Shawn Levy’s third film in the “Deadpool” franchise opens with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) in a frantic fight, but before the audience can get their bearings, he already lands two jabs on Disney for acquiring 20th Century Fox, one at Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively’s “Gossip Girl” performance and another at the audience for expecting Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to appear so early in the story. This scene sets the self-referential tone of the rest of the film.
“Deadpool and Wolverine” is exactly what the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) needed — a fast-paced, action-packed feature with an engaging and well-paced plot, unhinged comedy and thrilling fight scenes with compelling special effects. It is a refreshing standout of Marvel’s new era, reminiscent of their golden age classics.
As expected, the team-up between the two powerhouses, Reynolds and Jackman, produced a superb joint performance. Since their first appearances in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” the actors have perfected their respective characters.
Even in a third installment, Reynolds still has not exhausted his comedic artillery. The “meta” jokes were not overused and retained their value, and he definitely made the most of the raunchy comedy in the MCU’s first R-rated movie. Jackman nails every facet of Wolverine, delivering his familiar broodiness, sarcasm and rare hilarious moments.
Both actors had serious scenes, and shockingly, Reynolds was the most compelling. He leverages the empathy fans have grown to feel for Deadpool over the first two movies and looks inward, delivering an emotional performance alongside his onscreen partner Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). After two movies worth of Deadpool-esque shenanigans, it seems that he is finally ready to find a purpose for his powers.
The two actors brought their commitment to the stage, giving the audience some of the most exciting fight scenes they have seen in years, with the best ones, ironically, being between each other. Clearly, Jackman’s roles in “The Greatest Showman” and “The Music Man” honed his skills in dance, sharpening his ability to follow battle choreography. The fights were agile, fast-paced and awesomely gory — probably due to “Deadpool’s” fancy new Disney budget.
Recently, fans have complained that recent Marvel films’ battles are not as engaging because their overused, not-so-convincing CGI overwhelms the audience. But here, thanks in part to its roughly $200 million production budget, the effects were compelling, and the film boasted more action than the average Marvel movie.
The storytelling overall was above average, but not exceptional. It felt like Levy’s purpose was to pay homage to Marvel’s 20th Century Fox characters rather than focus completely on the plot. Without spoiling the cameos, the film evokes a similar nostalgia that “Spiderman: No Way Home” did when it brought back all of the past Spiderman actors. However, even if a fan does not religiously follow the happenings of the MCU or “X-Men,” the film is still worth the watch. As usual, fans should stay for the end-credits scene to get the most out of the experience.
Levy underlines the many cameos with an unoriginal and somewhat tired “this Marvel character takes on the multiverse” premise. Though the concept is more concise in this feature compared to other newer Marvel productions, fans should watch season one of “Loki” to avoid a lot of unnecessary confusion.
Though the multiverse contains infinite possibilities, it seems that Marvel confines itself to a similar trope each time — some big bad villain threatens to destroy the “space-time continuum,” and a ragtag group of variants must rise to the challenge and defeat them. Deadpool said it best towards the end of the movie. “Marvel, can we be done with the whole multiverse thing?”
Marvel’s “Deadpool and Wolverine” is almost perfect. The story is good, but the characters’ performances really stand out. Reynolds and Jackman delivered the perfect mix of action, comedy and drama that would make any Marvel fan shed a tear. It brings the quality that so many have been looking for in the years since Phase 4’s onset. This is a must-watch in theaters when it premieres on July 26, and experiencing each joke and surprise cameo with an audience makes for an even better watch.
Our rating: 4.5/5 stars