attachment to him being there because not only was he the most charismatic character, but his entire physique showed a commitment that was incomparable. He WAS Wolverine. He even managed to exist after X-Men rebooted with First Class. He escaped the logic of time, so Logan felt especially shocking because it revealed something human about Jackman as an actor. He couldn't keep playing the role forever.
That's why there was endless fascination around the film, leaving many one final chance to say goodbye to Jackman, who has been good to his word since that he won't reprise the role. Considering that Mangold also has Ford v. Ferrari coming out later this Fall, it's a big year for the team behind Logan. Then again, it's a big year for comic book movies, especially with Joker receiving endless comparisons more towards Martin Scorsese movies than previous iterations. It's a dark take that's intending to be disturbing and full of a deeper poignancy. However, it would be nothing without Logan, which set a modern precedent that isn't totally apparent until it's explained clearly. Without it, there's a good chance that Joker and (to a lesser extent) Black Panther wouldn't be the Oscar front runners that they are. It was the film that proved that superheroes could be human and sources rich with drama. They could be real films.
The Campaign
In theory, the campaign for Logan started in 2000 when he first played the character. It's a story that's been building for almost two decades, finding Jackman reprising the role in many sequels in one of the most influential superhero franchises of the 21st century. Without it, the platform may look very different. However, for the sake of argument, the campaign started in 2015, two years before the film ever was released when Jackman took to Twitter with an image of himself as Wolverine flipping off the camera with the phrase "One Last Time":
This lead to questions as to what Jackman meant. In later interviews, he would claim that his decision to end the character came from a variety of places. Among them was Michael Keaton's performance in Birdman where he played a character until the very end. He also borrowed inspiration from Jerry Seinfeld, who told Jackman personally that it's important to end something before it becomes old and stale. With all of this in place, Logan became an event film the likes of which the X-Men franchise hadn't had in a while. Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds would campaign Jackman to reprise the role for a crossover movie, to which Jackman refused but joked that Reynolds had been sleeping out on his lawn bothering him (the two remain chummy on social media). Still, it was going to be the end, and Jackman's choice to reteam with The Wolverine director Mangold showed a commitment that promised to be big.
It was a milestone in the franchise. While Deadpool had beaten Logan to an R-Rating, Logan was considered to be a neo-western, presenting the character in a more mature light. For the first time the violence would be bloody, the language salty, and the victories to be less. The marketing featured an acclaimed trailer set to Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt." Many loved how it was an artful look at Jackman's final outing as Wolverine, featuring a man worn by age, shaking with cuts along his arm. This wasn't the glorified version that audiences had become used to. He was old and on his way out. With rumors swirling that this was the end of Patrick Stewart's time as Professor X, the film took on a deeper melancholic tone. Once it was established as taking place after all of the other mutants from the X-Men franchise had died, it was clear that this was meant as a definitive ending.
The praise was high and the box office carried it even further. With its premiere in March 2017 after playing a few festivals, the film became a sensation. It was an exemplary superhero movie that pushed boundaries and became a mature alternative to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's neverending universe. Considering that 20th Century Fox wasn't too far away from being sold to Disney, it also symbolized an ending of sorts for the X-Men franchise, who remained distant from the Disney films (Deadpool 2 would be the last under Fox). By 2019, the X-Men merged with Disney but ended with their most notorious flop with Dark Phoenix (another film, New Mutants, has yet to have a solid release date). Had this happened in 2015, Jackman would've considered holding onto the character, believing that he would be great alongside Hulk and Iron Man. Alas, there's no backing out of his agreement.
The film also held a lot of exemplary achievements. The most noteworthy was becoming the sixth highest-grossing R-Rated movie of all time (the third superhero movie behind Deadpool and Deadpool 2). Jackman would also receive a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the actor who has played a live-action superhero the longest at 17 years. Because of all of this, the film was quickly lobbied as the film that could go all the way to Oscar glory. After all, Jackman had dedicated so much of his career to this. Why not give him the recognition that he so obviously deserved? There was even talk of getting Stewart a nomination along with newcomer Dafne Keen, whose role as Laura/X-23 was praised for being understated. Who knows. Maybe even the film could get Best Picture nominations. With Wonder Woman also receiving similar praise later that year, it was considered a breakthrough year for superhero movies. Meanwhile, actors like Ethan Hawke (First Reformed) would criticize films like Logan for shifting the idea of what serious films would be considered. Many believed that comic book movies were childish, thus continuing the conversation even further.
Around September, when the film had been around for six months, the Oscar campaign started. Mangold had added some legitimacy to the film being something greater when he released a Blu-Ray version in black-and-white called Logan Noir. It gave the sense that the film was something more, deserving critiques for using genre tropes to better its story. During this time, Logan also began releasing screeners. Whereas most Oscar season movies were still playing festivals, many saw this as Logan getting ahead of the curve. The results weren't as immediately obvious, especially given that Logan didn't have any major awards build-up prior to the Oscars. The only real signifier that it stood a chance was when groups like the National Board Review named it as one of the 10 best movies of the year, proving that superhero movies could be that good. Not since The Dark Knight had a superhero movie even come close to this acclaim, so it was considered a big deal.
The Payoff
When asked about his Oscar chances, Jackman would publicly state that:
On the one hand, the film came up short. It didn't get Jackman, Stewart, or Keen any nominations. It also didn't get a Best Picture nomination. However, it did mark a milestone for the superhero genre that would pave the way for everything to come. With a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination, Mangold's screenplay made him the first recipient of a nomination for a live-action superhero movie in the script category. While it's true that other films had made the category (such as Ghost World), it was strange to note that not even The Dark Knight made the cut in 2008. Logan was the first to cross the threshold and make a difference."I didn't want this to be seen as a victory lap either of an actor or of a character that's been going for 17 years. I didn't want it to be seen as a genre movie. I wanted this to be seen as a serious film about human beings, battling with very real emotional issues, and a film about the consequences of violence and the difficult of intimacy and family."So, if we do get recognition, yeah, I'll be very, very happy with that. If we don't get recognition, I'm very proud of the film, and I'm thrilled that you're even asking me the question."
This isn't to say that it won, but it did symbolize a new era of sorts for the Oscars. That year's Best Picture winner was The Shape of Water, itself another achievement for monster movies. This was a sign that comic book movies would begin to be taken seriously. In the year to follow, Black Panther would become the first to win a Best Picture nomination. Things have become less predictable since, and that's exciting. In spite of comic book movies being so ingrained in our culture, Logan was the real turning point, and it ironically symbolized an end of sorts. Jackman may or may not return to the comic book genre. It's the bittersweet uncertainty. Still, Logan's choice to say goodbye in a time when everyone prefers to stick around made a grander statement of the genre as something worthy of deeper consideration.
Logan even serves as a strong comparison point for 2019's class of superheroes coming into the Oscar fray. In act, Jackman's Oscar campaign feels like a dry run for whatever Downey Jr.'s Endgame campaign will look like. He's the only icon who comes close to the length and commitment that Jackman had - and arguably is nowhere near as exciting. Still, this is a point where roles can be taken seriously, where screenplays can be up for Oscars alongside prestige dramas. In the world of R-Rated movies, Joker marks the first serious contender since 2017 that could show comic book movies as something darker and more profound. While some credit should go to the films that built the reputation of a superhero film as something greater than popcorn fare, Logan made it a reality.
Jackman's career is doing fine (mostly), especially given his turn in The Greatest Showman that has dominated the movie musical community and helped to revive the genre. Mangold also returns this Fall with his latest Oscar-ploy in Ford v. Ferrari - though it's going to be hard to determine how well it will do as of this publication. Still, in a time where Joker is being taken seriously, it's important to remember that this trend has been building for a while. While we've lived with superhero movies for decades now, it's only now looking like The Academy is accepting them as real films. Who knows what the future will look like. Maybe when the genre grows weary, they will look at Logan as to how to say goodbye. Still, it's a small moment that deserves more recognition, even if it didn't quite reach the finish line.
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