Deadpool & Wolverine, 2024.
Directed by Shawn Levy.
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen.
SYNOPSIS:
A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life with his days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. But when his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit up again with an even more reluctant Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine begins with the former digging up the latter’s corpse, now nothing but a skeleton, proceeding to use it to beat the holy hell out of his attacking pursuers, at one point entering slow motion with a “Hugh Jackman” opening credits graphic plastered onto that skull. In his familiar fourth-wall-breaking quippy cadence, the Merc with a Mouth states upfront that there will be no attempt made not to desecrate the legacy of Logan as a film.
That commentary pleasantly ends up somewhat inaccurate because at the core of this gonzo story is a sincere reverence for the superhero movies that came before attached to the Fox label, or in other words, a cinematic universe that was abruptly shut down even though there were still tantalizing directions to go with other characters and numerous exciting projects in development that never came to fruition, and probably never will. This film is a taste of what could have been wrapped up in another tale of Wade Wilson searching for his place in the world and among superhero teams.
Simultaneously, Logan is damn near close to being not just a perfect comic book film but a perfect film, period, so there does need to be some type of self-aware acknowledgment that this whole endeavor might be unnecessary fan service to put Deadpool and Wolverine in the same movie finally, something stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have been openly vocal about wishing could have happened. However, despite the expected juvenile irreverent humor and wanton violence (more visceral than ever, even if the globs of CGI blood look hideous), this film has an emotional core tied to the past and present. Essentially, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman give top-tier performances playing characters they have always excelled at portraying.
You get Deadpool and Wolverine, plus an enormous amount of cameos that, yes, are deployed for nostalgia and for humor and surprises (at least one of them is someone I would have never expected would have anything to do with Marvel again for various reasons), but they aren’t treated like punchlines. Everyone appears happy to be here, a far cry from whatever the hell that MCU Fantastic Four cameo a few years ago was supposed to accomplish. Perhaps it’s because their films came around at a time when the filmmakers directing them weren’t taking the stories or characters seriously enough to do them justice, and in some cases, the chance to play a character following their movie never getting made, as if a wrong is being righted. For someone else, it’s a depressing reminder that Hollywood has found nothing to do with them since then, and it’s exciting to see them back, bringing out the best in Logan once again. As a result, the film subversively feels important, like an earnest, late goodbye that is first and foremost committed to being outlandishly fun.
It’s more than enough to make up for Shawn Levy’s direction, which leaves something to be desired from the staging of some of the action sequences (nonetheless set to some terrific pop song choices matching the zany, good-times wavelength), not to mention CGI environments that look especially blurry and unfinished (which is not a knock against the visual effects artists who typically find themselves crunched and rushing, with some scenes looking better than others.) Thankfully, that too recovers with a rapturous side-scrolling battle, rich in expression and absurdity, so much so that it feels like a comic book come to life.
Co-writing alongside Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Ryan Reynolds, and Zeb Wells (most of whom have worked on the previous two entries), also know that the story that is here is a nonsensical excuse to get to the above scenarios and character pairings, presenting everything with about as much ADHD as Deadpool himself. Discovering what exactly the plat here is makes for energized and wacky fun, with characters flung from one location to the next with a sense of structural chaos that turns out to be rather controlled.
Eventually settling down into a Max Max-reminiscent wasteland, Deadpool and Wolverine face off against Emma Corrin’s psychic Cassandra Nova (the script disappointingly doesn’t find much to do with the character, but Emma Corrin tears up the screen with a malicious, vicious portrayal that means business) for reasons best left for viewers to uncover themselves. Far more worthy of discussion is why Deadpool becomes fascinated with Wolverine, which goes beyond needing his help to save the day (being as vague as possible not to spoil anything) and into a tonally inconsistent but nonetheless striking, at times moving even, juxtaposition of who they are as heroes. Wolverine has his baggage and shortcomings as a person but is widely recognized as the ultimate self-sacrificing hero in that Fox universe.
Meanwhile, this particular Wolverine variant (Deadpool handpicks him for a fairly hilarious reason) is the worst of them, having committed some major screw-ups. The film is also about Deadpool wanting to be seen as a hero in that same way, potentially even joining the Avengers to make it happen, having something worth fighting for and defending. This concept gets at something universally human; if there really is a multi-verse out there, can the worst versions of ourselves always rise and transform into the best?
There is no denying that the more dramatic beats, especially anything involving this Wolverine’s past, come across as jarring in a movie that is otherwise wall-to-wall violence and meta-humor about superhero tropes, film studios, pop-culture references, and timely topics, but everyone is certainly aware of what does work. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have electric chemistry in their “will they fight or f***” disdain for merely being in the presence of one another, with numerous scenes dedicated to them bickering and brutally destroying one another.
As most people probably know, they have the same regenerative healing power, with Wolverine, in a fit of rage, exclaiming that God’s greatest joke is giving a useless nuisance like Deadpool that same ability. All throughout, Deadpool refers to himself as Marvel Jesus, with everyone winking at the camera, openly admitting that these characters are coming into the MCU at a low point. Fortunately, Deadpool & Wolverine is a high point. It’s a ludicrous blast that avoids self-serious trappings, is relentlessly outrageous, and, somehow, the first MCU film to take that multiverse concept and run through the wall with it, offering up shocking surprises handled with touching reverence. It’s the most exciting and event-worthy Marvel has felt in years.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
