July 29, 2024 · Watch the official trailer
Is Marvel Studios back?
The answer is not quite.
Many prognosticators in Hollywood anticipated that the arrival of Ryan Reynolds’ infamous, foulmouthed Deadpool character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe would spark a resurgence in the franchise that has been wandering aimlessly since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” concluded a major chunk of comic book lore.
Though it’s true that bringing over Fox properties like Deadpool, the X-Men, Fantastic Four and others back under Marvel’s control opens up worlds of possibilities for the franchise as a whole, there are little indications of a cohesive direction for the MCU moving forward with viewers getting another fan-service heavy film filled with crude jokes and light on plot or character development.
The third film in the “Deadpool” series but the first under the watchful eye of Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, director Shawn Levy’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” pulls Deadpool across cinematic franchises to integrate into the MCU. Yet the entire film feels like a door closing with a window slightly ajar rather than the gateway into a whole new era of superhero movies.
Somewhat extending off the multiverse ideas brought forth by the Disney+ “Loki” series, Deadpool is confronted by the potential destruction of his timeline as members of the Time Variance Authority convince him to head off on a quest to save his friend from the collapse of their universe.
As with every installment in this series, Reynolds’ general charm and affability bring an earnestness to an otherwise unlikable character who violently slaughters his way through an endless stream of nameless, faceless villains. In without a doubt the bloodiest film in the MCU, this does require a bit of a lighter tone to counterbalance all of the brutality.
Reynolds is able to banter with any character both in a meaningful and lighthearted way as if he’s simply flipping a switch on and off that truly works, especially when paired opposite longtime friend Hugh Jackman, who returns to superhero work for the first time since his seemingly sendoff with 2017’s “Logan.”
Jackman appeared done with the role of Wolverine, a X-Man character he had portrayed eight times over two decades, with the finality that the conclusion of “Logan” brought. “Deadpool & Wolverine” revitalizes the character – and Jackman’s enthusiasm for the role – in such a way that does less to honor his end but highlight everything Jackman could bring to a larger MCU.
Humanity is a nuanced emotion rarely seen in superhero work, but both Reynolds and especially Jackman are able to press upon this touchstone with care and in a way that feels authentic. Even though Jackman is portraying anguish over the deaths of fictional heroes, there is a strong sense of mortality and disillusionment to his Wolverine that perfectly counterbalances Reynolds’ more boisterous, quippy nature.
The film’s best moments, unequivocally, are the duo facing off one-on-one in both physical and verbal combat and the natural charisma and chemistry that the two share is a great riff on the classic buddy comedy motif that supersedes the comic book genre.
Much of the supporting cast should rightfully be hidden under spoilers as Marvel attempts to wrap up large segments of superhero film history with reappearances and sendoffs that work only for ardent Marvel fanatics and longtime devotees to Fox’s superhero film franchises.
The plot in and of itself is bizarre and chaotic, seemingly bounding from one thought to another as the outline of “Deadpool & Wolverine” seems to be battle here, exposition there, another battle here, more exposition there, and three more battles with loose tie-ins to vaguely bind two hours of film together.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” does not hold back on being the first R-rated installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, liberally taking advantage of profanity and pushing the envelope in action sequences somewhat beyond even the first two “Deadpool” films and more in line with a “John Wick” movie in terms of gore and violence without purpose.
Moviegoers would be well served to see “Deadpool & Wolverine” as soon as possible if they intend to enjoy the film at all, given how widespread conversation and spoilers would ruin much of the experience Reynolds and Levy want viewers to enjoy. Though it’s a marginal, middle-tier film in the MCU as a whole, there’s a lot of casual, mindless fun to the threequel that makes it worth a trip to the big screen.
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