LOGAN'S POWER

In filmmaker Michael Lamarra’s Logan’s Power, comic book character names cross over into the world of derivative romantic comedy for a not-so-unique take on a familiar story. Logan (Sketkh Williams) has an office crush on co-worker Jean (Elizabeth Lee). He knows that she likes the comic book character Wolverine, so he dresses up as Wolvie and attempts to woo her with an invitation to the San Diego Comic-Con. Meanwhile, his brother and housemate Victor (David Bly) mocks him for being so childish, and Logan’s best friend and co-worker Kat (Krista Amigone) does her best to be supportive while, at the same time, wanting more from Logan than just a friendship (not that he notices).

I know it is unfair to critique a film based on what you hope it will be, or because of the potential you think the idea at the core may have. The short film is what it is, and while you can ponder how it could be different, you can’t really fault what the filmmakers did decide to do in comparison to your own idea of what they could’ve made. So, with that in mind, while I may express that I felt that there was some hardcore comic geek-tastic potential wasted here, that’s not actually what I’m using as the basis for the review.

What I am focusing on is the short’s story, which is as unoriginal as it is underwhelming. We’ve seen it all before: oblivious guy (or girl) pines for attractive girl (or guy) while oblivious character’s best friend pines for them, and is ultimately the better choice of mate, though oblivious character doesn’t see it right away. It’s just not a story that is special or noteworthy.

What is noteworthy is Logan’s Wolverine costume, which is by far the coolest, this-is-how-I-think-of-Wolverine costumes I’ve ever seen on screen. Most interpretations of Wolverine involve modernizing the outfit, but there’s something about the bright colors of the original comics costume style that just makes it all the better. So an appreciative nod there.

That bright color palette also translates throughout the short, and the cinematography and composition is solid too. Overall, the short is more than competent in all technical aspects and the acting is strong too. The weak point is, again, primarily the story at the film’s center.

In the end, without basing my critique on the thought, I did expect more from Logan’s Power. It’s usage of comic book character names seemed like an opportunity to get real comic book geeky with it, perhaps making parallels and connections to the comics beyond the obvious. The filmmakers chose not to go a more simplistic route, which is fine, but in that case the novelty of the comic book connection is moved to the background and the overall story is brought front-and-center and that isn’t such a good thing. Really, these characters could’ve been named anything else and the story wouldn’t have suffered in the least (beyond its own derivative shortcomings), so if you’re going to take a more novel approach, then really go for it.

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