This review contains spoilers.
To quote Deadpool and Wolverine: “Let’s f****** go!”
Marvel Studios and FOX’s latest installment in the Deadpool franchise, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” released Friday, July 26. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprised their iconic roles as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively, with the addition of Emma Corrin starring as the antagonist Cassandra Nova.
From the opening sequence of pure violence as Deadpool gruesomely murders Time Variance Authority (TVA) agents while dancing to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” to all the bloody fights between Deadpool and Wolverine, the movie’s pace kept excellent momentum while still allowing fans to soak up every moment of the experience.
Film director Shawn Levy’s narrative style and the entire cast’s character portrayals made this movie such an enjoyable watch; I’d give it a five out of five stars. The film set the largest worldwide opening record for an R-rated movie, “making $441 million globally.” Since its opening weekend, the film has grossed a little more than 1 billion.
On preview night, the movie scored $38.5 million in the domestic box office, and it’s no surprise why.
Ever since Reynolds announced the surprise return of Jackman’s Wolverine in 2022, fans have been eagerly awaiting the film’s release — especially since Jackman retired the character in “Logan (2017)” after playing him for nearly two decades.
As a long-time Marvel fan who grew up watching the X-Men movies, it’s been a longtime dream for the X-Men, especially Wolverine, to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Deadpool was the last character I’d expect Marvel to choose to tackle the multiverse, but it was the perfect opportunity for his transition from FOX to Marvel.
I will admit, I haven’t watched any of the previous Deadpool movies, and even after watching the movie I still don’t plan on doing so. That being said, someone who has only watched the Deadpool movies or a handful of Marvel movies may have a very different viewing experience from someone who has read the comics and kept up with the MCU post “Avengers: Endgame.”
Simply put, the film is a love letter to the die-hard Marvel and comic-book lovers.
For a movie just slightly over two hours, the scenes felt skillfully thought-out, with none feeling rushed, dragged out or useless to the plot.
Marvel movies often use computer generated imagery (CGI) or virtual effects to create stunning visuals that often either hit the mark or are far from it. However, “Deadpool & Wolverine” utilized practical sets to enhance their cinematography, allowing the stunts, dialogue and actors’ physicality to carry the movie. The practical sets effectively captured the wastelands of The Void, letting fans focus precisely on what they came to see: the acting.
Previous Marvel movies have been caught using poor CGI, such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” but the CGI in this film was beautiful. The shots of Cassandra sticking her fingers through people’s skulls to read their minds were gross and disturbing — capturing the art of her villainy. The CGI of her doing this looked incredibly realistic, as did the other graphic scenes such as the Human Torch’s death, played by Chris Evans, Sabretooth’s death, played by Tyler Mane and Cassandra’s attempt to use the time loom. The subtlety of the cinematography and virtual effects allowed the plot and action scenes to carry their weight, cementing the experiences of these two iconic characters on the screen together.
Cassandra’s arc diverted from the classic Marvel villain, resulting in a refreshing superhero film. There was no attempt at a grand speech to appeal to Cassandra or Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox’s humanity. Instead, the heroes were focused on saving the day and stopping the villains who had valid reasons for their actions. In the Cassandra’s case, the TVA pruned her as a child and then Mr. Paradox plotted to murder her. Some might argue that Cassandra and Mr. Paradox were villains, but considering how Deadpool and Wolverine are two untraditional characters, I believe the real challenge was overcoming how the world perceived them as unimportant failures.
Another creative choice that serviced the movie was the use of slow motion footage, which made the fight sequences all the more satisfying. A prime example of this is when Deadpool and Wolverine run in slow motion to the portal to return to Deadpool’s timeline. The technique dramatizes the tension, anticipation and hope as the characters on the battleground look overhead while action music plays, resembling comic book panels coming to life.
My two favorite scenes are when Deadpool and Wolverine fight the Deadpool variants and the final fight. Both scenes utilize Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” to capture the exhilarating and comical mood quite well. The fight against the Deadpool variants was in true Deadpool fashion: bloody and hilarious. This scene was also special to me because Jackman donned both Wolverine’s comic-accurate suit and mask, making comic book to live-action history.
As for the final fight, the sequence was the heart and soul of the movie. Some fans complain that it wasn’t a classic final superhero fight, but I found it to be more realistic. There would be no way for either character to physically defeat Cassandra as her telepathic and metal-controlling abilities would render Wolverine useless and take them both out. The choice to make both Deadpool and Wolverine willing to sacrifice their lives to save Deadpool’s timeline made the ending so much more satisfying, fulfilling the beloved superheroes’ character arcs.
Every part of the final battle was absolute perfection, including Wolverine’s attempt to sacrifice himself to save the world and be the hero he didn’t get to be, as well as having been bested by Deadpool who was steadfast to do the same. Seeing both characters work together to save the timelines and become heroes was well-executed and I was rooting for them the entire time.
With sparks flying around both Deadpool and Wolverine, Reynolds and Jackman vividly portray their characters’ desperation, determination and desire through their masks. The humor was still on par with the franchise’s previous installments and serviced the storyline of Deadpool and Wolverine finding places in their worlds and the MCU. The scenes with Deadpool dancing and Dogpool stole the show for me. I appreciated the fourth-wall breaks about Disney, FOX and Marvel, such as the recent Marvel movies flopping, the characters being acquired by Disney, their FOX counterparts and the movie actors themselves.
Evans’ return as the Human Torch was mind-blowing, as I hadn’t expected he’d come back to Marvel with his departure as Captain America in “Avengers: Endgame.” Unfortunately for me and other Evans fans, his character was short-lived as Cassandra brutally murdered him, but I truly appreciated the buildup to his appearance.
The reprisals of Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Wesley Snipes as Blade and Dafne Keen as X-23 variants were equally well done. I appreciated the little X-23 nods to her character in “Logan” and Channing Tatum’s long-awaited debut as Gambit. While these were not the characters I expected, they made the movie all the more enjoyable. The movie never felt pressured to deliver cameos, nor did it rely on them, as this is a common criticism of the latest Marvel projects.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is an unforgettably unconventional comic book movie that leaves viewers energized for what Marvel has next in store.
