DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE:
FUCK DARK PHOENIX, THIS IS THE SENDOFF TO FOX’S MARVEL MOVIES WE DESERVE!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: **** out of 4
MARVEL STUDIOS
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine
Everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed, relentlessly violent, and 4th wall breaking superhero is back and so is the mutant with adamantium claws who got impaled by a fucking tree in Deadpool & Wolverine, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and third installment of the Deadpool trilogy. If you read my reviews for the previous films, you know I loved the hell out of the Deadpool movies with the first film from 2016 being such a damn good introduction to the character as someone who had never read his comics prior to the movie.
I love the attitude, humor, graphic violence, and most importantly the character himself and Ryan Reynolds’ performance who pretty much made the movie. Despite his relentless methods of taking out bad guys and his reliance on irreverent humor, I found Deadpool to be an endearing character and does have his share of heartfelt moments especially with Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa who are absolutely adorable together even with Wade’s fucked up looking face.
The 2018 sequel, Deadpool 2 is also an enjoyable time though it didn’t quite have the same impact on me as the first, but I always have a blast whenever I put it on. The violence and humor are still great as well as the introductions of fan-favorite characters like Domino, Cable, and Peter (Peter is an essential part of this franchise staying afloat!), and the chemistry between Deadpool and this troubled mutant kid he befriends is very strong.
Now, we have the third installment directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum trilogy, Real Steel, Free Guy) with Ryan Reynolds (National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, The Proposal, Free Guy) reprising his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and this time he’s bringing along Hugh Jackman (The Prestige, Prisoners, Eddie the Eagle) in his first appearance as Wolverine since 2017’s Logan and they’re now invading the MCU. Well, I have to say Deadpool & Wolverine is the best MCU movie I’ve seen since Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 and helped bring back my excitement for the franchise after a slew of goods, duds, and what the fuck was MODOK?
Sometime after the events of Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has hung up the red suit and given up being the masked mercenary Deadpool. Wade now works as a used car salesman alongside his friend and former X-Force member Peter (Rob Delaney-Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Bombshell, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) after breaking up with his girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin-Firefly, Stargate SG-1, Gotham).
But Wade is soon taken by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) under command by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen-Pride & Prejudice, Frost/Nixon, Anna Karenina) who offers Wade a chance to become a hero in the Sacred Universe (In other words, the Avengers universe) at the cost of his own world. Tempting offer, but Mr. Paradox is gonna have to fuck off as Wade suits up as Deadpool once again and travels the multiverse to find the one thing that could save his world, or person…or mutant fuck it! That being Logan/Wolverine (Jackman) or rather a Wolverine from a different universe because the Wolverine from his universe (The Fox X-Men universe) was killed at the end of Logan.
Wolverine reluctantly decides to help Deadpool save his universe while also learning how to be a hero to Wade’s universe after letting down his own. However, a threat comes in the form of Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin-The Crown, My Policeman, Nosferatu) who commands the mysterious realm known as the Void with a plot to destroy all universes and Deadpool, Wolverine (and a few others) must suit up and kick some ass to save not just Wade’s world but the entire multiverse.
The film also stars Leslie Uggams (Roots, All My Children, American Fiction) reprising her role as Blind Al, Aaron Stanford (The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Nikita, 12 Monkeys) reprising his role from X2: X-Men United and X-Men 3: The Last Stand as John Allerdyce/Pyro, Karan Soni (Safety Not Guaranteed, Ghostbusters (2016), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) reprising his role as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand (First Girl I Loved, Trinkets, Runt) reprising her role as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Stefan Kapičić (Big Miracle, Better Call Saul, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) reprising his role as the voice of Colossus.
Overall, Deadpool & Wolverine is a blood-drenched good time throughout and a long overdue return to great MCU films. Who would have thought all it took for Disney to make an awesome Marvel movie again was an R rating and two characters that weren’t originally from that universe? But I’ll gladly take that over Quantumania and Love and Fucking Thunder any day!
What really makes the movie work is the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, they are so much fun to watch and listen to together whether they’re bantering, kicking ass (Sometimes kicking each other’s asses), or just simply talking about each other’s problems and failures. It’s a perfect team-up and a large part of that is the charm of Reynolds and Jackman whether comedic or serious.
Big surprise, the movie is also quite funny and not in that bullshit MCU Comedy way with jabs at the MCU, 20th Century Fox’s Marvel movies, Disney, etc., the funniest opening to a Marvel movie since Chris Pratt dancing in the cave in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, and they somehow managed to work in a Will Smith slap joke involving Canada (Which is hilarious for me because I saw the trailer for this in front of the newest Bad Boys movie this year).
The action is a lot of fun and retains the gore of the previous Deadpool films and Logan and it’s just awesome to see Deadpool and Wolverine come up with creative ways to take enemies down together. From a great action sequence during the opening credits (That are sadly not self-aware like the earlier films) to a phenomenal scene with Deadpool and Logan fighting each other inside a car.
There’s also a lot of fan-service with a ton of characters from various universes appearing and references to other Marvel and superhero movies. I won’t be giving any away, but I was delighted by the familiar faces that showed up including one portrayed by an actor who would eventually be in the MCU.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the film the MCU desperately needed and a satisfying sendoff to Fox’s Marvelmovies. If you enjoyed the previous Deadpools, you’ll have a blast with this one, grab your red mask, sharpen your claws, and LFG…and by that I mean Let’s Fucking Go!
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