Movie Review: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

Opening in theaters July 26 is ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, and Morena Baccarin.

Related Article: 10 Things We Learned at the ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Press Conference

Initial Thoughts

As we all know, it’s been a rough time in recent years for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some undercooked movies and TV shows, a lack of direction, and a general malaise have plagued the most successful film franchise in history ever since ‘Avengers: Endgame’ concluded the Infinity Saga in peak form. That’s why the MCU needed “God’s perfect idiot” to help get it back on its feet again in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’

The long-awaited integration of the Fox universe of Marvel films – featuring characters like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and of course Deadpool – has finally begun in earnest, some five years and a few tantalizing hints after Disney purchased Fox and brought most of those Marvel characters under its roof. Who better to kick it off than the Merc with a Mouth, said mouth pottier than ever and his ability to make you laugh out loud at extreme violence and wildly filthy jokes as intact and R-rated as before.

And who better to join Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) in this quest to save the MCU than Wolverine, still dead (at least in one universe) since 2017 but also alive and well in the form of Hugh Jackman, whose retirement from the role and return to it (“We’re gonna have you do this until you’re 90”) is constantly made fun of through ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’

The movie not only serves as a swift kick in the you-know-what to re-energize the MCU, but also, somewhat surprisingly, as a genuine tribute to all those Fox movies and even a couple of non-Fox entries in the Marvel pantheon. It wouldn’t work, however, if we didn’t care about these characters, and there’s no question that Reynolds and Jackman nail their twisted buddy-cop chemistry as well as their characters’ inner torment.

Story and Direction

Like its two predecessors, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is fairly thin on story, and what there is doesn’t always add up. Rebuffed by the Avengers, retired from superhero work, and still longing for a way to make himself matter both to the world and especially to estranged girlfriend Vanessa (an underused Morena Baccarin), Wade Wilson finds himself kidnapped by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), an agent of the Time Variance Authority, who informs Wade that while he is special and has been selected to live, the rest of his timeline – and all his loved ones – will soon cease to exist because it’s lost its “anchor being.”

That “anchor being” is Logan/Wolverine, who died in Wade’s universe at the end of the 2017 movie ‘Logan,’ but whose passing signals the end of that corner of the multiverse. So Wade steals Paradox’s time-hopping device and goes in search of a replacement Wolverine – only to end up finding the most dismal version of Logan of all, a Wolverine who failed catastrophically at his superhero duties in his own universe.

Tiring of them both and eager to set his “time ripper” machine in motion, Paradox consigns Deadpool and the dissolute, embittered Wolverine to the Void at the end of time – where their efforts to get back to the TVA and get things fixed are stymied by a new menace: Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), who rules over the wastes of the Void and has no intention of letting Wade and Logan escape.

As the story progresses – into a series of turns that don’t always make sense – a certain rinse-and-repeat cycle sets in. Wolverine and Deadpool square off verbally, hurling insults at each other (with Deadpool also firing off either one inappropriate sex joke after another or a string of meta-quips aimed at the Disney/Fox merger, the MCU’s foibles (“Welcome…you’re arriving at a low point,” he says to Wolverine at one point), his or Hugh Jackman’s own careers, or all three at once. It inevitably ends in a violent, shockingly gruesome fight between the two, with the battles eventually expanding to include both Cassandra’s minions and another army of variants that has been cast into the Void, usually all set to instant-grat needle drops.

Director Shawn Levy, who Reynolds apparently plans to work with for the rest of his life, handles this all efficiently. The fights are especially visceral early on, even if they begin to get tiresome; the filthy back-and-forth patter – there are a hell of a lot of “f**ks” in this movie – proceeds breathlessly (we would have liked to have caught a few more of the lines, actually), and although the movie’s energy flags, particularly in the second act, Levy always manages to put the pedal to the metal again. The movie looks largely bright and crisp, with the digital FX smoother here than we’ve seen in a while if occasionally iffy.

The most important part of all this, however – aside from the mind-melting cameos that will elicit both gasps and bouts of stunned laughter from Marvel fans (along with some puzzlement from the non-diehards) – is that relationship between Logan and Wade. Even though their dynamic can get repetitive, the movie gradually reveals the deep pain that both men – both mutants, both outsiders – carry in their hearts. It’s a tribute to the actors, certain aspects of the script (on which Reynolds and Levy worked with regular ‘Deadpool’ scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, as well as Zeb Wells) that these two beloved characters can still shine through and make us care about their fates, dilemmas, and bro-mance.

The Cast

Ryan Reynolds has the Deadpool schtick down pat, and even if he becomes a bit irritating after two hours, his asides, throwaway jokes, fourth wall breaks and innocently raunchy observations still make him hilariously entertaining to watch and listen to. The blankness of the Deadpool mask makes it somehow even funnier. But this is also a more emotional Wade Wilson, with more at stake than ever before, and Reynolds handles that ably as well.

What’s most interesting is that as the ostensible star (as well as co-writer and producer), Reynolds steps back and gives others a chance to shine – well, we pretty much mean Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. While his end in ‘Logan’ was as epic and moving as one could want, the truth is that it’s fantastic to see Jackman in the role again (and, for the first time, in a comics-accurate suit), especially since he delivers perhaps his best performance as Logan following his 2017 swan song. This Logan is more full of rage than ever, but also possesses a deep sense of loss and profound regret. His heart has been badly broken, and what makes it worse is that he’s the one who shattered it.

Our other two main characters – our lead villains – don’t fare quite as well. Matthew Macfadyen chews the scenery as the sputtering, wheedling Paradox, and while Macfadyen is a brilliant actor it’s a fairly one-dimensional role. But we were less enthralled with Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova. The actor doesn’t quite have the gravitas to make Cassandra much of a menace, leaning instead on the VFX to do a lot of the work. Even with her interesting history (which comics fans will know), Cassandra never quite becomes a formidable presence.

And then there are the much-rumored cameos. We certainly won’t reveal any here, but there are a few faces in the film that might vindicate some fan speculation, while others prove to be complete and utterly riotous surprises – which in turn cumulatively end up as a celebration of more than 20 years of Marvel movies that did not fall under the MCU banner.

The Future of the MCU and Final Thoughts

It’s that last bit that is the most fascinating thing about this film. While there is a certain game-changing aspect to it (and a huge meta component), ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ winds up being a genuinely affectionate tribute to the Fox Marvel universe and its own ups and downs. It acts more as an acknowledgment of how those early movies helped light the torch that was eventually passed to the MCU than any kind of major reset of the latter itself – although that door is certainly wide open now.

How that reset happens from here – and whether Wade and Logan will play a major part in it – is anyone’s guess. Like ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ ties up some loose ends from the past through a generous helping of fan service that may confound some viewers. Yet it doesn’t set down a clear path forward either. What it does do is bring back the energy, zaniness and sense of “anything can happen” fun that has often been part of the MCU’s best moments. All it took was a moron in a mask to make it all work again.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

What is the plot of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?

Six years after the events of ‘Deadpool 2’, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) lives a quiet life, having left his time as the mercenary Deadpool behind him, until the Time Variance Authority (TVA)—a bureaucratic organization that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline—pulls him into a new mission. With his home universe facing an existential threat, Wilson reluctantly joins an even more reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) on a mission that will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Who is in the cast of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

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