Director: Shawn Levy
Writers: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy (script) Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza (based on characters by)
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen
Producers: Kevin Fiege, Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Lauren Shuler Donner
Music: Rob Simonsen
Cinematographer: George Richmond
Editor: Shane Reid, Dean Zimmerman
Cert: 15
Running time: 127mins
Year: 2024
What’s the story: With the world and those he loves imperilled, Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Reynolds), travels the multiverse to find a special someone who can help him save the day. A certain hair-faced muscle-bound man with claws. Adamantium claws. It’s Wolverine (Jackman).
What’s the verdict: Want to know how seismic the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s impact on culture has been? Look no further than the Deadpool trilogy. This is cinema as extended in-jokery, about the superhero phenomenon and its numerous limitations. And of course the backroom backstabbing and creative conflicts that now seem to plague these movies. Combined, Deadpool and Deadpool 2 made over $1.5bn at the box office.
This despite them being impenetrable to anyone who hasn’t ingested pretty much the entire MCU, and its twisted dark shadow, the DCEU. A friend who tried to watch Deadpool told me it might as well have been in Norwegian for all the sense she could make of it.
But, the MCU didn’t get to $30bn at the box office without educating an army of cinemagoers in at least the basics of superhero tropes. While the internet gleefully kept everyone informed about the behind-the-scenes creative implosions.
All of which has meant boffo box office for Deadpool, and (now he’s officially part of the MCU family due to the Disney buy-out of Fox) a much-needed lifeline thrown to the once-unstoppable, now sputtering Marvel Cinematic Universe. Opening weekend box office predictions for Deadpool & Wolverine are $360m globally. No wonder Mr. Pool christens himself “Marvel Jesus” here.
Of course, he’s been given serious fanboy-teasing muscle by having Hugh Jackman onboard, again due to that Fox buy-out. Returning in the role for the 10th time, after seemingly retracting the claws for good in 2017’s mighty Logan, was it worth Hugh’s time (and ours) that he came back? And, is Deadpool & Wolverine actually any good? Yep, and yep.
Don’t get us wrong, your mileage may vary depending on how much you enjoy gratuitous violence, crude n’ scatological comedy, and a thick slab of meta-commentary and fourth wall shattering. Because if you’re looking for a well-thought through story, you’ll be left scratching your head with Wolverine’s claws. A buddy road movie, the filmmakers cited Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Midnight Run as two inspirations. Deadpool & Wolverine wishes it had tight scripting of those two 80s classics. Storywise, there aren’t too many surprises here.
What is delivered is a bundle of energy and whizzbang. Enough to sustain the film’s head of steam for most of the 127-minute running time. Characters may not be able to snort cocaine; according to Deadpool, Disney won’t allow it in the MCU. But the sensation felt come the (sweet) end credits is that you’ve been snorting primo Devil’s dandruff. Sure, your head is spinning and you know you’ll be sore in the morning, but the rush is… well, a rush. Also, just like those on Bolivian marching powder, this ain’t afraid to get maudlin. Frequent timeouts are taken from the main action for subplots about regret and soul searching, which don’t pack the same punch as in Deadpool 2. Despite the valiant efforts of an aggressive sound mix, the sound of a blockbuster having its cake and eating it too is quite audible…
But testament to all involved, including director Shawn Levy and the myriad writers including Reynolds himself, that this self-indulgence doesn’t cause too big an eyeroll. Plus, and no spoilers here, the cameos are frequently thrilling and hilarious, and kinda legacy-sequelly in endearing ways. Avoid the IMdb credits page for some big reveals until you’ve seen the movie.
The fourth wall breaking hits far more than it misses. Particularly when sticking it to the tiresome reset that the multiverse has become. That Disney buy-out of Fox gets numerous jabs, and most land. Even if, like the cocaine, some things were clearly off-limits even for Deadpool’s anarchic humour, e.g., there is no mention here of Scarlett Johansson’s legal tussles with Disney over her Black Widow salary.
Crucially, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are having a ball as the saucily pansexual Merc with the Mouth and the Clenched Jaw with Claws. Logan’s tearjerking climax is swiftly dealt with during the opening credits, and then it’s onto Jackman’s eternal payday helping Reynolds’ early retirement plan (along with Wrexham FC) save his world from some time-disruption MacGuffin. The one joke perhaps purposely missed is that this movie too suffers from the Marvel malady of WVS (weak villain syndrome). Be it Matthew Macfadyen’s time-cop Mr. Paradox or Emma Corrin’s bald-pated Cassandra Nova, basically the MCU’s Wanda Maximoff with R-rated powers.
Overall, happy days all-round then. We only have to watch one Marvel superhero film this year, and it’s a goody. Great box office will be reaped. But, despite Deadpool now being officially part of the MCU (along with the other X-Men), surely we won’t be seeing him in regular Marvel fare? Perhaps he will be brought out once every four years to snark about the state of superhero franchises, and serve as reminder that corporations can laugh themselves (within rigidly defined parameters). If so, I’ll check out Deadpool 4 to see how it’s all working for him. But, if he suffocates within the MCU’s increasingly airless and endless roadmap of phases, at least we had three good go-rounds with the red rascal.
Rob Daniel
Letterboxd: RobDan
Podcast: The Movie Robcast
