Deadpool & Wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
It’s been six years since we last saw the fan-favorite mercenary with a mouth. After two successful films in a row, the anticipation for the next one was naturally high, especially when it was announced that Ryan Reynolds would be joining the MCU and Hugh Jackman would be returning as the one and only Wolverine! As Marvel’s only feature film release of the year, the anticipation for it was sky-high. Well, the moment everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived.
First of all, this movie is a lot. At least it is an overwhelming experience. The stakes are high, and that is established very early on. Those expecting a light-hearted, easy-to-follow, refreshing buddy comedy will be disappointed. This is not one of those movies. Let’s start with the tight-lipped mercenary, Ryan Reynolds. He not only has style, but he also co-wrote and produced. He was definitely at the center of every decision, and from a business and fan service standpoint, he made a lot of great choices. I’ll talk about the business and fan service aspects later, but his performance is as crazy as you’d expect. He’s charming, he has style and movement (action and dance), and most importantly, he’s mostly just plain funny.
Logan/Wolverine, the hero most of us grew up with, was the brightest star in this galaxy. He was the best part of the movie. Many of us thought we would never see this annoying, old, clawed crusader again. Logan (2017), but he shows everyone at the age of 55, he is probably the most popular comic book character of all time in the feature. His physique is scary and it’s like he never stopped playing Wolverine. He’s still as fierce and full of rage as he used to be and he’s just as brutal as he was in the fight scenes. The fight with Deadpool is really cool and well-acted. Hugh also does most of the emotional heavy lifting here.
Deadpool & Wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
Of the rest of the cast, Matthew Macfadyen did well with what he was given, as did Emma Corrin. Rob Delaney got a few good scenes as Peter. There are no other standout performances. On the other hand, fan favorites like Yukio, Blind Al, and Dopinder were completely wasted. They got little screen time and felt unfairly marginalized in this film. Vanessa got some screen time and the story justified it for her, but there was plenty of room for others to use them. Another really fun character, TJ Miller, wasn’t even in the film.
The most disappointing aspect of Deadpool and Wolverine is the writing. No one expected this to have a great, memorable storyline, but I expected a decent storyline with a lot of heart and emotion, especially with Logan. It’s structurally a mess, and at times, it’s hard to follow because there’s too much exposition. Some characters suddenly show up just to ruin the flow of the movie for a cheap gag. The story also lacks real heart or emotion, despite the high stakes. The writers could have given the bromance between the two leads a lot more depth, but they didn’t, and that limited the level of chemistry between the two actors. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t live up to its true potential.
The film has a relatively decent runtime, clocking in at just over two hours. But that relentless pace is sometimes its own worst enemy. There’s no room or time to properly flesh out arcs or develop and establish characters from the beginning. That’s what makes Cassandra Nova and Mr. Paradox’s characters uninteresting or threatening. It also results in the film not fully utilizing the range of its excellent actors, Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen. Fans also expect a great villain to hate in a modern superhero film, but Cassandra Nova is incredibly undercooked, making her a forgettable foe rather than a compelling one.
Deadpool & Wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
The title of the movie is Deadpool and WolverineIt still feels mostly like a Deadpool movie, but that’s not to say Logan doesn’t have his moments. Without him, we’d be having a completely different conversation. But thankfully, he does, and he lives up to expectations. Another thing I’ve noticed is that all Deadpool movies have a common problem of starting off strong and then fading away. I definitely liked the first half a lot more than the second half, and that’s mainly because of the weak third act. The movie really goes off the rails at the climax. It seems like the main focus of the movie is on fan service rather than tying up all the knots and wrapping up the story with a heartwarming shock.
I say that to Shawn Levy. I like him as a director, but he seems very reserved and afraid to show muscle in this film. Yes, there is a lot of cool action and great VFX, but he could have done more. His lack of experience with R-rated content is evident here. As for the action, it is generally cool and very stylish. However (minor spoiler) 90% of the fight scenes are between Logan and Wade. That is not why I watched this film. We already saw that in X-Men Origins. Ultimately, I think this film struggles with the pressures of entering the MCU. It has to be a good Deadpool film, but also a good MCU film with challenges. The writers are trying to adapt to the new environment and apply all the tools at their disposal, but it just makes the script messier in the larger context.
But all that aside, there’s another thing that audiences are promised in this movie. Cameos. There are a lot of them. They’re absolutely perfect, and they may even exceed some people’s expectations. I can imagine people booing at the cameos in the theater. Most of them fit the story well. They also don’t detract from the tone or feel of the storytelling, and they fit the Deadpool brand and the R rating. Given that this is Marvel’s first attempt at this, the R rating is heavily used, but don’t expect a lot of gore because of all the violence and blood in this movie. Expect a lot of swearing and adult jokes.
Deadpool & Wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
Deadpool and Wolverine is a true multiverse of madness that delivers a ton of mindless fun, but ultimately gets buried under the weight of its MCU membership. The trilogy delivers all the violence, sleaze, and pindrops you’d expect from a Deadpool movie. It breathes fresh energy into the MCU, and pays homage to the X-Men with Hugh Jackman at its core. It’s mostly a genuinely relentless R-rated blast, but it has a complex script that lacks warmth and emotion, and leaves you wanting more from these characters. But it’s still a fun cinematic experience, thanks to a great soundtrack, great cameos, and near-constant meta-commentary.
Deadpool and Wolverine are released in July. 26.
