Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

By: Mike Ward on Thursday, July 25

R Running Time: 127 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • For fans of Deadpool, this is more rambunctious and gratuitous fodder for cheap laughs, groan-inducing entertainment and everything you loved about the previous films.

  • Far more about Deadpool than Wolverine, Reynolds and Jackman develop great chemistry together over the course of the film.

  • I don’t know how good a movie this actually is, but I had fun with it. I laughed. And if so inclined, you will too.

NO

  • For those expecting this to be balanced by a more serious, intense Wolverine - I mean, Hugh Jackman plays his character like you’d expect. Make no mistake though, this is 100% a Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool movie. If you are not a fan of his, buyer beware.

  • Earns its R-rating seconds into the film. This should come as no surprise, but this movie is not for anyone who does not like vulgar humor, graphic violence and a constant barrage of inappropriate jokes and sight gags.

  • A movie some will think is the worst movie of the year and others will think is one of the best. So it goes nowadays with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


OUR REVIEW

The long-anticipated arrival of Deadpool into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has finally occurred. In Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds’ superhero character, the “Merc with a Mouth,” seeks to find a way to survive the end of his “timeline” by finding a living variant of the deceased Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), somewhere across the multiverse. 

So as you prepare for yet another multiverse movie, full of multiple timelines and variants of reality, the draw here is really Reynolds’ ability to deliver comedy and sarcasm in nearly every scene. After a while, the plot means relatively little. Your ability to withstand this non-stop barrage of vulgar humor, gratuitous violence and rapid-fire action and movement proves to be the litmus test for what you ultimately think of this third Deadpool film.

TL;DR - if you can handle 120 minutes of Ryan Reynolds at his most sarcastic, Deadpool & Wolverine will be your jam. If his sense of humor wears thin with you, you should prepare for a long endurance test.

As the film zigs and zags, Deadpool & Wolverine at least gives off the appearance of a chaotic, go-for-broke approach. Director Shawn Levy deploys a dizzying array of camera angles, utilizing slow motion, sped-up motion, and bone crunching, throat-slashing sound design in his first superhero movie as director and third consecutive collaboration with Reynolds following 2021’s Fall Guy and 2022’s The Adam Project. (Levy also worked with Jackman on Real Steel over a decade ago). This time around, Deadpool seeks to join the Avengers. After an interview with a familiar face from the Avengers’ films does not go as planned, he decides to hang up his red suit and sell cars with best friend Peter, played again by Rob Delaney.

Without spoiling the film’s numerous cameos and surprises, Levy leans into unpredictability. Because the film opens in such a riotous and euphoric manner, paying tribute to ‘NSYNC of all things, we just sit back and wait for the next wild thing to keep us entertained. 

Incidentally, the film does more for ‘NSYNC in four minutes than Trolls Band Together and those reunion appearances did for Justin Timberlake and crew in the fall of 2023. They should send Reynolds a personal thank you because it wouldn’t surprise me to see “Bye Bye Bye” become something of a hit once again with the way it is featured here.

From those opening moments, the crux of the story revolves around Wade Wilson, a/k/a Deadpool, being abducted by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organization first introduced in the Disney+ series “Loki.” Led by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), Wade is told that he can inhabit a variant of Earth known as “The Sacred Timeline,” but everything he knows will die should he choose to do so. Wolverine, or “Logan” enters the fray by being identified as the “anchor being” of Wade/Deadpool’s current timeline. 

So naturally, to preserve his timeline and everyone close to him, Wilson/Deadpool steals the do-hickey from Mr. Paradox that allows him to travel through the multiverse and find an existing version of Logan/Wolverine.

While the film flirts with dramatic tones here and there, with a theme of simply wanting to “matter” recurring over and over again, we also get many frequent swipes at Disney, Fox and a consistent breaking of the fourth wall. Jackman’s recent divorce, Deadpool’s fondness of “Gossip Girl,” (which starred his wife Blake Lively) and even Mad Max: Fury Road are not off limits. Nor is a multitude of vulgar, crass, and inappropriate jokes that never really slow down. Admittedly, one joke late in the film got me to verbally say “Oh. My. God.” in exasperation.

Apologies to those sitting next to me.

Deadpool ultimately finds a version of Wolverine lesser than he expected. Yet, he remains jacked to the gills and a vicious killing machine when provoked. On screen, Reynolds and Jackman take a few scenes to gel but soon develop their comedic/straight-man schtick pretty well. They clearly are having a ball with all of this.  

One thing that surfaces here however is a movie that flirts with a lack of authenticity. At times, Deadpool & Wolverine plays too cute and too clever. Marvel, Fox, and Disney may be “allowing” all these jabs and stabs of humor to be made at their own expense and Reynolds’ talk-fast, quick-witted tendencies can certainly be effective. But there are moments where the film needs to feel more risky and carefree and instead feels very carefully managed and workshopped. 

Amid the nonstop cameos and surprises within the film, I should acknowledge there’s a villain played by Emma Corrin (“The Crown”). Bald, with excessively long fingers, their portrayal of Cassandra Nova, evil twin sister to Charles Xavier - Professor X from the X-Men franchise - is diabolical and sinister enough but also predictable and formulaic. Corrin does however also seem to be enjoying themselves immensely as they chew plenty of scenery. Perhaps, if we get an X-Men spinoff once again (remember the multiverse is always a narrative option), Corrin potentially has a number of paychecks lined up for the foreseeable future. 

In the end, we have a divisive summer blockbuster. Some will despise this from the start while others will think it is the funniest, most entertaining movie of the year. 

For me, I had a good enough time with Deadpool & Wolverine. Not everything works. There are stretches where the film seems to really spin its wheels. But when it hits, it hits. And when Reynolds and Jackman are vibing with each other, you cannot help but smile and find yourself caught up in the spirit of this morally deficient experience.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, Karan Soni, Tyler Mane

Director: Shawn Levy
Written by: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy
Based on characters created by Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza
Release Date: July 26, 2024
Walt Disney Studios