I know us comic book nerds were ecstatic when we learned Deadpool and Wolverine would finally be making their way into the MCU. Now, after all the hype and hubbub (bub) has died down, at the end of the day the filmmakers have to make a movie that works within the confines of the MCU while honoring the old 20th Century Fox days. The best thing I can say about Deadpool and Wolverine is that it certainly feels akin to the sometimes clunky but mostly charming superhero films of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. However, as a Deadpool/X-Men/MCU entry, it comes up well short of the respective franchises’ best films.
Deadpool gets drafted by the TVA to help them on their latest mission. As a result, he learns his timeline is in danger of extinction. He then recruits not THE Wolverine but a Wolverine variant (Hugh Jackman) to help him out. They are then cast into “The Void”, a purgatory for washed-up superheroes and it’s up to the duo to find their way back home.
For all its F-Bombs and gore, Deadpool (and to a lesser extent, Deadpool 2) had a surprising amount of heart, which elevated it to the cream of the superhero movie crop. That heart is sorely missing this time around. Characters still have meaningful relationships and all, but it feels like the screenwriters are just paying lip service to the dramatic weight of the story for this installment.
That may have something to do with the fact that this is a different Wolverine than we are used to. While the opening scene where Deadpool desecrates the bones of Logan is funny, the replacement Wolverine is more or less a one-note sad sack. Yes, I’m glad they got Jackman back. Sure, it is fun seeing Jackman and Reynolds bickering and playing off one another again. It just doesn’t help that this Wolverine variant isn’t particularly interesting. This has nothing to do with Jackman’s performance. He does what he can with the material he’s been given. It’s just that most of said material involves a lot of thinly sketched exposition. Even the stuff with Deadpool and his girlfriend (Morena Baccarin) seems like it was rushed through to get to the “Multiverse” scenes.
To a lesser degree, the same problems crop up with the cameo players. I won’t dream of spoiling who shows up (everyone from former heroes from the Fox days to some stars who were rumored/fancast as certain characters). And yes, I got a definite rush from seeing all those characters in action again. However, it’s akin to a sugar rush that hits quick, and dissipates even faster. That’s because the characters aren’t really given anything significant to do. Despite their amusing presence, I wish they had been given something approaching an actual arc.
I think the problem was with director Shawn Levy, who has worked with both Reynolds and Jackman before. Nothing in his resume really suggests he could handle a big action movie like this that contains so many characters to juggle. What he excels at is comedy, and in that regard the film is a home run. It’s frequently hilarious and some of Deadpool’s one-liners are hysterical. (My favorite: “It’s like Pinocchio put his face in my ass and started lying like crazy!”) Because of that, Deadpool and Wolverine is able to skate by on humor and nostalgia alone.
Marvel Cinematic Universe Scorecard:
Spider-Man: No Way Home: ****
Avengers: Age of Ultron: ****
The Incredible Hulk: ****
Iron Man: ****
Thor: Ragnarok: ****
Avengers: Endgame: ****
Ant-Man and the Wasp: ****
Spider-Man: Homecoming: ****
Iron Man 3: ****
Captain America: Civil War: *** ½
Ant-Man: *** ½
Guardians of the Galaxy: *** ½
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: *** ½
Avengers: Infinity War: *** ½
Werewolf by Night: *** ½
Black Panther: *** ½
The Avengers: ***
Captain America: The First Avenger: ***
Captain America: The Winter Soldier: ***
Deadpool and Wolverine: ***
Thor: Love and Thunder: ***
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: ***
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: ***
Captain Marvel: ***
Spider-Man: Far from Home: ***
Thor: ***
The Marvels: ***
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: ***
Thor: The Dark World: ***
Iron Man 2: ***
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: ** ½
Doctor Strange: ** ½
Black Widow: ** ½
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: **
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: **
Eternals: * ½
X-MEN MOVIE SCORECARD:
X-Men: Apocalypse: ****
Deadpool: ****
X-Men: Days of Future Past: ****
X-Men 2: X-Men United: ****
X-Men: ****
X-Men 3: The Last Stand: ****
Logan: ****
X-Men: First Class: *** ½
Deadpool 2: *** ½
X-Men: Origins: Wolverine: *** ½
Deadpool and Wolverine: ***
Dark Phoenix: ***
The Wolverine: ***
The New Mutants: ***
2024 COMIC BOOK MOVIE SCORECARD:
Deadpool and Wolverine: ***
Madame Web: **
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