Film Review: Deadpool and Wolverine

 

Sexuality/Nudity Mature

Violence Mature

Vulgarity Mature

Anti-Catholic Philosophy Mature

You have to know that if you are going to see a Deadpool movie that it will be filled with over-the-top, bloody violence and some of the most vulgar language imaginable.  If you can accept that, then Deadpool and Wolverine will be some of the most fun you will have in the theater this year.

The story picks up a few years after the events of Deadpool 2, where Deadpool/Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), has settled into a mediocre life.  He is a car salesman living with Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) and is now separated from the love of his life Vanessa (Morena Baccarin).  Despite this, Wade is moderately happy because he has a small group of friends (most of whom are from the previous two movies) that care about him.  However, Wade is abducted by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) of the Time Variance Authority (from the Disney+ show Loki) and is invited to join the MCU timeline.  However Wade discovers that his timeline is dying and believes he can save his universe if he finds a Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) from the multiverse to come and reside in his universe.  I won't spoil his travails here, but he ends up with the "worst" Wolverine from the multiverse and the two of them have to join forces to save Wade's world.

Now, that sounds like some standard MCU, multiverse plot set-up.  And that is part of the charm of Deadpool and Wolverine.

The franchise has always happily taken pot-shots at the super hero genre.  But with this movie, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and its predecessors are its toybox.  These Deadpool movies have always been very good at doing simeltaneous things that are contradictory.  First, they make fun of the genre of super hero movies while at the same time having a fairly traditional superhero plot line.  The second is that the movie shifts radically in tone to adolescent, scatalogical humor to heart-felt drama and it hardly ever feels false.

The movie keeps at its heart the traditional hero's journey at its center, albeit in a strange Deadpool fashion.  In an early scene Wade tries to join an important organization because he says "I need this."  But this just highlights that he has not yet become the selfless hero he needs to be.  The "worst" Wolverine is on a redemption arc where he needs to move past his trauma and step up when he is needed.  The Deadpool movies are actually not as subversive as people think.  One of the reason The Last Jedi turned so many people off was because it appeared like a traditional Star Wars movie but it had subverted its main themes.  The Deadpool movies look like they are subverting the hero's journey, but in actuality, it remains its beating heart.

There are a lot of things I would like to discuss in this review, but I do not want to spoil them.  Part of the fun of this movie are the surprises.

My main criticism are mostly nit-picks.  For example, while the movie was funny and there was a good deal of laughter, I hoped that it would be funnier.  The good news is that even if a lot of jokes don't land, there are so many that you will more often than not be smiling throughout the movie.

The second is that Deadpool sometimes crosses a line that makes him just a little too unlikeable.  This is best exemplified when he gets innocent people killed by his words and actions.  These are, of course, meant to be taken as jokes, but then tend to be just on the wrong side of distaste.  They aren't deal-breakers, but they make the movie just slightly less enjoyable.

The third is that they flirt with blasephmy as a recurring joke.  Mr. Paradox ask Wade to join the MCU, so Wade thinks of himself as a savior and gets into the habit of calling himself "Marvel Jesus" and makes several jokes in this vein.  None of these jokes come off as targeted or hostile to Christianity.  They feel more like an immature attempt at edgy humor.  But for some people this might be just too big of a turn off.

But the strength of this movie is completey on the shoulders of Reynolds and Jackman.  They are the perfect superhero odd couple.  One of the best parts of Jackman's performance is that he plays Wolverine completely seriously.  He is as intense and dramatic as anything he has done before.  He even has a monologue right before the third act that is rivetting.  This acts as a perfect foil to the bonkers insanity of Reynolds.  From body language to vocal inflection, the two of them find the perfect opposites that make for a rich comedic and dramatic balance.  Since their characters both have healing factors, their fight scenes with each other do not have life and death stakes.  Instead, they are expressions of their characters fear, angers, and frustration.

And as crude as this movie is, there is a clear affection for the movies that have come before, particularly the ones from 20th Century Fox.  The jokes and the digs feel like the way your best friends call you the meanest names.  You are good with it because you are at that level of friendship where you can do that.  The jokes towards the MCU feel a little different.  They feel like the court jester poking fun at the emperor, saying he has no clothes.  Those jokes feel a little more pointed, but I give Marvel credit for letting themeselves get roasted.

While I did wish the movie was funnier, I admit I am still chuckling as I remember some of the jokes.  I never thought the word "Gubentorial" would give me a laughing fit.

As I mentioned in my review for The Acolyte, my bar for entertainment is actually fairly low.  The bloody and frenetic action sequences kept me fully engaged.  Seeing Wolverine and Deadpool tear into each other filled me with a nostalgia from when I first read these characters.

Speaking of which, there are so many Easter Eggs and nods to all aspects of Marvel Comics and Marvel movies.  In fact, there are too many of them to full absorb in one sitting.  This means that I am definitely going to see this movie again.

This is probably the most enjoyable MCU movie since Spider-Man: No Way Home.  It is definetely better than the last Deadpool.  

I would watch Reynolds and Jackman keep playing these characters again and again.  Even into their 90's.