Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfayden
Directed by Shawn Levy

Back in 2017, Hugh Jackman gave his swan song as the iconic Wolverine in the epic film "Logan," officially ending his seventeen-year run as America's favorite X-Man. The sendoff was touching, heartfelt, and beautifully R-rated, something every fan was appreciative of. Very few iconic characters get such a sendoff as Jackman's Wolverine did, and we all thought it was the end of an era. Then last year, Ryan Reynolds posted a video talking about the new "Deadpool" movie with Hugh Jackman walking by in the background, and Reynolds asks him if he's reprise his role as Wolverine, to which Jackman agreed to, sending the Internet into a tizzy. Could all our collective nerd brains comprehend what was about to happen? Deadpool and Wolverine in the same movie? The MCU? RATED R????? The anticipation was, to say the least, palpable - and the result, to say the least, is nothing short of magnificent. A true fan service film in every glorious sense of the word (while also giving some heavy self-defecating humor as well), the film should've been called "Deadpool & Wolverine & Cameos" but done absolutely right.

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is living a comfortable life surrounded by his friends when he's taken to the Time Variance Authority led by Paradox (Matthew Mcfayden) for a glorious purpose. He finds Logan (Hugh Jackman) and enlists his help to save Wade's universe - and all universes - as they embark on a perilous journey against the evil Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).

To say anything more about the plot would be giving spoilers away, and I tend not to do that (which makes it somewhat difficult to write a full review, because honestly this movie is spoiler central). For a true Marvel fan - who understands that the last few years have been...rocky...at best (even Deadpool gives a humorous aside to this fact) - "Deadpool & Wolverine" is easily the best film in this cinematic universe since "Spider-Man: No Way Home" which, also, was a glorious fan service.

There's so much the movie does absolutely right, which I'll get into in a moment, but there's a few small flaws as well, which I'll discuss now. One of those flaws, as usual, comes with the villain. Emma Corrin's Cassandra Nova is a powerhouse of a villain, the sister of Charles Xavier, with telekinetic and telepathic powers, yet she feels underused here. That's nothing against her performance, which is a brilliant blend of self-assuredness, cocky swagger, and deadpan comedic delivery, but ultimately she feels like another recycled villain in the pantheon of MCU baddies.

The other small nitpick I have with the film is the lack of old "Deadpool" characters. Leslie Uggams's Blind Al gets the most screen time, while Monica Baccarin's Vanessa gets second, but only that is about maybe ten minutes. The rest of the OG "Deadpool" cast (including Karan Soni's Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand's Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Stefan Kapicic's Colossus) appear fleetingly, just long enough for us to remember they were in the other films as well.

Now to everything the film does right. Ryan Reynolds was practically born to play Deadpool, and he once again delivers a knockout performance. The Merc with a Mouth really delivers, breaking fourth walls and breaking bodies in the most hilarious ways possible, while giving social commentary, quips at MCU and Fox, and disgusting toilet humor that we all know and love. Some were concerned with Deadpool joining the MCU that they would dilute his character to fit a more family-friendly PG-13 world, but those fears were squashed from the literal first scene of the movie.

Hugh Jackman's return is nothing short of Jesus-level for a MCU fanboy (not being sacrilegious, but it's an apt comparison), and he dons the iconic comic-accurate suit for the first time like he never left the role. This Logan is troubled by a past, and it haunts his present - but deep down he knows he's still a hero, even if no one else (apart from Deadpool) believe it. Jackman balances deadpan humor and emotional pathos like only he could, giving a new layer to the already multi-layered Wolverine he's played for twenty-three years now.

When you pair Reynolds and Jackman together, the result is cinematic magic. The two have been friends for years, and their rapport with one another is as natural as a river spring. You can tell they had a blast working together, and it shows in the final product, with good-natured jabs at each other both in character and in real life (you'll know a particular joke when you hear it, and you'll both laugh and cringe at the same time). This multiverse-hopping buddy cop comedy is the stuff of legend, and these two bring the goods from start to finish, demanding for more in the future.

The CGI is surprisingly crisp, considering the lack of good CGI in MCU movies lately ("Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania" or "Thor: Love and Thunder" anyone?), and the action is worthy of the film's R-rating. Body parts go flying, blood gets spilled, guts spill out, and desecration of bodies run rampant, hardly giving you a moment not to revel in the glorious bloodshed being gifted to us.

The soundtrack is inspired as well, putting to use some of the best bangers in recent history and incorporating them in the film in ways you wouldn't think possible. From the opening number featuring N'Sync's "Bye Bye Bye" to a fight sequence under the musical score of "Grease" and Madonna's "Like a Prayer" serving as the film's worship song, "Deadpool & Wolverine" is a smorgasbord of hits that'll have your toes tapping as you laugh out loud.

Then there's the cameos. Sadly I was spoiled by some of them, but I wasn't with others, and I audibly gasped more than once seeing some of them on screen. You won't forget them.

The film also boasts so many one-liners that I've been quoting since then, but again for the sake of no spoilers I won't mention them, but there's so many I have to go back and watch again to catch up on them - if I don't find myself rolling over in laughter again at the ones I heard already.

Welcoming Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds to the MCU in spectacular fashion, "Deadpool & Wolverine" shows that superhero fatigue isn't a real thing - as long as there's a superhero movie that does everything right.

The Score: A+