DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (2024) review
written by: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy
produced by: Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy & Lauren Shuler Donner
directed by: Shawn Levy
rated: R (for strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references)
runtime: 128 min.
U.S. release date: July 26, 2024
It’s a strange and different year for the folks over at Disney/Marvel Studios in that only one feature is being released in theaters. In prior years, a movie would drop just about every quarter. There are various reasons that’s not happening this year, and “Deadpool & Wolverine” acknowledges them in the absurdly meta manner we’ve come to expect from Deadpool movies. Perhaps the best reason is to give viewers some breathing room and build up anticipation for one sole MCU feature. It’s also a year in which “X-Men ’97”, the sequel series to the animated series from the 90s, became a massive hit for Disney+. This makes it an excellent time to give fans a live-action Wolverine that finally appears in his classic yellow-and-blue superhero suit. Indeed, it would seem that the timing is just right for a movie that serves as both a sequel and a random one-off – or, as it’s called in the comics world, a one-shot.
There are a handful of firsts in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” making it a far cry from Yet Another MCU Movie. Director Shawn Levy (“A Night at the Museum” movies and “Date Night”) makes his debut behind the wheel of an MCU behemoth, as does the Deadpool character, making it the first R-rated superhero flick for Disney/Marvel Studios. It’s also the first time a Marvel team-up is listed in the movie’s title, although we’ve seen other heroes appear in other heroes’ movies (Tony Stark in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, for example).
So, how did we get here? Did it take 34 MCU movies to see the studio finally embrace a bloody, violent action-comedy (albeit with pathos and pain) that drops F-bombs galore and unabashedly targets a specific fanbase? When the House of Mouse acquisitioned all things 20th Century Fox in 2019, the Marvel Comics characters they had rights to for years – any and all X-Men and Fantastic Four characters – could now be given the Marvel Studios treatment. That opened up possibilities, but who or what would bridge the Fox Marvel characters with the Marvel Studios Marvel characters?
Well, it took Hugh Jackman watching “Deadpool” back in 2016 to realize he wanted another crack at Logan/Wolverine. He saw the potential in pairing the iconic character he’s portrayed since 2000 with the “Merc with the Mouth.” The entertainment factor when the curmudgeonly mutant with a regenerative healing factor and permanently wounded soul teams up with Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), the sarcastic, chatty, and fourth-wall-breaking mutant Ryan Reynolds plays, who also has a regenerative healing factor, was undeniable. At that point, Jackman had just finished filming “Logan,” which was to be a swan song for the character.
Luckily, in the world of Marvel comics, no one ever stays dead (save for Uncle Ben), but could the off-screen bromance between Jackman and Reynolds transfer over to a lucrative blockbuster? It also helps that the current Phase in the MCU is going through a whole lot of Multiverse drama, which means Jackman could return as a variant of Logan. Therefore, possibilities are dizzyingly endless, and the stakes are potentially meaningless.
A greater question would be how this could be done, which boils down to a good story, the foundation of every great movie. Unfortunately, that’s absent here. Despite five screenwriters (typically a bad indicator), including Reynolds and Levy, the narrative of “Deadpool & Wolverine” is quite an incomprehensible mess with vague antagonist motivations and an overall requirement to have prior knowledge of non-Marvel Studios superhero movies dating back to 1998 and a deep cut of Wolverine’s varied comic book history. That’s unfortunate, but despite all that, the movie is still a blast and quite funny in how it makes fun of…well, just about everything.
Indeed, this second Deadpool sequel is a spirited and wild ride, continuing the audacious insanity present in his first movie and 2018’s “Deadpool 2.” Just like those movies are for certain viewers, “Deadpool & Wolverine” will definitely be for a specific audience, maybe even more so than any other superhero movie.
Most of the movie takes place six years after Deadpool’s last movie, where the mercenary takes a shot at a normal life by working as a used car salesman with his pal, Peter Wisdom (Rob Delaney). However, he’s been in something of a depressed funk after getting turned down by The Avengers and his offscreen breakup with his girlfriend, Vanessa Carlyle (Morena Baccarin). He’s surrounded by his stable of nine friends, some of which include a couple of X-Men, cabbie Dobinder (Karan Soni), and roommate Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), but he still has this gnawing need to matter.
It’s going to take the length of this movie’s entire runtime for Wade to figure out that he does indeed matter to his friends. His problem has always been how he views himself, so he masks his insecurity, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt with humorous violence, biting sarcasm, and a lot of meta snark. Don’t be fooled, though; “Deadpool & Wolverine” isn’t out to delve into a deep analysis of the titular superhero psychosis. The only depths this movie explores are the deep cuts of fanboy service (a geekier form of fan service) sprayed throughout, which is the main goal here.
During his birthday party, Wade is pulled out of his timeline (and self-induced drudgery) by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfayden), who works at the Time Variance Authority (TVA). an organization that monitors the Sacred Timeline (Earth-616, aka the MCU) and the multiverses – if you haven’t watched the “Loki” series on Disney+, the significance of the TVA is lost on you. Wade is told that his timeline (Earth-10005) is deteriorating due to the death of its “anchor being,” a guy named Logan (Jackman). For some reason, Paradox plans on expediting the process and wants to give Wade a heads-up. This primarily appeals to the character’s desire to matter, enticing Wade to place him in the Sacred Timeline, where he will supposedly play an important role. However, the death of everything he holds dear will be accelerated by a MacGuffin called a Time Ripper (which does exactly what it sounds like), which finds Wade stealing a time travel device and hunting down a Wolverine to plug back into his timeline.
In a comical montage that solely serves fanboy desires, Wade encounters a handful of Wolverine variants in different timelines for his recruitment efforts. These are all comic references (some deep cuts) that many viewers won’t get, such as an exaggerated comic-accurate height Wolverine, an Age of Apocalypse Wolverine, a Patch Wolverine, an Old Man Wolverine, two references to 80s comic covers, Uncanny X-Men #251 (a crucified Wolverine) and The Incredible Hulk #340 (in which Hulk fights Wolverine, in his classic brown-and-gold costume), and a Wolverine tending to a motorcycle, whom Wade calls Cavillrine since Henry Cavill plays him. That last one will be the first of many cameos in “Deadpool & Wolverine” which Wade addresses with on-and-off screen snark. It’s all fun and cool, that is if you’re a comic book geek and pay close attention to online rumors, but all of this was probably done since this might be Jackman’s last performance as Wolverine…then again, we said this with “Logan,” and here we are.
Eventually, Wade winds up in a bar, tapping the shoulder of a Wolverine who’s drowning his sorrows and regret. (Side Note: It’s not easy being an alcoholic with a regenerative healing factor since your buzz doesn’t last as long as you’d like). Reluctant at first, Logan winds up going along with Wade, hoping to redeem himself and reverse the tragedy he was unable to avert. What tragedy? Good question! The movie “explains away” that tragedy by basically mentioning how Logan went out drinking one night while “humans” murdered his X-Men family. In retaliation, he killed all involved and then some, leaving him vilified by all. Really? Something that momentous needs a more detailed explanation, but that’s not what these five screenwriters (including Levy and Reynolds) are interested in.
Wade returns to the TVA with this Wolverine only to be told by Paradox that such an act cannot save his timeline from its inevitable demise and that he’s brought back the “Worst Wolverine.” This is apparently because of the vague demise of Logan’s fellow X-Men. When Wade realizes that Paradox is acting on his own, unbeknownst to the rest of the TVA, he and Logan are transported to a vast netherworld called The Void. It’s a post-apocalyptic dumping ground of all discarded Marvel things (and characters) formerly handled by 20th Century Fox. It’s also where all living beings are consumed by the creature Alioth (shown as a purple monster cloud), although it’s ruled by Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), the sadistic twin sister of Charles Xavier.
Not long after their arrival, Wade and Logan are captured, along with Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), by Cassandra’s mutant underlings, which include Pyro (Aaron Stanford), Toad (Daniel Medina Ramos), and Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), and brought to her lair nestled in the giant carcass of Scott Lang/Ant-Man. Cassandra has fun toying with Wade and Logan using her telekinetic and telepathic powers before discarding them to Alioth.
The pair narrowly escape, landing in another part of the Void, where they meet a Deadpool variant named Nicepool (Reynolds), who lends them his mini-van and points them in the general direction where a quartet of Resistance fighters, composed of Laura/X-23 (Daphne Keen), Elektra (Jennifer Garner), Blade (Wesley Snipes), and Gambit (Channing Tatum), resides. Deadpool and Wolverine team up with this foursome of Marvel Misfits and take their fight to Cassandra after Deadpool’s convincing rallying speech. Their goal is to get sent back to the TVA and deal with Paradox appropriately to save Wade’s friends and possibly reverse the events in Logan’s timeline.
First and foremost, this is a Deadpool movie through and through, with the insecure anti-hero constantly breaking the fourth wall to comment on the movie’s action and any off-screen meta-references. The movie and Deadpool set out to poke fun at superhero movies, the current state of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Ryan Reynolds’ movies, and even Reynolds and Jackman’s personal lives. It’s fun, and it’s funny, but after a while, it’s clear that this approach overshadows any chance at a succinct narrative.
Sure, there are some moments where Reynolds and Jackman are given the chance to convey emotional weight here, but that’s all few and far between. The primary goal here is to be a roller coaster ride since this is the first time these two popular characters are headlining a movie. That’s understandable, but it’s hard to establish legitimate stakes between that and all the timeline and multiverse playing. Levy, Reynolds, and the other writers can’t seem to balance the movie’s tone, as it jerks from a silly romp (a horde of Deadpool variants for no particular reason!) to an attempt at mining the psyches of these two emotionally damaged men. The last two Deadpool movies covered that ground just fine. Still, this movie is more concerned with cameos and in-jokes than navigating any new or different characterization for the titular duo.
“Deadpool and Wolverine” is ultimately the epitome of a “comic book movie.” This means you won’t be disappointed if you’re a fan of Marvel comics, specifically the comical absurdity of Deadpool comics. Much of the marketing leading up to the movie’s release (and certainly weeks after) has been all about teasing cameo appearances by characters from previous Fox Marvel movies. Still, the big question was whether or not their appearances would matter to the story. They really don’t since the narrative is all over the place.
Is it cool to have these Fox Marvel characters back? Kinda. Probably the best appearance is seeing Chris Evans back as Johhny Storm/Human Torch, an unexpected subversion that earns its laughs. Evans has a blast in his brief part here, which is fun to watch. It’s also great to see Keen back as Laura, now a young woman who leads the Resistance with authority. The rest of that quartet is an odd mix, akin to John Krasinski showing up as Reed Richards with The Illuminati in the second “Doctor Strange” movie. Like that brief moment, we’ll never see Snipes, Garner, and Tatum in these roles again. So, it winds up being fun initially, but it doesn’t amount to much.
As for Tatum’s Gambit, he’s sadly comic relief here and just ridiculous. The actor has never appeared in any Fox Marvel movie as the suave Cajun mutant but has long pursued playing the character. This movie is the only chance he’ll get, and it’s a major letdown, with Wade justifiably making fun of his mush-mouth Bayou accent. It also proves that not every live-action superhero costume should be comic-book-accurate since the attempt here fails. On that note, Wolverine’s iconic mask makes its debut here and even that looks a little dopey in live-action.
Other failures include Macfayden’s Paradox, who winds up being the main antagonist primarily due to his character’s writing and overall impact on the story. The actor is fine in the role but poses a minor threat, considering he started Wade on this time-jumping escapade. Corrin is far more compelling as Cassandra, who shows some surprising layers to her character near the end of her time in the Void. However, her supposed maniacal motivation is fuzzy once she reaches Wade’s timeline.
No one ever thought that Wolverine would play a perfect “straight man” character, but next to Deadpool, that could really be anyone. The movie is at its best when focused on allowing Reynolds and Jackman ample screen time. One can especially understand when Wolverine has reached his limit with the endless immaturity from Deadpool, ripping the motormouth a new one without using his claws. While the humor does get exasperating, I got a kick out of how Reynolds and Co. put Disney, Kevin Feige, and the overall MCU through the wringer. It’s the kind of cheekiness that can be appreciated, even if it’s surrounded by exhausting antics.
Although there’s a lot going on in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the movie doesn’t offer enough beyond snarky bickering, bloody fighting, and nonstop wisecracks. This movie would be unbearable if it weren’t for Reynolds and Jackman doing their thing—and no one else can do these roles justice. Despite being touted as the first MCU movie for these two characters, it’s more a farewell to the Fox age of Marvel movies and nothing more.
RATING: **1/2
