It’s easy to forget that Ryan Reynolds was almost a one and done playing Deadpool in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine film starring Hugh Jackman. When X-Men Origins: Wolverine was released in 2009, the idea was to use it as a spin-off platform to launch follow-up films like Deadpool. Unfortunately, Wolverine wasn’t quite as well-received as hoped for, and like many projects in Hollywood, a Deadpool film was shelved.
Thankfully, after a well-timed leak of test footage with Reynolds in the iconic Deadpool costume went viral in 2014, 20th Century Fox decided to move forward with the film, which ultimately earned $782 million worldwide. Considering the franchise’s history, the fact that it has survived not only development purgatory, but also the purchase of Fox by Disney, is a marvel (pun very much intended).
Now, three films into the series, Deadpool joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe and brings the legendary Wolverine with him.
The long-awaited and much-hyped Deadpool & Wolverine is a love letter to super comic fans and the Fox era of Marvel films. It brings all of the elements that fans of the “Merc with a Mouth” have come to expect – carnage, irreverence, Easter eggs & cameos – with little restraint. For those worried that Deadpool would be “Disney-fied,” Marvel Studios fully indulged in its first R-rated feature film.
Deadpool & Wolverine premieres July 26, 2024 in theaters.
Official Synopsis
Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake to date—”Deadpool & Wolverine.” A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. His days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. When his homeworld faces an existenFal threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctantlier… reluctanter? Reluctantest? He must convince a reluctant Wolverine to—Fuck. Synopses are so fucking stupid.
Review – An Exclusive Celebration of Fandom
Deadpool & Wolverine is full, no-holds barred Deadpool. From excessive, blood-thirsty violence and unstoppable quips, to references to pegging and necrophilia, this film does not hold back. That should please long-time fans of the franchise and character, who might have been worried that Deadpool’s world might not fit within the MCU and larger Disney universe. It very much maintains the tone and sensibilities of the first two Deadpool films and is certainly not softened by its official entry into the MCU.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman look to be having the time of their lives wreaking havoc in a new, but familiar, playground. Every quip, insult and curse word is delivered with delight as the two romp through the multiverse. There’s a certain joy that the two exude, playing characters that they probably thought they would never have a chance to play again. Deadpool & Wolverine, as the very apt title implies, is very much a vehicle through which Reynolds and Jackman can fully indulge in their buddy shenanigans; everything else is secondary or tertiary.
Director Shawn Levy, who worked with Reynolds in Free Guy and The Adam Project, knows how to capture the carnage well. He gives the film just enough of a light touch to enable Reynolds and Jackman’s bromance journey while preventing it from careening completely out of control (for the most part).
At times, Deadpool & Wolverine eagerly seeks to find the line of extreme excess and leap over it. The film is everything fans want and expect, but in exponential numbers. Love bloody violence? You will get an ocean full. Giddy at clever fourth-wall breaking moments? This film will shatter that wall into oblivion. There certainly are moments when even the most ardent fan will ask themself whether this scene is one scene too many. Not that the film cares, because even after that moment, it will give you several more.
Aside from Reynolds and Jackman, the true star of the film is the incredible fan-service. With Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios firmly established that it knows how to do fan-service better than possibly anyone else, and given the fact that Marvel president Kevin Feige worked on the first X-Men film in 2000, this film must have felt like a trip down memory lane.
Deadpool & Wolverine is fully loaded with Easter eggs and cameo appearances that are sure to be met with countless moments of gasping and pointing from the hard-core geeks who have watched all of the various Fox era Marvel films over the last two and a half decades (present company included). There were two particular cameo moments that I couldn’t help but applaud for. Indeed, this film is very much a culmination and celebration of the past era, giving the films, characters and fans a loving send-off into the void.
That’s the challenge with Deadpool & Wolverine; it’s joyous fan-service, but it is little more than that. The plot and supporting characters are an after-thought, if not an outright nuisance. The film requires some kind of plot device that brings the two heroes together and sets them on their adventure; which Deadpool himself gleefully declares is simply a MacGuffin.
Even by MacGuffin standards, this plot is particularly thin and feels like a retread – Deadpool and Wolverine must find a way to save Deadpool’s beloved timeline. After two excellent seasons of Loki on Disney+, which focused on the God of Mischief traversing the multiverse in various efforts to save his friends and various timelines, watching yet another story about saving a reality from spaghetti-like destruction is uninspiring. The fun of multiversal stories lies in exploring different worlds and variations of the characters we know. This film does offer that in a variety of fun ways that, again, uber fans will appreciate. However, the mechanics of the multiverse and the constant need to save them have long since passed the point of intrigue.
Further, Deadpool & Wolverine suffers from yet another case of bad villain syndrome; and not the good kind of bad. While Emma Corrin, who gave an award-winning performance as Princess Diana in The Crown, does their best to make Cassandra Nova unique and memorable, they are unfortunately not given enough depth to work with. Once again, the villain is just there to present a half-hearted obstacle to the film’s heroes, and save for a few skin crawling moments of villainy, Nova isn’t given much to do.
It will be interesting to see how casual audiences receive Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s a celebration of geekdom, a culmination of two decades of films and has so many winks to the hardcore fans, that anyone outside of the fan club may feel left out. While the film is still full of amusing gags and excellent action, those might not be enough to keep casual viewers interested.
For the true believers, Deadpool & Wolverine is sure to please. It’s a film made specifically with them in mind and isn’t scared to show them the love; every inch of it.
Rating – 3/5
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
