“Deadpool and Wolverine” is not among the elites of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nor is it trying to be.
The film has a level of self-awareness seeping through every element, with a multitude of hilarious fourth-wall breaks. No, there isn’t an airtight narrative with twists and turns or traditional structure. What is present, however, is enough to justify the pleasantly surprising moments and interactions that grace every second.
Right from the jump, the film is all over the place. After a brutal yet hilarious opening scene depicting Deadpool murdering dozens of Time Variance Authority agents, the film uses the typical Deadpool movie style of flashing back to weeks before the current moment. In this case, the film shows the titular antihero, known in everyday life as Wade Wilson, and his closest current relationships in life. These relationships serve as his only motivation in a mostly motivation-less story.
Ryan Reynolds is as good as ever as Deadpool, and he brings an emotion to the character that isn’t nearly as present in the previous films. However, it’s Hugh Jackman who steals the show as Wolverine in almost every scene, clearly giving more to the role both comedy-wise and physicality-wise than ever before. His performance supplies more than enough proof that the return of the character after his death in “Logan” was justified.
Emma Corrin stars as, unfortunately, one of the more forgettable MCU villains, Cassandra Nova. Her performance is superb, but it finds itself lost in the gargantuan mix of storylines and characters. The movie is over two hours, and yet it still feels like it could have benefited from more time to expand on certain arcs and threads like Wolverine’s backstory and Nova’s motivation.
The strongest supporting characters in the film are those who are introduced with claps and cheers from the audience and serve a pivotal role in the story. Possibly the best part about “Deadpool and Wolverine” is how well it uses cameos.
This is one of the most ambitious MCU films yet, with dozens of larger-than-life set pieces scattered throughout, and Marvel’s recent problems with visuals effects are nowhere to be found. Shawn Levy directs this film, having already worked with Reynolds on “Free Guy” and “The Adam Project” as well as with Jackman on “Real Steel.” That familiarity between the three is clear, and the whole film feels natural. Levy’s direction might fly under the radar, but it really is one of the strongest aspects of this movie.
No matter how many issues there are with the loose narrative and motivations, as well as the overstuffed nature of the story, nothing can change how much of a blast this film is. At a time when Marvel consistently fails to reach its previous level of quality, “Deadpool and Wolverine” is a vintage crowd-pleasing experience and a step in the right direction.
