‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Spoiler Review | An Enjoyable Albeit Silly Ride

From the very first second of the teaser trailer that premiered during Super Bowl LVIII, it was blatantly obvious what Deadpool & Wolverine was going to be. And if you’ve seen the first two Deadpool films, then it is also very clear who the character is and what it is they do well. I will be the first to tell you that this comic book movie is pretty much exactly what you think it is going to be—a violent multiverse superhero film full of jokes, epic fights, and crowd-pleasing cameos. It doesn’t strive to be anything more than that. For better or worse, it’s honestly a pretty fun ride, all things considered. It is especially rewarding for comic book fans who have been watching and enjoying superhero films even before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) came around. Sometimes it’s okay to turn the brain off and just enjoy the ride, especially for a summer blockbuster event film like this.

(WARNING: The rest of this review will contain SPOILERS for 20th Century Studios and Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine.)

For All The Fans, Always

Fans have waited decades to see a comic book-accurate suit for Wolverine and we finally got it. As seen in the advertisements, it looks great! I was not a fan of the black biker suits from the first original set of X-Men films so I myself was overjoyed. That dedication to please is also apparent in the attention to detail. From the Liefeld store seen in the above image—in reference to Rob Liefeld, the comic book artist who created Deadpool—to the horde of knockoff X-Men movie villains we see in The Void, it is very apparent that this movie is keen on catering to the die-hard Marvel fans across the globe.

Ryan Reynolds himself forewarned audiences that Deadpool & Wolverine‘s plot was “paper-thin”, and he did not lie. What semblance of a story there is sees Deadpool being summoned to the Time Variance Authority (TVA) so that he may leave the universe he was in and officially enter the Earth 616, also known in parts of the MCU as the “sacred timeline.” You know, the universe that contains The Marvels, The Guardians of The Galaxy, and of course, the beloved Avengers. As exciting as this is, joining the esteemed MCU means leaving his own universe to perish, a dilemma that leaves Deadpool in a hard place and, much to our delight, requires a Wolverine.

That’s it. That’s the plot.

Now, if it doesn’t make that much sense to you, then don’t worry. They really spell it out during the film, along with a handy dandy visual of said timelines. The point is that the simplicity of the plot allows these two fan favorites to finally meet and slice each other up. Hoorah! This fact alone had the Internet in an uproar back in February, and fittingly so, should please most.

Now, the next thing to touch on is 100% going to divide audiences and has already done so among various critic circles and reviews. As with every other multiverse film to date, this film has some special guest cameos! A couple of them will drop jaws for sure.

Superheroes United!

Some fans cannot stand the overabundance of star cameos, but most I would say cannot get enough. I, for one, do not mind cameos as long as they make sense to the story and don’t detract from the overall experience of the film. With Deadpool traveling through time and the multiverse, he was bound to run into some famous faces. Deadpool & Wolverine delivers the goods in spades! Let’s break them down:

• Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Far From Home)
• Aaron Stanford as Pyro (X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand)
• Tyler Mane as Sabertooth (X-Men)
• Dafne Keen as X-23 (Logan)
• Jennifer Gardner as Elektra (Daredevil)
• Channing Tatum as Gambit
• Wesley Snipes as Blade (New Line Cinema’s Blade trilogy—Blade, Blade II, Blade Trinity)
• Chris Evans as Johnny Storm (Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer)

While the big names are huge surprises, my favorite cameo was definitely Chris Evans. The way the audience is initially led to believe he might be appearing as Captain America is an awesome subversion of expectation. The appearance is made for a big laugh, and it was nice to see Evans having that type of goofball attitude again.

Channing Tatum was also a hilarious surprise because his Gambit film was in development hell for years. Unfortunately, the project was scrapped during the Fox/Disney merger. Detractors of Deadpool & Wolverine will argue that these cameos had no meaning whatsoever, but I beg to differ. I thought giving some of these heroes a send-off of sorts was a nice sentiment. This goes especially for someone like Wesley Snipes, whose 1998 Blade film helped pave the way for future comic book films to come.

Overshadowed

Emma Corrin did fine as Charles Xavier’s evil twin, Cassandra Nova, but she wasn’t given much material to work with. I think her villain was engaging enough to create conflict but was by no means memorable or terribly menacing. Matthew McFadyen was excellently sassy as Mr. Paradox, but his villain was a lot more one-note and straightforward.

Let’s be real, though, audiences will come out in droves for Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, not the villains. Their performances were natural and sharp. Jackman, in particular, put on quite the clinic in a surprisingly layered portrayal as a defeated Logan, who is living with his failures from his universe. Reynolds lays the rapid-fire jokes on thick, but his delivery is more consistent than ever. Their buddy cop style pairing works well for the time-jumping narrative, and their own battles with each other are appropriately spectacular and well-choreographed.

Service Over Substance

Now, while I found a majority of the jokes funny and the cameos enjoyable, this is by no means a perfect film, nor is it the greatest thing Marvel Studios has ever done. What I do believe, though, is that this is a fine return to form after the disappointing returns and reception to the last few projects and films. It’s the perfect type of “must-see” tentpole to enjoy during the summer and keep the awesome box office numbers flowing.

My advice is to not set expectations too high and enjoy Deadpool & Wolverine for what it is, not what you want it to be. Suffice it to say that if you are not a fan of multiverse stories or cameo-heavy superhero films, then do yourself a favor. Do not watch it. It’s as simple as that.

3.5/5-stars

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