If one thing is certain about 鈥淒eadpool,鈥� it鈥檚 that its titular hero, for reasons never explained, understands his place in the world 鈥� well, in our world.
Indeed, the irreverent and raunchy mutant is sure to belabor his awareness in which he lives 鈥� namely an over-saturated, increasingly labyrinthine multibillion-dollar Marvel multiverse which spans decades, studios and too many films for most viewers to count.
From its inception, the 鈥淒eadpool鈥� franchise has prided itself a subversive, self-aware anti-superhero superhero movie, making fun of everything from comic books to Hollywood to its biggest champion, co-writer and star, Ryan Reynolds.
It鈥檚 no surprise then, as fans have come to expect, that the long-anticipated further embraces its fourth wall-breaking self-awareness 鈥� even as it looks increasingly and more earnestly like the superhero movie blueprint it loves to exploit. That tension 鈥� the fact that 鈥淒eadpool鈥� has called out comic book movie tropes despite being, in fact, a comic book movie 鈥� is somehow remedied in 鈥淒eadpool & Wolverine,鈥� which leans into its genre more than the franchise's first two movies.
Perhaps this gives viewers more clarity on its intended audience. After all, someone who hates superhero films 鈥� I鈥檓 looking at you, 鈥� isn鈥檛 going to be won over because of a few self-deprecating jokes about lazy writing, budgets for A-list cameos and the overused 鈥渟uperhero landing鈥� Reynolds鈥� Deadpool regularly refers to.
But this time around, director 鈥� his first Marvel movie 鈥� seems to have found a sweet spot. Levy is surely helped by the fact that the third film in the franchise has a bigger budget, more hype and, of course, a brooding, eventually shirtless, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine 鈥� who has long been teased as someone Deadpool has, er, complicated feelings toward.
That anticipation makes their relationship, packed with hatred, fandom and homoeroticism, all the more enticing. Their fight scenes against each other are just as compelling as their moments of self-sacrificial partnership in the spirit of, you guessed it, saving the world(s).
Speaking of worlds, there is one important development in our own to be aware of ahead of time. The first two 鈥淒eadpool鈥� films were distributed by 20th Century Fox, whose $71.3 billion acquisition by the Walt Disney Co. opened the door for the franchise to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, 鈥淒eadpool & Wolverine鈥� takes full advantage of that vast playground, which began in 2008 with Robert Downey Jr.鈥檚 鈥淚ron Man鈥� and now includes more than 30 films and a host of television shows. The acquisition is also a recurring target of Deadpool鈥檚 sarcasm throughout the movie.
Although steeped in references and cameos that can feel a bit like inside baseball for the less devoted, 鈥淒eadpool & Wolverine鈥� is easy enough to follow for the casual Marvel viewer, though it wouldn鈥檛 hurt to have seen the first 鈥淒eadpool鈥� and Jackman鈥檚 2017 鈥淟ogan,鈥� a harbinger of the increasing appetite for R-rated superhero violence. The Disney+ series 鈥淟oki鈥� also gives helpful context, though is by no means a must watch, on the Time Variance Authority, which polices multiverse timelines to avoid 鈥渋ncursions,鈥� or the catastrophic colliding of universes.
A defining feature of 鈥淒eadpool鈥� has been its R rating and hyper violent action scenes. Whether thanks to more money, Levy鈥檚 direction or some combination of the two, these scenes are much more visually appealing.
But 鈥淒eadpool & Wolverine鈥� does succumb to some of the deus ex machina writing that so often plagues superhero movies. Wade Wilson鈥檚 (the real identity of Deadpool) relationship with his ex (?) Vanessa is particularly underdeveloped 鈥� though it鈥檚 possible that ambiguity is a metaphor for Deadpool鈥檚 future within the MCU.
The plot feels aimless at points toward the end. One cameo-saturated battle scene in particular is resolved in a way that leaves its audience wanting after spending quite a bit of time building tension around it. While there are a few impressive stars who make an appearance, audiences may be disappointed by the amount of MCU characters referenced who don鈥檛 make it in.
The bloody but comedic final fight scene, however, is enough to perk viewers back up for the last act, solidifying the film鈥檚 identity as a fun, generally well-made summer movie.
The sole MCU release of 2024, 鈥淒eadpool & Wolverine鈥� proves it鈥檚 not necessarily the source material that鈥檚 causing so-called superhero fatigue. It also suggests, in light of Marvel鈥檚 move to scale back production following a pandemic and historic Hollywood strikes, that increased attention given to making a movie will ultimately help the final product.
鈥淒eadpool & Wolverine,鈥� a Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references. Running time: 127 minutes. Two and a half out of four stars.
Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press
