Released: July 2024
Director: Shawn Levy
Rated R
Run Time: 127 Minutes
Distributor: Marvel/Disney
Genre: Action/Comedy
Cast:
Ryan Reynolds: Wade Wilson/Deadpool
Hugh Jackman: James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine
Emma Corrin: Cassandra Nova
Matthew Macfadyen: Mr. Paradox
Dafne Keen: Laura/X-23
Morena Baccarin: Vanessa
Leslie Uggams: Blind Al
It’s been quite a while since I actually went to an MCU movie. The last one that I saw in theaters was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But it was Thor: Love And Thunder that made me decide to jump off the MCU train. It wasn’t just a bad MCU, it was a bad movie. It was poorly written and executed. It irritated me more than anything. To be fair, a number of Marvel’s movies since Avengers: Endgame have been hit or miss. When Marvel announced The Multiverse Saga, I feared for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I was right, along with many other people. The multiverse was used as an excuse to toss in fan favorite characters, resurrect dead ones, or just do crazy shenanigans that ended up not having an impact within the entire MCU. Some of the TV shows ended up being required viewing for some of these movies and that was absolutely a step too far. When it was announced that Deadpool 3 would end up in the MCU, I was worried that Disney would give the movie a PG-13 rating, despite the other films being hard R-rated movies. With the official title of Deadpool & Wolverine, Kevin Feige and Disney announced the movie was going to be R-rated as befitting the character of Deadpool. Well…let me tell you: HOLY SHIT. The movie MORE than earns its R-rating. But is that all there is to the movie?
The story follows former mercenary Wade Wilson as he struggles to land an ordinary job. He’s broken up with his girlfriend, and has no real direction in life anymore. After failing to get a job with the Avengers, he’s eventually abducted by the TVA(Time Variance Agency), a clandestine organization that polices the multiverse. After learning that his world is on the verge of total annihilation, Wade goes in search of the one person that could help him: The Wolverine. The problem? The Wolverine he finds is responsible for his own world’s destruction, which puts both of them in a bit of a pickle, especially when the TVA decide to exile the two of them to the Void, a vast wasteland where undesirables from the multiverse are sent, with one mutant ruling over them all, Cassandra Nova. One could argue that the story in this film is just a gimmick to get Deadpool and Wolverine together. In that regard, it succeeds, but the overall plotline isn’t particularly special. But I’ve always maintained that any lapses in narrative decorum can be forgiven if everything else works. Well, everything else works.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. These two actors have had the most unusual and entertaining online presence since 2008. They’re always ribbing each other and making fun at one another’s expense. It’s one of the great friendships that you rarely see these days. This online “rivalry” these two have translates incredibly well on screen. Everybody knows that Reynolds is a big-time joker, but the amount of humor in the film surprisingly comes from Hugh Jackman. But aside from the jokes, these two characters also get some of the biggest dramatic moments in the film, especially when Wolverine talks to Laura/X-23. These relationships are outstanding. There are a huge number of “cameos” in the film that don’t feel like they’re wasted. I won’t name anyone outside of X-23, but there are some real surprises here, and they’re fantastic. The film’s main villain is incredibly fun. Cassandra Nova is the evil twin sister of Professor Charles Xavier. Emma Corrin, who plays Nova, chews the scenery like it’s nobody’s business and she’s clearly having fun, but even her character gets a surprising heartfelt moment.
One of the things that really helped the Deadpool movies work was the action and the level of violence. Oh, my god. Deadpool & Wolverine is probably the bloodiest and most violent of the three, and most its played for laughs, especially the opening scene which is also set to N’Sync’s Bye Bye Bye. For the most part the action is well-staged and shot. The only real exception is at Nova’s base towards the end of the movie. It gets a little too chaotic, and it’s hard to see some of the action. But the visual effects in the film are top-notch as befitting an MCU movie, and the gore is plentiful, so gore-hounds should be pleased. The pacing is also incredibly solid with the movie going at a break-neck pace, never overstaying its welcome. As far as the humor goes, there are some jokes that don’t quite land and feel incredibly awkward, but the tone is consistent. It’s an incredibly self-aware movie that pokes fun at the MCU in ways that I didn’t even expect. I’m surprised at all the stuff that Disney allowed Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds to get away with.
Deadpool & Wolverine was one of my most anticipated movies this year, and it more than lived up to it. The fact that this is the only Marvel movie coming out this year, speaks volumes about how Marvel is rethinking their strategy for the next few years. That said, is this movie going to make me want to come to the MCU, that all is forgiven? No. With the announcement yesterday about the new Avengers movies and Robert Downey, Jr’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, I’m even less optimistic about the future of the MCU at this juncture. But I’m willing to give credit where it’s due: The MCU has delivered a hell of a movie in Deadpool & Wolverine, delivering not only the best Wolverine action we’ve ever seen, but a surprisingly emotional conclusion to a series of films that really had no business being as good as they are. This is most likely going to be the last Deadpool movie. The character is now a part of the MCU and is likely to show up in movies from time to time. But I don’t believe there will be anymore standalone movies, and that’s ok. This also allows me to step off the MCU train on a positive note. I know people are going to be excited with what’s coming in the next few years, and that’s great. It’s just not going to be for me anymore.