Fox's Latest 'Logan' Teaser Adds Humor To The R-Rated Sequel

Last weekend saw Brazil's Comic-Con Experience, and the studios were there in force! Although Fox chose not to put on much of a show at the US Comic Cons — the footage always leaks online — at CCXP they actually gave the crowd an exclusive clip from Logan. Read on for a description of the scene, and an explanation of why Fox chose that particular clip.

Here's What Fox Revealed

On the face of it, #Fox chose a pretty innocent little scene. #Wolverine, Professor X and Laura (X-23 to comic book fans) are on the run from an unknown enemy, and have stopped off for dinner with a family in a farmhouse. As the dinner progresses, they try to keep their secrets, even as the family quiz them about who they are.

The scene is played for comedy. Asked about why they're on the road, Xavier and Logan respond with different answers, in an awkward moment. #Logan then tells the family Xavier used to be a school principal; in a nice bit of back-and-forth, Xavier responds by saying it was a school for people with "special needs." Logan, he adds, used to be one of his students.

While all this humor is going on, Laura is described as eating wild by using her hands, not knowing how to handle cutlery. In a hint of the father-daughter relationship we saw in the comics, Logan tries to teach her.

Let's face it, Fox knew that the details would go online, so the studio deliberately chose a #teaser that's rich in character but doesn't give anything away in terms of plot or film structure. It's a smart call.

But there's another side to this. So far, everything we've seen of Logan has been dark and brooding. I mean, the movie's set in an apocalyptic, dystopian world where the mutant race has become pretty much extinct. Both Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman are playing their iconic roles for the last time, and the trailer had the kind of somber, atmospheric style you'd expect for a movie that represents the end of an era.

Then you've got the fact that Logan is R-rated, promising a lot more violence than your traditional X-Men movie. Having seen success with 2016's Deadpool, Fox is gambling that Logan too will translate more effectively to an R-rating than to PG-13. I mean, let's face it, this mutant's primary weapons are adamantium claws that are strong enough to cut a man's head off. Many of Wolverine's most iconic comic-book stories are perfectly suited to an R-rating.

Put these facts together, though, and so far the vision we've had of Logan has been dark and violent. Contrast this with Fox's other R-rated hit — Deadpool — which was characterized by a more-than-slightly-insane whimsical humor. Fox need to sell us that the film has tonal range, that it has moments of humor as well as depth of darkness. So, it's no coincidence that one of the first clips they've revealed to any audience is one with a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. This clip makes the most subtle tweak to the film's marketing narrative, ensuring fans don't just expect Logan to be grim and bloody.

Personally, I think Fox made a smart move in showing this clip — and, given that the details have (inevitably) leaked online, I'm really hoping they choose to release it soon. Logan sounds like it will be exciting final outing for Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, but this clip proves that the film will have a bit more tonal variation. It's sure to be all the stronger for that.

(Source: Universo X-Men and X-Men Films)