******This review contains minor scene descriptions, but no major spoilers******
After years of speculation on how the Deadpool franchise would fit into Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe following the studios acquisition of 20th Century Fox, the day has finally arrived and the newest installment is here. In addition to finally arriving in the MCU, the latest movie also feature the pairing of two iconic X-Men universe characters and legendary actors to help build up the hype and anticipation.
Deadpool & Wolverine finds Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) on one of the multiverse’s many Earths retired from being the anti-hero Deadpool and retreated into a peaceful existence as a used car salesman following his rejected application to become an Avenger and his breakup with his longtime love Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). It all comes to a halt after he is taken by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) of the Time Variance Authority, or TVA for short, who attempt recruits him to help obtain a time ripping machine that destroys decaying universes as Mr. Paradox seeks to end the one from 2017’s Logan which is now dying after its anchor Wolverine has passed on. Deadpool instead decides to attempt to recruit a Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) from a different universe to save the Logan universe from destruction, and ultimately his own.
While the series is mainly known for Reynolds’ acerbic wit, self-aware comedy and fourth wall breaking, and its gory action scenes, Deadpool & Wolverine does attempt to add in a thread of humanity and plot as Wade Wilson grapples with his feelings of inadequacy and failure across the MCU multiverse. The antihero struggles to find a place to belong where his actions will matter not only to the world at large, but also to his longtime love Vanessa whom he worries his lack of seriousness and professional meaning has mainly driven away into platonic friendship rather than romance. His quest to fulfill his potential as a hero fuels his dogged quest to find and convert this multiverse Wolverine from a sad sack, pitiful shell of himself into someone who can find their own heroism again and save both of their universes from destruction.
It’s an emotional thread and plotline that certainly has the potential to be engaging and offer some groundedness and respect for its characters to balance the movie’s hijinks and memberberries, but ultimately the film often leaves it at the wayside in favor of highlighting its comedic bits, the pairing between its star characters, and the numerous cameos meant to provide a temporary dopamine hit for longtime comic book fans. Deadpool & Wolverine plays like a movie that is just a vehicle to deliver line-toeing jokes and banter between Wolverine and Deadpool/Jackman and Reynolds. This isn’t exactly a bad decision because Reynolds and Jackman’s real life close friendship does translate to screen as the two have palpable chemistry that is seamless able to switch from animosity, to frustration, to ultimately respect and comradery. The issue is that too often the movie feels like a collection of scenes featuring interaction between the two while its plot and more emotional themes vanish in order to accommodate the crowd pleasing image of the two characters and actors together onscreen. Similarly, the focus on previous Fox X-Men characters and fan castings that never happened (no spoilers here) are thrown in and also a heavy focus of the second act with the plot barely moving along. It’s the summarization of the issue many people have with the direction that modern blockbuster franchises have taken, superhero movies in particular, where substance and fan service reign over making impactful films that try to be something more than action figures interacting and then crashing into each other. Perhaps this issue is best incapsulated from the film’s opening scene.
One year ago, director James Mangold expressed disappointment but not surprise following the announcement that Hugh Jackman would be reprising the role of Wolverine for the third installment of the Deadpool franchise, stating that “There was always going to be another Wolverine. There could be a baby Wolverine and a cartoon Wolverine. As much liquid as they can squeeze out of that rag, they’re going to try to.” The director’s displeasure that his acclaimed and beloved sendoff for the character in an effort to milk its popularity for profit is addressed as soon as the movie begins when the Merc with a Mouth goes searching for the right Wolverine to embark upon his quest with, digs up and finds Logan’s skeleton, and then uses it to fight a horde of TVA soldiers who have come to capture him. While the scene is obviously partially self-aware and a satirization of the criticism surrounding Wolverine’s inclusion in the movie, it doesn’t effectively blunt the critique of what powers the superhero movie genre, what these movies represent, and ultimately what makes Deadpool & Wolverine a middling movie.
In terms of performances within the movie, offering perhaps the best performance in the movie is Emma Corrin, who plays one of its villains Cassandra Nova, a powerful telepath in charge of the multiverse purgatory universe called The Void who also happens to be the twin sister of the beloved founder of the X-Men Professor Charles Xavier. Nova is your surface level, basic villain who stands in the way of Deadpool & Wolverine’s heroes, but Corrin plays her with a level of cold, sociopathic menacing that elevates the character’s rudimentary motivations into someone that feels powerfully dangerous even if the script doesn’t offer much to back it up. Jackman offers some intense moments with what he’s given as a Wolverine who has lost hope and is carrying much regret. The character arc calls for rage, guilt, dejection, and ultimately determination and redemption, each of which Jackman elevates through his skill. Reynolds is decently funny although the joke overload cuts some of the comedy. Still, you know what to expect from his portrayal of Deadpool and he delivers what most in the audience are coming to see.
And that description of Reynolds’ performance is a great summary of Deadpool & Wolverine in general. The movie eschews focusing on its plot and the emotional theme of Deadpool’s feelings of inadequacy in favor of self-aware satire and jokes, fan service cameos, and action scenes to get viewers’ blood pumping. For the casual audience member, the movie will suffer. For those who love the franchise and superhero movies in general, this is exactly what they’ve come for and what they want. It may not be a quality movie watching experience, but for moviegoing it’s what the fans desire and what they’ll enjoy. Know what to expect and just let them.
Image: Walt Disney Studios
