After a delay following the purchase of 20th Century Fox by Disney, Deadpool finally returns to the big screen for his third outing, this time bringing Wolverine along for the ride.
This review will contain no spoilers!
The only cameos mentioned are those featured in the trailer.
When Wade Wilson/Deadpool discovers that the death of Wolverine in ‘Logan‘ will cause his universe to crumble into sudden non-existence, he goes on a journey through the multiverse to find an appropriate replacement Wolverine.
After dabbling with a few Fox characters in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ marks Marvel Studios’ first proper big-screen foray into their acquired Fox catalogue, and if you have any fears that Deadpool may be “disneyfied,” don’t worry. This is very much the ‘Deadpool 3 ‘ you’re probably hoping for.
The Merc with the Mouth (and His New Bestie)
Ryan Reynolds returns as the “merc with the mouth” bringing his comedic chops to the table. He’s just as funny as he was in the previous two ‘Deadpool‘ movies and despite playing the same role in almost everything, it’s still hard not to be excited seeing him return to the role after six years.
Hugh Jackman’s reprisal is a more than welcome one. After allegedly retiring from the role in 2017, he returns as an alternate, though albeit a very similar version, of his most famous role.
READ: Deadpool and Wolverine Have Arrived at Avengers Campus
Pairing Reynolds with Jackman was a perfect decision because Jackman acts as his straight man and it helps level out a lot of Deadpool’s rampant humour. And to be honest, a lot of the jokes work better when an angry, confused or annoyed Wolverine is wondering what the hell is he doing with this loon.
The duo are very much the highlight of the film and I hope we’ll see them return in some form soon.
The BIG Supporting Cast
Also returning from previous ‘Deadpool‘ entries are Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), Peter (Rob Delaney), Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), Dopinder (Karan Soni) Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), Stefan Kapicic (Colossus), Buck (Randal Reeder) and Shatterstar (Lewis Tan).
Unfortunately, the group only make fleeting appearances at the start and end of the film. Delaney’s fan-favourite, Peter has a bit more to do and has more screentime than the other alums, but the absence of the main supporting cast – especially Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Colossus and Yukio is felt. But it was the complete lack of my absolute favourite: Domino (as played by Zazie Beetz in ‘Deadpool 2‘) and her crazy luck-based abilities who I missed the most.
Their fleeting appearance isn’t without merit. They are Wade’s driving force and the whole reason why he’s on this mission.
Along the way, Deadpool and Wolverine encounter Cassandra Nova, the big bad of the movie who also happens to be the twin sister of Charles Xavier/Professor X, sharing similar mind-bending abilities, which are used to great effect in the movie.
Emma Corrin flips the switch from playing every Caribbean mum’s best friend, Princess Diana in The Crown to one of the best villains the MCU has had in ages.
Corrin’s performance, matched with the visuals of their character’s abilities, makes for some skin-crawling scenes that are used to great despite the sometimes dodgy-looking CGI.
The best part is the departure of your bog-standard villain. Corrin, who is deliciously evil as Cassandra, doesn’t take the role too seriously which works perfectly for the tone of the film. I’m praying we get to see their return, whether it be this version or another, in the long-awaited ‘X-Men‘ reboot.
Take Me Down to Cameo City
Unfortunately, the original cast members were relegated to cameos because the movie is packed with characters and Marvel has pulled out the stops (and cheques) for the many cameo appearances. Don’t be shocked if your audience erupts into screams and applause because all of them are exciting to see on the big screen.
Marvel has been criticised for relying on cameo appearances and the same could be said for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ but here the cameos make narrative sense, thanks to the inclusion of the TVA (as seen in ‘Loki‘). The cameos are so exciting that some you have to see (or be spoiled) to believe them.
‘X-Men‘ fans will love seeing the exciting return of actors we’ve not seen in donkeys like Ray Park (Toad) and Tyler Mane (Sabretooth) from ‘X-Men,’ Kelly Hu (Lady Deathstrike) from ‘X-Men 2,’ Dania Ramirez from ‘X-Men: The Last Stand,’ and Jason Felmyng (Azazel) from ‘X-Men: First Class.‘
READ: Tracklist For ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Soundtrack Released
As exciting as it is to see so many “X-Vets” return, it’s sad that most of them, particularly Lady Deathstrike, receive little to no lines at all. But hey, at least they get a cool fight scene.
About that…
No Movie is Perfect
(Except ‘The Proposal’)
‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ isn’t the greatest film of the year, it’s not even the best ‘Deadpool‘ movie (IMO), but it’s fun and sometimes fun is all that matters. However, an action movie like this is expected to deliver decent action sequences.
3-2-1 FIGHT
The opening act is the best-looking fight scene, but a lot of the rest (and there are a lot) are poorly framed and hastily edited. Later in the film, Deadpool and Wolverine build a little team to fight Cassandra Nova’s squad but it feels so rushed that it really took me out of it. There’s even a moment where the camera operator is frantically running around the group and it’s not immersive in any respect.
READ: ‘Avengers 5’ Will No Longer Focus On Kang’s Dynasty
It all stands out most when you compare it to some of the brilliant fight sequences in the previous ‘Deadpool‘ and ‘X-Men‘ entries.
Bromance or Romance?
I’ve mentioned that the film is funny, and it is! But with more jokes that don’t land, it’s easily the least funny instalment in the franchise. But this blends well with Disney’s choice marketing for the film which has been hit and miss.
The Wolverine version of the sexually suggestive popcorn buckets.
Disney’s marketing for the movie has been very gay. Literally. They’ve been pushing the DeadpoolxWolverine bromance with the posters, taglines (“Come Together”) and suggestive popcorn buckets. But its all manufactured.
Besides a few “gay” quips and references to Wade liking guys, all of which are played for laughs, there’s nothing particuarly Queer about the movie. There is a Queer character, played by James Dryden, who delivers a great comedic performance with only reactions and no lines, but his character is souly there for a few “he’s gay” jokes. Still, it is sadly some of the better representation in a Marvel movie.
READ: The Russo Bros. Are In Talks To Direct The Next Two ‘Avengers’ Films
All that being said, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ is still worth a watch on the big screen. It’s more slapstick than the previous two with fewer emotional scenes and more sexual humour, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this is a ‘Deadpool‘ movie we’re talking about. It’s also one of the better offerings from Marvel Studios in the past few years and doubled as a fun farewell to the “20th Century Fox-verse” with many meta-references to the merger and a neat mid-credits video* officially saying goodbye to the eighteen-year-old franchise.
Any extra scenes?
Mid-credits: Sorta.*
End-credits: Yes.
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