Courtesy Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Look, no one is out here likening Marvel Studios’ new Deadpool & Wolverine to Berlin Alexanderplatz or anything, but it does fill a very specific niche at a particular time of need for the tired Marvel Cinematic Universe—that of plain old fun from within the depths of a too-cluttered genre.
Yeah, yeah—Robert Downey Jr. just hit ComicCon to announce he’ll play the villain Dr. Doom in forthcoming Avengers movies, but Canadian treasure Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place) is back as the titular Deadpool, that ribald fourth-wall-breaking superhero/maniac whose sole purpose seems to be riffing on all things Marvel between killing fools.
In his last cinematic outing, Deadpool piqued the interest of the Time Variance Authority, that bizarre brutalist and bureaucratic timeline-keeping institution made popular in the Loki television series from the Disney+ streaming service. TVA bigwig Paradox (Succession’s Matthew MacFadyen) enlists Deadpool to right a chronological error in a certain timeline, and the so-called merc with a mouth needs the ever-popular Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to make it happen. Cue multi-verse hopping escapades and near-constant F-bombs; cue villainous twists both expected and not (trying to avoid spoilers here); cue many, many dick jokes.
Cue also the return of Hugh Jackman, back to the role of Wolvie for the first time since 2017′s très gritty Logan. Jackman’s presence firmly places him in good sport territory. He and Reynolds’ friendship is the stuff of online legend, of course, so maybe it was a favor between pals. But for folks who read comics growing up or flocked to the big screen for the 2000 X-Men film from which Jackman rose to superstardom? Well, it’s fun, especially since our old pal Weapon X is sporting a costume inspired by the now cult classic X-Men: The Animated Series; the following barrage of cameos both unexpected and not are…do you ever find yourself excited despite yourself? Yeah, it’s like that.
But Reynolds, who co-penned the script, and a gaggle of other writers—including director Shawn Levy, Free Guy—totally put together something at least a little different, right? Wrong. This thing is steeped in Marvel with a capital S no matter how many people shout “fuck.” Even so, it’s wildly enjoyable to see Wolverine rip some throats in a glorious bloody ballet (before Logan he almost never cut anyone with his adamantium claws, which was always a letdown). Mainly, though, you’ll know in your heart if you want to see this one. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.
7
+Sincerely funny once or twice; Jackman is adorbs
-Despite Marvel call-outs, still über-Marvely
Deadpool & Wolverine
Directed by Levy
With Reynolds, Jackman and McFadyen
Violet Crown Cinema, Regal, R, 128 min.
