-Written by Kyle Bain.
SPOILER WARNING!
No exposition here; Deadpool & Wolverine has enough of that.
Deadpool & Wolverine: the film of the summer, the film that comic book and MCU nerds had been anticipating for years, the film that was set to right the MCU ship and allow Marvel and Disney to ascend to greatness once more. The one, glaring question is: does it live up to all of our expectations? In order to answer that, I’m going to spoil a fuck ton from the film. This is your second and final warning not to read on if you haven’t yet seen the film.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
If you’re still reading then you’re one of three things:
A fan that’s already seen the film.
Someone who doesn’t care about the film, but is interested to hear some feedback on it.
A fucking idiot for not listening.
So, let’s dive in. First and foremost: yes, Deadpool & Wolverine lives up to and exceeds most expectations that long-time fans had for it. The thing that I was most concerned about was whether or not Disney would get their shit together and finally bring beloved characters back to the big screen. Below are just some of the individuals who made it back for the first time in a long time:
Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/Human Torch
Jennifer Garner as Elektra
The Incredible Hulk
Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
Wesley Snipes as Blade
That’s just a handful of the many individuals that graced the big screen as long-time Marvel favorites. What’s brilliant about their inclusion in the film (at least for most of them) is that they aren’t simply cameos. Most of the characters listed above are supporting characters in this narrative, with more than just a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance. Having Evans, Garner, and Snipes contribute greatly to Deadpool & Wolverine is simply wonderful, and maybe my underwear did get a bit tighter as the movie plowed forward.
Again and again Deadpool & Wolverine surprised viewers with incredible characters, highlighting them and showcasing them in a series of wonderful ways. I couldn’t have been happier in this regard. This is what I had hoped for in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but didn’t get. Marvel and Disney rectify that issue here, and I loved each and every addition to this star-studded cast.
The first act of Deadpool & Wolverine leaves a bit to be desired–but I won’t get to that just yet (just know that this is certainly not a perfect film). What it was missing a bit of was action. Don’t get me wrong, there was a fair amount of action and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) killing people with adamantium bones, and, sure, the first act doesn’t necessarily need a ton of action–but I was certainly hoping for some more. But I’m not talking about issues yet.
The choreography present in Deadpool & Wolverine, particularly in regard to the scenes between Deadpool and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), are goddamn brilliant. Massive fight sequences out in the open, small scale, but wonderfully fun fights inside of a car, and just about everything else in between. Deadpool & Wolverine never wastes an opportunity to have Wolverine and Deadpool beat the shit out of each other, or other people, or have other people beat the shit out of them. Each and every fight sequence works perfectly, brought to life by Ashley Beck–and, again, she never misses.
Full of gratuitous fight scenes between our titular anti-heroes, Deadpool & Wolverine provides a ton of fan service. The film is blood soaked, ridden with foul language, and…well, all of the other deliciously disgusting and vulgar aspects of the Deadpool franchise. Do many of these action sequences need to take place? Not at all. But they give something to the fans that have long awaited this duo appearing on screen together (forget that X-Men Origins: Wolverine even exists in this regard).
So, like I said, this isn’t a perfect film–and that’s likely not a surprise for those of you who know how stubborn I am. Though, Deadpool & Wolverine is a nine out of ten in my book–so what drops it another half of a star? Well–it’s really the first act, and the villain. Deadpool & Wolverine struggles to find direction in the opening act of the film. It tries to address the Disney buyout, the eventual inclusion of Wolverine, Deadpool’s universe being eradicated, Wolverine being a deadbeat, Deadpool wanting to become an Avenger…do I need to go on? There’s just too much happening at the start, and the film takes some time to get going. I never found myself bored, I never found myself drifting from the film, I never found myself rolling my eyes–but I did find myself questioning why they chose to create such a fractured opening act. I’m not sure that Deadpool & Wolverine ever really answers that question. It did leave me scratching my head–curious about which direction the film would finally head. Sure, that was answered, but they never abandon the other storylines–just sort of force them to the back.
Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrine) is the sister of Charles Xavier–and that alone warrants her appearance in this film (particularly with the return of Jackman as Wolverine). She, however, isn’t developed nearly as much as she needed to be in order to be more compelling. We get bits here and there from her as she elaborates ever so slightly on her history–but it’s just not enough in my book. She’s badass, she’s fucking hot (also…great haircut), and she certainly serves a role in the grand scheme of the film. Is her role as big as it needs to be? No. Is she, Corrin, used to the best of her abilities? Probably not (but what the fuck do I know? I’ve never seen her act before). Ultimately it feels as if Cassandra Nova isn’t fully developed–though I suppose Deadpool 2 has the same issue (and that, too, was a wonderful film).
Deadpool & Wolverine is action packed, incredibly vulgar, massively gorey, and the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Spider-Man: No Way Home. It will put the MCU back on the map and give fans some legitimate hope. Deadpool & Wolverine feels less vulgar than previous installments, but it just might be bloodier. It’s maybe not quite as linear as previous MCU films, but it does develop a relatively compelling story nonetheless. To see both Reynolds and Jackman back in their respective roles caused a sense of euphoria similar to when Tobey Maguire reprised his role as Spider-Man. The film works within the confines of the MCU, it works to pull other [formerly FOX owned] properties into the fold, and it provides a ton of fan service. That means more here than it does in most other films–and that’s honestly one of the primary reasons I loved Deadpool & Wolverine as much as I did.
Directed by Shawn Levy.
Written by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy, Rob Liefeld, & Fabian Nicieza.
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Dafne Keen, Jon Favreau, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, Channing Tatum, Chris Evans, Wunmi Mosaku, Aaron Stanford, Tyler Mane, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic, Randal Reeder, Lewis Tan, Peggy the Dog, etc.
9/10 = DROP EVERYTHING AND WATCH IT NOW
Comments