By Matthew Moorcroft

Solid Recommendation

• Directed by Shawn Levy
• Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen
• R

Sorry guys.

I think it’s easy to be cynical about something like Deadpool & Wolverine, and I don’t blame anyone who is. Even beyond the nature of bringing back Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine – a character believed to have been retired, dead, and buried – there the multiversal stuff and standard MCU baggage that’s going to come along with it due to the nature of the story it is telling. I’ve ragged on it before as well in films like The Flash or the MCU’s own Quantumania, which use the multiverse setting as either excuses for franchise table setting or cameo reaction bait. Not everything can be No Way Home or Multiverse of Madness.

Despite this though, it’s easy to see why Deadpool & Wolverine works when others of it’s ilk don’t, and that’s all due to Deadpool himself. Literally within the first 5 minutes, when he gleefully announces to the world that he is indeed going to desecrate the grave of Wolverine and bring him back for a quick buck, the tone is set. Reynolds may be happy to be in the MCU now, yes, as the film makes clear on multiple occasions, but deeper down there is clearly a frustration at the fact this third film was clearly taken over by the constraints of corporate overlords.

There are two stories here. The first is the one on screen, a multiversal road trip between two souls who can’t stand each other, who can’t die, and meet a bunch of colorful different versions of themselves and learn that they can be more then they are. It’s a fun, heartfelt time with maybe one too many cameo appearances and a lack of a clear antagonist, and that’s really all that can be said about it. Reynolds and Jackman are game as usual, the action is a highlight, blah blah blah, you’ve heard it before. If anything it’s mostly “business as usual” for the character, which ultimately means that his stronger second adventure might still be the king of his big screen outings. Hard to beat Leitch in terms of style, and while Levy isn’t terrible he’s no Leitch and outside of the action scenes lacks a dynamism that needs to fit this kind of character.

The second story however is the far more interesting one, and it’s everything in the subtext – though honestly, it might as well be text at points considering the nature of Deadpool as a series. This story is one about a franchise left out to die at the will of corporate overlords, and how a universe, no matter how beloved it may be, will be seen as unnecessary once it reaches what they believe to be a natural end point at the expense of everyone else. The metatextual stuff in the film is where it not only works, but it soars outwards into reaching something oddly touching. It’s one thing to have cameo characters show up in a cool, slow motion scene meant for audience applause and reaction, but to give them some kind of ending? A closure for the ones that were never meant to be? That’s something else, and while it’s fanservicey as hell I can’t lie there is something satisfying about seeing the jankier, more flawed superhero films of the 2000s finally get their due.

And it’s with that subtextual element that Deadpool & Wolverine becomes something more then the sum of it’s individual parts. It’s story can be a bit messy and thin, but it wear it’s heart on it’s sleeve and isn’t afraid to make fun of itself (both softly and actually with teeth). It’s cameo characters are nostalgia bait, yes, but they are used effectively and thematically rather then just tools for quick bursts of audience fervor. It’s two villains make the film feel a little disjointed, but both of them are so much fun that it’s hard to hate (and easy highlights of the cast). It’s VFX range from weak and video-gamey to genuinely great, but the emphasis on practical sets and actual stunt work means it’s mostly a non-issue. Levy’s direction is simple and occasionally without much in the way of anything interesting (especially when compared to Leitch or hell even Tim Miller), but that also means he’s smart enough stay out of the way of Reynolds and Jackman who have charisma for days and carry so much of this on their backs.

Maybe it’s also my love for this branch of Marvel that overshadows any criticism that can be lobbied here. While I think the first two Deadpool are probably superior, the love and passion present for not just Deadpool & Wolverine but the entire X-Men line and the Fox-Verse series of films is palpable. It’s the perfect theme park ride – exhausting afterwards and probably bad for you in large doses, but for 2 hours is a blast of time that will leave satisfied. Hate to say it, but really dug this one.