Photos Courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: REVIEW
- Rob Crowther, Editor In Chief
Once again, it's time to make the chimichangas. This time we finally get the long-teased Wolverine and Deadpool team up starring fan favorites Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, who are having almost as much fun as the audience. What once seemed impossible became inevitable, creating a threequel well worth the price of admission, chock full of cameos, fan service, catchphrases, and fun.
SPOILERS BELOW:
The third installment of the "Merc with a Mouth" series sees our (anti)hero seemingly out of action, and on the outs with his girlfriend, Vanessa. (Morena Baccarin) This was the only aspect of the film I felt was a bit rushed, and left the cause of their break difficult to parse, as the second movie was based so strongly on Wade and Vanessa's relationship. Some viewers may experience some slight whiplash from this sharp turn. Nitpick aside, this rollercoaster of a movie was a blast from start to finish.
After failing to join the Avengers, Deadpool unexpectedly meets up with the TVA or Time Variance Authority, known to those who have watched both seasons of the Loki series on Disney+. Wade finds himself dealing with a rogue member of the TVA, Paradox, who plans on deleting timelines in various multi-verses. When it's revealed that Wade's timeline is on the chopping block, he makes an "Educated Wish" that he can save his doomed timeline, by finding an "anchor being" ....you guessed it, Wolverine. Deadpool hopes to find the regenerated corpse of Wolverine from Logan, but finds nothing but an adamantium skeleton. However, this leads to an incredible opening credit fight scene to the tune of N'Sync's "Bye, Bye, Bye", which is absolutely brilliant. This sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
After the opening fight scene, the journey to finding the right Wolverine throughout infinite universes leads to a montage of classic comic Wolverine incarnations including Patch, Age of Apocalypse Weapon-X, comic height 5'3" Wolverine, and many more.
Throughout the film, the banter between Reynolds and Jackman is absolutely perfect. Not once does Jackman break from his tough exterior, true to Wolverine's persona. This allows him to be the perfect straight man to Reynolds constant wisecracks. There are a few scenes where Jackman absolutely steals the show and is able to emote ever so perfectly, providing a lot of the seriousness in the film. Everything about Jackman's performance was brilliant, from his fighting stances to his mannerisms. And yes, we finally got the Wolverine cowl, and it was absolute MAGIC! It looked perfect on Hugh, and was a thing of beauty!
As previously mentioned the film is chock full of cameos including classic X-Men villains and heroes, along with some other movie supes we haven't seen in over two decades. We even get very random, but extremely welcome Elektra (Jennifer Garner complete with an Affleck jab) and Blade (Wesley Snipes) cameos! Also, keep an eye out for the amazing Chris Evans misdirect. The cherry on top is the incredibly unexpected emergence of Channing Tatum as everyone's favorite Cajun, Gambit, almost poking fun at some of the rumors that Tatum would indeed be playing the card throwing mutant in a future film. Although a bit cartoon-ish, Tatum's performance was solid, as he committed to the character and even more-so committed to the voice. It has always been challenging to portray gambit on film, but in some ways I think it's perfect for Tatum here, because we are dealing with Variants in the multi-verse. Regardless of my critique, this was really fun and super meta. The more I think about it, the more I really like it.
Additionally, keep an eye out for some of your favorite Wrexham players in the background along with some other fun easter eggs.
We are also introduced to our big bad, Charles Xavier's sister, and perhaps just as equally powerful, Cassandra Nova. Emma Corrin absolutely knocked it out of the park with this role, as well as the special effects team who portrayed her finger poking mutant powers ever so perfectly.
In hindsight, the film is actually really good, especially in its attempt to explain the next phase of the MCU, while providing so much levity. Conversely, they REALLY pushed the envelope as far as vulgarity, raunchiness, language and the like, as only Deadpool can. Jackman and Reynolds are the perfect pairing here, and this film could be just the thing that the MCU needs to get fans re-invested in the characters and stories they want to see moving forward. This is one you'll want to go back to the theater and watch again BUB!
RATING: 8.1 out of 10 VERY GOOD
