MOVIE REVIEW: DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (R)
“Deadpool & Wolverine” offers up R-rated hilarity and a ton of fan service.
For those of you who’ve felt letdown by Marvel as of late, “Deadpool & Wolverine” might just be the shot in the arm you’re looking for. It certainly doesn’t reinvent the superhero wheel but it’s zany, high energy, and jam packed with the sort of call backs, fan service, and crossover appeal that a lot of MCU fans are generally looking for.
As we’ve seen time and time again in the movies, it would take more than something as trivial as death to keep your favorite superhero down, especially when there’s a little thing called the multiverse out there, just waiting in the wings to bring the “important” ones back to life on a virtual whim. Therefore, you had to know that even an epic swan song as poetic, as somber, and as seemingly final as “Logan” wouldn’t necessarily mean that we’ve seen the last of the cantankerous and solitary fighting machine that is Wolverine, no matter how much the actor behind him (a charismatic, charming, and desperately handsome Hugh Jackman) might try to convince you otherwise. As for Deadpool, leave it to the Merc With a Mouth himself (once again played by a high energy Ryan Reynolds) to be the one to bring the ultimate X-Man back in all of his pissed off glory.
In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Wade Wilson (aka, Deadpool) is making his way through that complicated thing that is civilian life until a big-time threat finds him suiting up once more and springing back into foul-mouthed action. But to take on this aforementioned threat, Deadpool will have to team with a multiverse variant of Logan (aka, Wolverine) and clearly, that’s easier said than done. Ultimately, this superhuman odd couple will only be able to fulfill their ambitious mission if they can keep from killing each other first.
As expected, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is an irreverent and comical blast of violent, R-rated Marvel Entertainment-laced carnage. As directed by Shawn Levy (“Real Steel,” “Free Guy”), this is a lively, meta-fueled romp that takes no prisoners, particularly when it comes to all of the prerequisite smartass remarks “Deadpool” fans will be expecting. Smartass remarks that take aim at everything from Disney to 20th Century Studios (formally, 20th Century Fox) to Marvel, to Reynolds and Jackman themselves. As expected, this movie also offers up plenty of bloodshed, plenty of bad language, plenty of Easter eggs, and plenty of Deadpool breaking the fourth wall.
As the ultimate wisecracking smartass, Reynolds’s titular anti-hero doesn’t hold back here. Everything and everyone is fair game and for all the trash talking Disney has been taking as of late, I give the Mouse House some credit for taking Deadpool’s various potshots like a champ. The same can be said of anyone who’s the brunt of Deadpool’s razor sharp tongue in this picture. Of course, it’s all in good fun in a sort of Trey Parker and Matt Stone way, and Reynolds plays it up for all its worth.
Likewise, a game Jackman proves to provide perfect contrast as the forever cranky Wolverine but in the end, we all know that, to a certain degree, it’s just a facade. Deep down, this tough-as-nails warrior has a heart and it’s when we see that hardened exterior momentarily stripped away that Jackman truly excels. Yes, we all love him when he’s angry and we certainly love him when he’s kicking ass but it’s those rare glimpses at his vulnerability that flesh out this bigger-than-life X-Man in all the right ways.
Of course, the real key to this film is watching Deadpool and Wolverine play off of each other. And while it is true that there’s a certain level of redundancy to the “they hate each other but now they like each other” schtick, their chemistry is always palpable. In short, as a duo, Jackman and Reynolds bring the swagger, the wisecracks, the heart, and the bonding in equal measure.
It should also be noted that since this is a Marvel movie, it’s clear that fans will be expecting a plethora of familiar faces. I’ll tread lightly here only to say that you most likely won’t be disappointed in that regard. What might surprise you, though, are who some of those familiar faces are. It may not be who you’re expecting and that’s certainly one of the more surprising elements of this movie. In fact, there’s one character in this film in particular who delivers a line that is so inspired and so unexpected, that I cheered aloud after he said it.
Ultimately, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is a fun time. It’s pure escapist entertainment with R-rated laughs, action, and callbacks aplenty but at the same time, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it’s all a tiny bit hollow. It certainly plays it safe, it relies heavily on a few too many popular music cues (some of them distracting), and it’s fan servicey to a fault. Further still, this may not be the kind of film that resonates in the way the biggest and best films in the MCU have. In that regard, it’s sort of the equivalent of fast food but in the end, that’s certainly not an insult because every once in a while, a little fast food is just what you need.
