deadpool & wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
It’s been six years since we last saw the fan-favorite mercenary with a mouth. After two successful movies in a row, anticipation for the next movie naturally increased, especially when Ryan Reynolds announced that it would be based on the MCU and that Hugh Jackman would be returning as the one and only Wolverine. This is Marvel’s only feature film of the year, and excitement for it was sky-high. Well, the moment everyone has been waiting for for a long time has finally arrived.
First of all, this movie is a lot. It’s an overwhelming experience, to say the least. The stakes are high and that’s established very early on. Those expecting a light, breezy, easy-to-understand buddy comedy will be disappointed. This movie is none of those things. Let’s start with Ryan Reynolds, the mercenary with a mouth. In addition to starring, he also co-wrote and produced the film. He was definitely at the center of every decision and made a lot of great choices from a business and fan satisfaction standpoint. I’ll get into the business and fan service aspects later, but his performance is as outrageous as you can imagine. He oozes charm, he has style, he has movement (action and dance), and most importantly, he is very funny for the most part.
The hero most of us grew up watching, Logan/Wolverine, was the brightest star in this galaxy. He is by far the best character in this movie. Many of us thought we’d never see this grumpy old clawed crusader again. logan (2017) But here, the 55-year-old shows everyone in a special feature that he’s probably the most popular comic book character of all time. His physique is terrifying and it feels like he never stopped playing Wolverine. He’s still as fierce and angry as ever, just as brutal as he is in the fight scenes. His fight with Deadpool is really cool and well executed. Hugh also does most of the emotional heavy lifting here.
deadpool & wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
Of the rest of the cast, Matthew Macfadyen does a good job with what he’s given, as does Emma Corrin. Rob Delaney has some good scenes as Peter. There are no other notable performances. Conversely, fan-favorite characters like Yukio, Blind Al, and Dopinder in particular are completely wasted. They get very little screen time and feel unfairly marginalized in this film. Vanessa has very little screen time and the story justifies it for her, but for others there was a lot of room to use them. Another really fun character, TJ Miller, doesn’t even appear in the movie.
The script is the most frustrating aspect of Deadpool and Wolverine. No one expected this to have a great, memorable storyline, but I was expecting a decent story with a lot of heart and emotion, especially with Logan. Structurally, it’s a mess and sometimes has so much explanation that it’s hard to understand. There are also characters who just come out of nowhere and ruin the flow of the movie because of cheesy gags. The story also lacks any real heart or emotion, despite the stakes being so high. The screenwriters could have delved deeper into the bromance between the two leads, but they fail to do so, which limits the level of chemistry between the two actors, which isn’t a bad thing, but the truth behind it has never reached its potential.
This movie has a relatively long running time, just over two hours. But that relentless pace can sometimes be your biggest enemy. There’s no space or time to properly cook an arc or develop and establish a character in the first place. That’s what keeps the characters of Cassandra Nova and Mister Paradox from being interesting or threatening. This also underutilizes the range of Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen, both of whom are wonderful actors. Fans also expect great villains to hate in modern superhero movies, but Cassandra Nova is so undercooked that she becomes more of a forgettable foe than a formidable one.
deadpool & wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
It’s called a movie deadpool and wolverinethat’s not to say Logan doesn’t have his moments, but it still feels almost like a Deadpool movie. If he wasn’t there, we would have had a completely different conversation, but thankfully he’s there and makes it happen. Another thing I noticed is that all the Deadpool movies have a common problem of starting out flashy and then fading away. I obviously liked the first half better than the second act, but that’s mainly due to the weakness of the third act. This movie really goes off the rails at the climax. Its main concern seems to be fan service rather than tying all the knots and wrapping the story in warm impact.
For me, it’s with Shawn Levy. I love him as a director, but he seems very reserved about his direction here and just afraid to flex his muscles at all. Yes, there’s a lot of cool action here and the VFX are great, but he could do more. His inexperience with R-rated content was evident here. As for the action, most of it was cool and very stylish. However, (mild spoiler) 90% of the fight scenes are between Logan and Wade. I didn’t come to this movie for that, it was already there in the origin of the X-Men. In the end, I think this movie has a hard time dealing with the pressures of entering the MCU. Not only does it have to be a good Deadpool movie, it has to be a good MCU movie, but that comes with its challenges. The writers tried to adapt to the new situation and fit every tool at their disposal, but that only made the script even more cluttered in the larger context.
But all that aside, this movie promises one more thing to the audience. That’s a lot of cameos. They definitely make a cameo appearance and may exceed some people’s expectations. I can imagine people howling in some movie theaters. Most of them work well within the story. It also didn’t interfere with the tone or atmosphere of the storytelling, and was shaped to fit Deadpool’s brand and R-rating. Considering it’s Marvel’s first effort, the R rating is common, but this movie is full of violence and blood, so don’t expect too much gore. Expect lots of swearing and adult jokes.
deadpool & wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
deadpool and wolverine This is a true multiverse of madness, offering tons of mindless fun but ultimately getting buried under the weight of joining the MCU. This threequel offers all the violence, vulgarity, and needle drops you’d expect from a Deadpool movie. It pays homage to the X-Men with Hugh Jackman bringing fresh energy to the MCU and putting his all into its heart. It’s a truly unrelenting R-rated romp for the most part, but it also has a convoluted script and lacks warmth or emotion, leaving you wanting more from these characters. But it still provides an enjoyable cinematic experience, thanks to a great soundtrack, a number of great cameos, and near-nonstop meta-commentary.
‘Deadpool’ and ‘Wolverine’ will be released in theaters in July 26.
