Madison Watkins, Staff Writer
Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart are hanging up their claws and stethoscope.

The actors played popular “X-Men” characters the Wolverine and Charles Xavier for 17 years, ending with last weekend’s release of “Logan.”

“Logan” takes place in the year 2029 during a time where most mutants have been wiped from existence.  Since mutants are nearly extinct and valued by the government as weapons, Logan and Charles have to live in hiding.

Logan has become a limo driver to provide for himself and Xavier as Xavier has become very sick in his old age. Logan soon faces a problem when the company who gave him his powers returns looking for a clone they made from Logan in the form of a little girl named Laura, played by newcomer Dafne Keen. Once Laura finds her way to Logan and Charles, they must get her across the country to a safe haven.

In his last portrayal of Logan, Jackman played him with depth and understanding. With the layers to the character Jackman gives, the viewer can see that although Logan seems misanthropic at times, his capacity for empathy exists. After losing so many of his old friends and X-Men team members, Logan is wary to become close to people again.

In the film, Stewart plays Professor X differently from what has been seen before. In the previous films, he was persistently the leader and caretaker everyone looked to for advice.

Logan offers a stark contrast, in that he is sickly and somewhat mentally unstable due to trauma from the events that have happened since the previous “X-Men” film. Stewart’s new approach offers an entertaining foil to his previous acting of Xavier, as he now portrays him as both compassionate and melancholic.

The film also serves as a breakout role for young actress Dafne Keen. Keen plays  Laura, the young clone previously formed from Logan. Laura is a fierce force to reckon with.

While being accompanied by Logan and Charles on their journey, she is able to revive feelings in Logan he did not know he still had. Although she is only twelve, Keen acts with experience. Despite little dialogue, Keen portrays Laura with depth and capabilities beyond her years. Keen does her own stunts.

Thanks to the success of last year’s film “Deadpool,” Twentieth Century Fox Studios was able to give director James Mangold the approval to make “Logan” worthy of an R rating. With an R rating, the film is able to capture the brutality of Wolverine’s character. In “Logan,” the characters do not hold back on the blood, gore and profanity.

“Logan” is a film comic book fans have been wanting for a long time. Some fans believe it could exist on the same level as “The Dark Knight” in popularity, and that Jackman and Stewart give Oscar-worthy performances.

Whether or not “Logan” will hold up to the standard is yet to be seen. Regardless, the character arc, role-reversal and plot development of “Logan” is more than apparent. “Logan” is currently showing in theaters everywhere. Check your local listings for available show times.