Clearly, I gave up writing a good headline for this, because literally every good headline that can be written has already been written (I don’t think my abilities exceed the millions of reviews that have already been published) (and also my contribution to their marketing is probably a drop in the bucket at this point). So what better way to honour (am I honouring the film by writing this though>) by attempting to journalistically break the fourth wall with a self-referential headline that actually took quite long to craft because I had so many earlier drafts I had to scrap.
But to get back to the topic: the movie’s fun.
Synopsis
Deadpool & Wolverine is a comedic superhero film that’s the 34th instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and a sequel to 2018’s Deadpool 2. It centres around the two title mutants with fast healing powers, as they (predictably) clash and (predictably) work together to save all of reality. In the process, the film also closes the chapter on the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel movies.
Director: Shawn Levy
Writers: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, and Shawn Levy
Cast:
- Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool/Wade Wilson)
- Hugh Jackman (Wolverine/Logan)
- Emma Corrin (Cassandra Nova)
- Morena Baccarin (Vanessa Carlysle)
- Rob Delaney (Peter Wisdom)
- Leslie Uggams (Blind Al)
- Aaron Stanford (Pyro/John Allerdyce)
- Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Paradox)
- Karan Soni (Dopinder)
- Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead)
- Shioli Kutsuna (Yukio)
- Stefan Kapičić (voice of Colossus)
- Randal Reeder (Buck)
- Lewis Tan (Shatterstar/Rusty)
(highlight to read spoilers)
Cameos (and surprise appearances)
- Dafne Keen (X-23/Laura)
- Jennifer Garner (Elektra Natchios)
- Wesley Snipes (Blade/Eric Brooks)
- Channing Tatum (Gambit/Remy LeBeau)
- Chris Evans (Human Torch/Johnny Storm)
- Jon Favreau (Harold “Happy” Hogan)
- Wunmi Mosaku (Hunter B-15)
- Tyler Mane (Sabretooth/Victor Creed)
- Aaron W. Reed (Juggernaut/Cain Marko)
- Mike Waters (Blob/Frederick Dukes)
- Peggy the dog (Dogpool/Mary Puppins)
- Blake Lively (voice of Ladypool)
- Henry Cavill (Wolverine)
Gives us exactly what we want to see
You want to see Deadpool fighting Wolverine? Check. You want to see Deadpool and Wolverine holding hands? Check. You want to see Wolverine topless? Check. The point is, the film delivers on everything that the title (and previous films) promise. You get all the stabbby McStabs and fan service you could ever want (and then some). In terms of living up to expectations, the film does exactly that. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want? For a movie to give us what it promises? Which is to be fun?
Having fast healing protagonists lets you get away with so much
In other superhero movies, the good guys can only get tossed around so much if they’re not invulnerable, especially if they’re just humans in super-powered suits. Cue the close-up of said hero in pain, a slo-mo shot of the hero hitting a wall and falling to the ground, and a shot of the hero struggling to get up. Although Deadpool & Wolverine has a bit of that, the titular characters have fast healing. That’s like the grim and gritty version of invulnerability. So it means that the producers villains have carte blanche to let Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) get smacked around by everybody’s powers, including that of a virtually omnipotent Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).
So. Many. Cameos.
(you know what to do about the spoilers)
I was internally squealing at the cameos and the clever use of Chris Evans to subvert expectations. I mean, how long have we been joking about him being both Captain America and the Human Torch? Then there’s all the other X-Men characters that popped up here and there, though they’re mostly the villains. And Channing Tatum got to finally, finally, finally put on the Gambit suit in a real cinematic movie (although it wasn’t quite how I pictured it’d be). If you grew up with the Fox films, then this is a treat.
Return of the Time Variance Authority
I watched Loki so this was a personal “squee!” for me. For a movie that talks so much about the multiverse (both good and bad), it’s only fitting that the Time Variance Authority (TVA) be involved. Who else would have the power to rewrite timelines and be a credible threat on the multiversal level? We didn’t get to see the other characters from Loki, but just seeing B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) was good enough.
Self-deprecating humour
When I wrote that the movie talks about the bad aspects of the multiverse, I wasn’t kidding. Deadpool openly lambasts The Multiverse Saga and how it’s not quite been what we all expected it to be (but could our expectations have ever been met?). He also throws shade on some of the more controversial decisions on the pre-MCU, cinematic Marvel Universe. It’s cool that the higher-ups allow their less-than-pleasing decisions to be openly mocked, which fits right in with the tone of a Deadpool movie.
Good tonal fit
This is just a more atas way of saying it has the tone of a Deadpool film. Yes, of course it should, but the film has Wolverine in it. And Wolverine films aren’t really known for being irreverent. Nevertheless, it manages to capture Deadpool’s irreverent humour, while keeping Wolverine’s irascibility in it. Both characters are respected, but it lets Deadpool do all the shit he loves to do.
Wrapping up the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel films steals a lot of the focus
The film does double duty in sending off the Fox era Marvel characters and being a Deadpool movie, so it can get its focus diluted at times. The fan service is great, and it also doesn’t serve the story quite as much as it could have because of that. Also, we’ve had sendoffs before (Logan, anyone?) and erm, well, the characters came back. So while the cameos are appreciated, it also takes away the focus on Deadpool.
Should you watch it?
Deadpool & Wolverine is fun. It’s also squarely targetted at all the old people (ie, those who remember Ian McKellen as Magneto) who grew up on the 20th Century Fox films. Cameos, action, self-deprecating humour – the film does it all. It does swing over a little to the nostalgic side with all the cameos, but if you’re very old, you won’t mind (that much). And of course, it has a post-credits scene, as do all MCU films.
Score: 7/10
Deadpool & Wolverine is out in cinemas now.
You might also want to read:
- [Movie Review] ‘Deadpool’ lives up to its hype!
- [Movie Commentary] Like any good X-Men sequel, ‘Deadpool 2’ crams in too many characters
- [TV Show Review] Just like its main character, ‘Loki’ defies categorisation with its twists and turns
- [Television] Tom Hiddleston’s ‘Loki lectures’ helped Owen Wilson understand more about Loki
- [Movie Review] ‘Logan’ is a melancholic sendoff for Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart
- “The Wolverine” – Movie Review
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