by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
The biggest buddy cop action superhero movie finally hits the theaters as Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman take on the frenemies, Deadpool and Wolverine.
Deadpool has been rescued from his timeline by Mr. Paradox of the Time Variance Authority because someone higher up sees the ultimate benefit Deadpool serves to the sacred timeline. Unfortunately, the timeline where Deadpool was removed is set to fade away because of the loss of its “anchor being”. Because he can’t stand to lose his friends, Deadpool breaks away from the TVA in an attempt to save his timeline by bringing back its anchor being. So Deadpool goes searching the timelines to find a replacement for the now deceased anchor, Logan also known as Wolverine to save his friends. What could go wrong?
Deadpool and Wolverine is written by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, and Shawn Levy. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Stefan Kapicic, Dafne Keen, and a whole lot more. Deadpool and Wolverine is directed by Shawn Levy.
Deadpool and Wolverine is a family affair movie not made for families. The whole gang from the previous Deadpool movies is here, Baccarin, Uggams, Kapicic, and Delaney. This time several X-Men characters are brought into the film including the return of Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), Kelly Hu, Aaron Stanford, and now including Hugh Jackman, of course as Wolverine. Director Shawn Levy joins the team but is also part of the family because he has directed both Reynolds and Jackman in the past, Reynolds recently in Free Guy and Jackman in Real Steel. All these people consist of Deadpool’s family and thus the impetus for the film.
Anyone who has seen any Deadpool movie knows that this antihero movie is not for families with young members. The movie has a hard R rating for excellent reasons. There is bloody violence, vulgar references, and lots and lots and lots of profanity. It leans in and gets every inch of the rating that it can.
Ultimately, Deadpool and Wolverine marks a turning point for Marvel Studios. After getting slammed for incoherent and unnecessary stories for almost the entirety of the fourth phase, this film is incredibly smart, incessantly humorous, and wickedly pleasing. Marvel Studios takes time to poke fun at 20th Century Fox yet at the same time gives them major props for their past work. Just as Deadpool is aware of the world around him and can break the fourth wall, this film recognizes the world that it is in and where it came from. Reese and Wernick did a great job with the franchise with Fox, with Marvel they just turned it up to eleven.
The story reeks of intelligence. It honors the films that came before it, especially Logan, and yet expounds upon them in ways that value the comic book fans who love the franchise and the movie fans who love the films. Comic book fans know that almost no characters die and stay dead forever. Movie fans know that Hugh Jackman was the best Wolverine ever. While it may be possible to recast the Hulk or maybe even Black Panther in the future, movie fans will tell you that there is no recast possible right now for Logan. Deadpool and Wolverine is the perfect intersection in the Venn Diagram that brings those two wholly different fans together for an experience that they both will enjoy.
Visually, the journey of Deadpool 3 is glorious. It is bloody and violent with fight scenes that are smartly choreographed to illustrate the futility of fighting. As entertaining as the fight scenes are, there are so many super creative Easter eggs to see that one must watch the film at least three times to get them all. There is one scene that visually trumps them all that even the hardest-core dog lovers will see and think they probably went too far. But guess what? You won’t forget it!
Rated R for strong bloody violence, strong language throughout, gore, and sexual references, Deadpool and Wolverine is a bloody hilarious movie! Cameos on top of cameos! Lines on top of lines. This is the one everyone has been waiting for and it does not disappoint. At this point, all that can be said is “Welcome to Marvel Deadpool, what’s next?”
Deadpool and Wolverine is in theaters nationwide on July 25, 2024.
Grade: A