Deadpool and Wolverine Review

Return of the Kings

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken a step back in terms of the amount of content coming out each year, going from 4 films from the past two years to only one this year in Deadpool and Wolverine. It’s a smart move, allowing the anticipation to rightfully build for the return of Hugh Jackman now paired up with Reynold’s impeccable casting as Deadpool. It had me overjoyed and over-the-moon to see this movie, to the point that I had to make sure I scheduled the exact right time for my finace and I to see it before my wedding day. Having seen the film now, and reflecting on it from the past week, I can confidently say that this is certainly a fun, solid, and grand old MCU movie that capitalizes on the team up of Reynolds and Jackman and the solidification of the hard R setting. However, while it pokes fun at the franchise’s problems it does little to fix those problems in of itself. Needless to say, this movie was a blast to see in theaters but one that may raise more questions than provide answers moving forward.

Deadpool is offered a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the Time Variance Authority, but instead recruits a variant of Wolverine to save his universe from extinction.

One of the biggest questions going into this movie is how the film will end the beautiful swan song ending of Logan that retired Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine character. Rest assured that the film doesn’t desecrate that ending in any way, but rather acknowledges it and proceeds forward by obtaining a variant of Wolverine from another universe. This allows Jackman to explore new facets of the character, namely a more comedic side doubled with pain, regret, and sorrow. It is fun to see Jackman back in the role even if it does feel a little weird seeing him here knowing we had full closure. Once the adventure started progressing, however, I quickly forgot about it and just enjoyed the dynamic on-screen chemistry of Reynolds and Jackman.

Ryan Reynolds is born to play Deadpool and if you loved him in the previous films, you’ll love him in this one. You can tell that he has such a passion for the character and for the world and handles it with proper care and to great comedic effect. The chemistry and bickering of Reynolds and Jackman is easily the highlight of the film and doesn’t let up until the final credits start rolling. It is worth the price of admission alone, and it was a blast to see these two versions of the characters go head to head. While each film has Deadpool go through some sort of character arc, this film revolves this arc in a more human way as it parallels his entry into the MCU. A smart way to introduce him, even if not everything goes well with integration.

This film has a lot of ground to cover. It must set up bringing Wolverine back, introducing Deadpool to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, be a continuation of the Deadpool movie saga, deliver on the dynamics of Reynolds and Jackman, advance the saga of the MCU forward, bring in mutants to the MCU, and be a satisfying film in its own right. Unfortunately, it only 100% successfully delivers on the chemistry of Reynolds and Jackman and about 50-75% succeeds in all other areas. This is first and foremost a buddy cop film of Deadpool and Wolverine, and while there are a ton of fun references, Easter eggs, and cameos (of which they are truly surprising and fun), it’s not able to accomplish everything it may have set out to do in the first place. That’s okay, because what I want to remember this movie is a self-contained adventure of two of my favorite characters played by two of my favorite actors. I didn’t necessarily need to see what Deadpool’s next steps in the MCU were going to be.

Granted, that does make the narrative a little bit choppy and uneven. It’s not always clear what the main objective is as there are tiny subplots that fit together to help make the overarching plot happen. The film’s villain in Cassandra Nova played by Emma Corrin doesn’t really do much to justify an imposing presence as an antagonist rather than being super powerful. The stakes do certainly feel large in this film and there is some tension and pressure especially as we enter into the third act, yet the buildup of the stakes in the first two acts doesn’t always come together as it should.

What is certainly impressive are the action sequences. From a hilarious opening sequence that had me laughing and exclaiming at some of the hard R rated kills, to the finale when the final battle is going down, I was absolutely entertained by each throwdown that happened. You can tell there is a level of care and reverence for authentic action as many are filmed in camera with little cuts so that you can pay attention to what is happening.

Does Deadpool and Wolverine save the MCU from the slump they have been in for the post-Endgame era? Not really. Does it poke fun at it and still have a really good time for audiences? Absolutely. While the film does address that content post-Endgame hasn’t been quite as well received, the film still indulges itself on common MCU mistakes being one note villains, an over-reliance on cameos (even though they are really fun this time), lack of an overarching narrative, etc. But, and let me be clear, this movie is definitely a FUN TIME. I loved going to the theater, I laughed a lot, I cheered a lot, I got excited a lot, and that is clearly what the movie is going for. It doesn’t do much to course correct the MCU, but at the end of the day I am ecstatic for a standalone adventure with Reynolds and Jackman back in iconic roles. Reynolds and his team clearly have a passion and thoughtfulness to the world, and I am so glad I got to see it.

B (Meta-Fun)