a PG Review of Deadpool and Wolverine
Featured Image by Jordan Wolfanger
It’s that time of year again folks. A new Deadpool movie has graced us with its presence, and this time, Ryan Reynolds has somehow convinced Hugh Jackman to play Wolverine once again, even though I think he’d rather be dancing and singing on stage. But be warned, this review definitely has spoilers in it. So, SPOILERS AHEAD!
Gosh, where to begin? It should be noted that your average movie watcher would not be able to enjoy this movie. “Deadpool & Wolverine” is absolutely packed full of cameos and references. You have to be pretty enamored with superhero movies to understand all the cameos in this film. If you’ve only seen the previous Deadpool movies, that still isn’t enough to fully understand everything in the film. I mean, there are even jokes from Ryan Reynolds’s 2009 rom-com “The Proposal”. That said, there are definitely enough superhero nerds in the world for this movie to be a massive hit.
Personally, I adored every cameo that I recognized on screen. I have to say my absolute favorite was Chris Evans coming back as Johnny Storm. Since the multiverse has been introduced into the MCU, a lot of the cameos or special guests seem a little bland, or like the Disney executives are just trying to make more money off nostalgia. In this movie, it felt as though all the actors were genuinely having fun with each other. It was authentic and awesome to watch. Another thing I loved about this film was the advertising. From the popcorn buckets to the press tour, the advertisements and build-up to the film were a big part of what made it so successful. This is again due to the fact that Ryan Reynolds and the makers of this film genuinely loved making it. The way the filmmakers and actors treated this movie was a huge factor in its success.
What I was not expecting from this film was the prevalence of the Time Variance Authority. The general aesthetic of Deadpool versus the TVA does not go hand in hand. The TVA seemed so Disney, and Deadpool seemed so Fox that I wasn’t prepared for the mixture of them. I didn’t hate the use of it in the movie, but I do feel like they could have come up with something better. The whole plot, in general, felt a little boring. If you put other characters into this story without the cameos, it would be a pretty bland movie. The characters are what make this movie. Overall, more thought was put into the plot of the first and second films, while this one was more about Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman just wanting to have fun.
Lastly, as a VFX major, I must talk about the visual effects of the film. The VFX was not hyper-realistic, though I think that was intentional. The fight scenes were very stylized in this film. However, the first fight scene was my favorite. It was epic, with the Backstreet Boys singing and Deadpool dancing. It felt like I was watching a comic book but in live action. I think the VFX artist leaned into the absurdity of the film, and I thought it was great.
I think this film is the best thing that has come from the multiverse being introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Initially, I believed the multiverse got to be too much with too many loose ends, and the MCU started unraveling. I think this is a perfect movie that almost laughs at the insanity of the multiverse. As I’m writing this, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is still in theaters and has just surpassed $900 million at the box office. This means the third Deadpool movie has already passed the two previous ones, as the other two brought in $700 million at the box office. Though the first Deadpool is objectively the best/my favorite, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is the perfect film to repair the MCU and outright say what everyone has been thinking. It was also the perfect opportunity for Ryan Reynolds to have fun with a bunch of his friends and have the audience enjoy it just as much.