2018 was a dark time for the “Merc with a Mouth” (at least he has one in this iteration, although Wolverine: Origins has been referenced before). On the ‘sacred timeline’ The Avengers are assembling to fight Thanos and they need everyone. Well… almost everyone. In typical Deadpool fashion the film starts with “I guess you’re wondering how I ended up here.” Here being digging up Logan, aka Wolverine, in his final resting place post James Mangold’s Logan. How did the fourth wall annihilator end up trying to get the Project X superhero and key X Man out of the ground and why? Well… it all comes down to a Fox/Disney merger and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool not being as Disney friendly as say, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
On whatever multiverse world Deadpool resides his life has gone to pieces. He’s working with Peter (Rob Delaney) selling second hand cars and has hung up his red and black suit for good. Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) has moved out. He’s convinced that he doesn’t matter. This of course refers to the limbo the Deadpool property was in post merger – but don’t worry there will be plenty of explanations about that.
Wade Wilson is depressed but pretending things are okay. He still has his friends if not a ‘super life’ and he’s sharing an apartment with Blind Al (Leslie Uggams). On the night of his birthday attended by Peter, Negasonic Teenage War Head (Brianna Hildebrand), her girlfriend Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), Colossus, and a surviving member of X-Force (not Domino) and others, he gets a knock on the door from some TVA agents and presumes they are there for some down and dirty kinky party tricks (sex, not cocaine – there are limits to what Kevin Feige will allow – implied bottoming yes, building a snowman, apparently not). However, they’re there to take him to meet Mr Paradox (Matthew MacFadyen) a Time Variance Authority bureau chief with a penchant for pre-emptive world pruning. Deadpool, meet Disney and the MCU – MCU meet the hero you needed to lighten the hell up.
Deadpool’s juvenile but R-rated comedy action has been a massive hit. A lot of that has to do with Ryan Reynolds and his commitment to the bit both on and off the screen. That included a faux rivalry with good friend Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) and a team up seemed inevitable despite Wolverine’s, uh, adamantium corpse being all that’s left of him in the Fox Marvel Universe. Not to worry, the multiverse and the Loki introduced TVA are here to save the fans.
To suggest Deadpool & Wolverine had a plot would be a stretch. The set up is Wade Wilson’s world is about to get pruned but if he plays nice, he at least will have a future which includes hanging out with Thor. As his timeline has lost its anchor hero, Wolverine, he must accept they’re done for. Not so! Wade is going to find another Wolverine and fix stuff.
Shawn Levy who has worked with both Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in the past is a great comedy director and make no mistake, Deadpool & Wolverine is a comedy. So much so that the action sequences are also extended comedy skits. They’re blood soaked but the first instinct is to laugh and not be impressed by the choreography. With “The Worst Logan” located Deadpool and Wolverine end up in ‘The Void’ (another Loki reference) where useless superheroes and it seems entire Marvel universes get sent to stop bothering the sacred Disney timeline.
There are two antagonists. Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) Charles Xavier’s mummudrai twin who rules over The Void, and Mr Paradox – essentially an out-of-control middle management efficiency expert who can easily be described as a studio accountant. Do either of them pose a palpable threat? Not particularly. Nova’s plan is some universe (multiverse) ending palaver but it’s unlikely anyone is coming to Deadpool & Wolverine for actual stakes. The audience turns up for the scatological humour, the irreverent pokes at pretty much everything, and the buddy comedy where Hugh Jackman manages to keep up an impressive scowl and straight man routine for the runtime.
Fan service is the goal, and the movie delivers in spades despite deliberately making fun of people who are fans (“Hey nerds, I hope you have your special sock”). The lack of malice behind Ryan Reynolds’ quippy character, or maybe equal opportunity malice, is what keeps things fun. Ryan and Hugh make jokes about themselves. There are two real life divorce jokes. Blake Lively gets mentioned. Hugh’s song-and-dance man career. A lot of jokes about Canada and how Hugh is NOT Canadian so why is he the best mutant from Canada. And a cameo roster which would make an ordinary MCU film blush.
Deadpool & Wolverine almost hermetically seals itself from the standard criticism any superhero movie gets by blatantly pointing out it knows it’s doing the things people want and don’t want from them. People who were exhausted by the MCU and the interconnected nature of the multi-movie soap opera now get a new level of references which go back as far as… well to say which films would be a spoiler in itself but assume you might need to have prior knowledge of the Fox Marvel properties.
Is Deadpool & Wolverine a “good” film? That’s up for debate. What isn’t up for debate is that it is an affectionate film which knows how immensely silly the whole never ending comic book sagas are and makes the audience guiltily laugh at it and themselves while being given a head spinning amount of Easter eggs only the chronically online Marvel fan would get.
Deadpool & Wolverine is both great and terrible and it knows it. If the audience knows it too and accepts that they are just as responsible for what they’re seeing as the companies who controlled the properties, then everyone is going to have a good time. Call it an “Educated wish.”
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Writers: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy, (Based on characters created by Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza)
Producers: Kevin Feige, Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Lauren Shuler Donner
Music: Rob Simonsen
Cinematography: George Richmond
Editors: Shane Reid, Dean Zimmerman