There is a certain responsibility that comes with being Marvel Studios’ only theatrical release for the entirety of 2024, especially coming off of a year plagued by box office disappointments, harsh criticism, and a double Hollywood strike.
Deadpool & Wolverine has navigated this by readjusting the franchise’s attention, shifting it from the repeated attempts to recreate the universal appeal of previous flagships like Endgame, to a genuine for-fans-by-fans approach aimed at the most dedicated of Marvel Comics enthusiasts.
The biggest, most obvious way it does this is by combining the R-rated foul-mouthed irreverence of Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and the legacy star-power of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Then came the promise of limitless cameos, which it satisfyingly delivered (more on that later). Still, there was apprehension that all of this wouldn’t be more than just colorful, flashy window dressing, or, in other words, meaningless fan service.
Reynolds and his vision for Deadpool walk the line between that direct communication with fans (which it achieves quite literally via the whole fourth-wall-breaking gimmick) and earnest love for the character and dedication to doing justice to its peculiar comic book history and live-action past. Deadpool’s personality, brand of comedy, and endless pop culture references have always been the driving force of his series, with the plot taking a backseat in every one of the movies — Deadpool & Wolverine is no exception.
The film begins with Wade Wilson being plucked from his timeline by Loki‘s Time Variance Authority. He’d been time and universe-hopping, even visiting Earth-616 to interview for the Avengers, but that’s not the reason Matthew Macfadyen’s Tom Wambsgans Marvel variant, ominously called Paradox, steals him away.
A mind-dizzying, overstuffed few minutes of exposition later and we finally have a grasp on what the mission here actually is: Deadpool must save Earth-10005 – i.e. the Fox X-Men Earth – from annihilation. Wolverine is and then isn’t an essential piece in this puzzle, even if soon enough a tragic backstory and a mythical yellow and blue suit finally justify his presence in the film. The plot is as convoluted as Deadpool 2, but it all boils down to a genuinely funny buddy film that’s as heartfelt as a mega-blockbuster can be.
Both Wade and Logan are experience existential crises throughout the film which are handled with the same kind of zany sincerity that has come to define the Deadpool franchise. Their emotional growth, as shoe-horned as it might feel at times amidst all the fanfare, is the undeniable heart of the film, and Reynolds and Jackman fit together so perfectly that you easily let yourself get taken along for the ride. If you’re a Marvel fan, that is. I cannot stress enough how much this film was made with you in mind.
In their trek toward universe-saving, they naturally cross paths with some friends and some foes, most notably Emma Corrin’s unsettling Cassandra Nova whose mind-reading superpowers are reminiscent of Wanda Maximoff but with much more disturbing imagery involved. You can tell Corrin, who rose to fame playing an innocent Diana Spencer in Netflix’s The Crown, had fun in the role, hitting all the necessary beats of a stylish creep-tastic supervillain.
Tonally, Deadpool & Wolverine concludes the transition between the mid-budget scrappiness of the first Deadpool, which invited ingenuity and inventiveness, and the no-dream-is-too-big hefty check that comes with the Disney-sponsored Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Some scenes feel out of touch and a little too explosive to be in a Deadpool movie, but there’s just enough space between them to come down back to Earth and enjoy these characters. There’s an attempt to ground the film in its two leads’ emotional journey with Jackman especially taking every little space he can find in between fight sequences and Deadpool’s never-ending self-absorbed yapping to bring in some of the tortured superhero heaviness from the much-richer film Logan.
The soundtrack continues to be a highlight — there are plenty of moments that are only as good as the incredible pop songs that score them, including a tear-jerking credits montage for all of us Marvel lovers who are still going strong; the jokes mostly land; the action looks pretty cool even if there are some terrible CGI moments; there are a couple of memorable sequences despite completely unremarkable typical-Marvel photography; and the four most important cameos actually serve a purpose, celebrating, honoring, and providing some closure to some unsung and overlooked superheroes of the past.
The story is thin, but that has frankly always been the case with Deadpool movies — they’re star vehicles for Ryan Reynolds to unleash his sense of humor, geekiness, and mostly shrewd pop culture commentary — even if it seems people are only somehow realizing this now because of the scope, magnitude and unrelenting marketing of Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s also a safer, more sanitized movie than the previous two, but that was to be expected.
Ultimately though, Deadpool & Wolverine is the first film to fully embrace the “theme park” label that Marvel has been so desperately trying to fight against since Martin Scorsese first used it in 2019. You can tell Feige wants his movies to be taken seriously, but Reynolds and director Shawn Levy don’t seem all too concerned with that, instead opting to celebrate the “theme park-ness” of it all and make that Deadpool & Wolverine‘s whole identity.
They’re still fully aware, though, that you can’t completely disregard everything else that makes a movie (story, character, plot), or else the beats you’re hoping will get theater audiences on their feet will not land no matter how unexpected or nostalgic they may be. It’s important to build up to these moments and give them a reason to exist, instead of just throwing them at us hoping they will mask the nonexistent movie that lies beneath, and Deadpool & Wolverine achieves this, however small that margin may be.
You will most likely not enjoy this movie if you don’t keep up with Marvel (there’s plenty of homework to be done, including the previous Deadpool films, the previous Wolverine films, Loki, and all the cameos’ original movies if you’re feeling brave). And if so many movies down the line, you are still keeping up with Marvel, because you enjoy it regardless of how redundant some recent movies and shows have felt, then chances are you’ll have an excellent time in the theater watching Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s time the MCU at large takes a page from its book and stops trying to cater to an audience it is simply not made for. It’s okay if superhero movies are just superhero movies. And this one knows and loves the heck out of that idea.
Published: Jul 26, 2024 05:40 am