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In the trailer for the only Marvel Studios movie releasing in 2024, Deadpool declares himself ‘Marvel Jesus’. Referring to how he will be the bridge between the former 20th Century Fox’s X-Men universe, and the Avengers universe created by Marvel Studios’ MCU. And in that sense, Deadpool And Wolverine is an incredible tribute to the comic book movies that came before so that the MCU could exist today. But beyond that, as a Deadpool sequel, the film doesn’t have anything else to be excited by. Read on for my Deadpool And Wolverine review.
Please note that the following Deadpool And Wolverine review will be spoiler-free.
Deadpool And Wolverine Has A Pretty Flimsy Premise
I’m of two minds when it comes to Deadpool And Wolverine. While I regressed to becoming a child, reveling in all the cameos and insane action sequences, ripped straight from the comic books, a lot is missing. The actual story of the movie is almost non-existent. A lot is unclear and needs deep MCU lore to try to untangle.
Not knowing his purpose in the world, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) hangs up the Deadpool suit in favor of a simple life with his friends and family. However, when that family is threatened, Wilson has to become Deadpool again, to save his world. To do this, he needs to team up with a Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) variant— for reasons. While revealing anything about the story will be deep spoiler territory, I’m still unclear on most of the plot points of this movie that don’t have to do with deeper easter eggs of other Marvel movies, past and present. But the fun of the movie almost has nothing to do with the story.
No Spoilers In This Deadpool And Wolverine Review
Despite a story that felt weak, the movie is carried entirely on the shoulders of its two main leads, Reynolds and Jackman, who play their respective characters with such ease, but also immense presence. The actors are finally on-screen in a feature film, after years of social media ‘rivalry’. The movie brings together these two actors, born to play these characters, going at each other in a multitude of ways.
Director Shawn Levy and the writers weave, what may feel like gratuitous scenes, into the narrative of the story in an organic way. It makes for a great treat for loyal fans of these characters from over the years. The movie almost goes beyond being fan service, and more like fan wish fulfillment. But done in a way that doesn’t feel unearned. But rather respectful of the source material.
Deadpool And Wolverine is less a cameo and easter egg-filled extravaganza, and more bringing together previous iterations of a film franchise that was beloved to fans and giving them more. It’s even more special when you consider that Kevin Feige, the architect of the MCU cut his teeth on those movies before becoming the uber-creator he is today.
It’s One Of The Funniest Theatre Experiences In A While
While it may seem like I’m hitting Deadpool And Wolverine pretty hard, let me clarify: I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. And while I wish it had more substance and emotion, I’m actually totally okay with the surface-level development here. It almost feels like this movie is less about a cohesive story and more about entering a new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And the need to bring together the former, scattered universe under a unified banner, and create additional storytelling opportunities for themselves in the future.
But as a standalone experience, or even as a sequel in the Deadpool franchise, Deadpool And Wolverine falls flat. It’s a movie where you could lose the narrative about Deadpool and Wolverine’s backstory and just show us the journey from point A to B, and I would still have as much fun.
Deadpool And Wolverine Is A Lot Of Fun
Overall, Deadpool And Wolverine succeeds in delivering a great cinematic experience. A Fun joke-filled movie with visually stunning action, lots of treats for die-hard comic book fans, and just a great theatrical experience. But narratively, there is a lot going on, and not as much time or significance is devoted to it. There are multiple massive exposition dumps about a lot of technical jargon and new concepts. And while the writing does call that out once, it doesn’t excuse them from continuing to do it multiple times throughout.
In a way though, Deadpool And Wolverine almost make it seem that the complicated techy, MacGuffin-y stuff is less important than the larger experience of the movie overall. The way that director Levy crafts certain sequences that may feel gratuitous in any other movie, feels like the highlight here. The incredible visuals, inclusion of certain characters, and some brilliant moments in comic book movie history make this movie a wonderful palette cleanser from the recently struggling MCU fare.
I wish I could say more, but I am still stunned at some of the amazing characters, story beats, and jokes that the movie dared to include. And somehow, still made it to the final cut. The meta and self-referential humor of this movie is one of the highlights. Especially so many moments that were jaw-droppingly excellent! I hope this marks a new path forward for Marvel, as it truly would be the perfect bridge between, not only the Fox and Marvel universes but the recent middling quality of the MCU and a potential upswing going forward.
Rating: B-
Deadpool & Wolverine
Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy.
Release Date: July 26, 2024
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Morena Baccarin
