2024 Summer Movie Season - Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine: Review & Analysis

Maximum Effort!!!!! Ryan & Hugh's R-Rated MCU Buddy Movie is Adrenaline Filled Shot In The Arm for Cinematic Heroverse!!!!!

Review By Brandon Porter

Hey bub! Lookin for me?!!

Story Description

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is living the life he’s always wanted…or is he. After his escapades with a hijacked time travel watch, Wade has configured a custom reality of his own making where everyone he loves is alive and happy. It feels like paradise but there is the stinging feeling that something is missing. Before he can ponder this fact, he gets an unexpected visit from some shocking individuals. Now in the custody of the Time Variance Authority, a multiversal security agency, Wade is informed that his world is in danger of being wiped out of existence. His only hope to save what he loves is to work with the TVA to stop a threat hiding in universe 616 more commonly known as something called “the Marvel Cinematic Universe”, a universe Wade has dreamed of joining for years. With time running out and enemies new and unfamiliar popping up from everywhere and everywhen, Wade must seek help from an unlikely source to combat the coming conflict in the form of the legendary yet disgraced member of the X-Men James Logan Howlett aka The Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).

The MCU's most unlikely odd couple

Film Review

There is no denying the fanfare that has surrounded this film since the announcement of its existence 2 years ago. Five years have passed since the Disney-Fox merger and the question about the future of the X-Men has hung in the balance with many people wondering if one of Marvel’s most beloved set of characters would finally join the MCU. With the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, the beginning of the mutant’s arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has begun and the merc with the mouth is heading the ship. With plenty of intrigue, a collection of talent including the return of Hugh Jackman, as well as the promise of unhinged chaos throughout, Deadpool & Wolverine looks to shake the foundation of the MCU in explosive R-rated fashion. After experiencing the full glory of this movie, Deadpool and Wolverine is lunacy, insanity, and mayhem in an irresistibly satisfying package. It is already well-known that bringing The Merc with the Mouth to a mainstream audience was a tall hill to climb. Especially for a studio that was involved with a game of keep away for the longest time. Fast forward to now and it is obvious that the foul-mouth, gunslinging, katana-wielding anti-hero has a charm and ambiance that even the most cynical minds can't resist. Deadpool and Wolverine serve as a long-overdue welcome-to-the-club moment for both Ryan Reynolds and his running mate Hugh Jackman. It also serves as a heartfelt sendoff to a defining era that predates the MCU as a whole. There is a lot to unpack and highlight about this film but let's start by giving our leading boys their flowers. Ryan Reynolds is to no one's surprise the definitive Deadpool. Seeing him play this character with such ease always makes for an entertaining showcase. He is the definition of an actor who loves AND understands the character he's playing. Reynolds continues to solidify himself as one of the most inspired castings of a superhero in film. The same can be said Hugh Jackman. His latest go around as Wolverine gives him his MCU moment in a big way. The version of Logan we see in this is different yet still in essence the Logan we know. Filled with regret, anger, and suppressed trauma, Logan is haunted by his past mistakes and has coped with them through violence and drinking. His arc is about accepting he cannot change what happened but that still doesn't mean he shouldn't keep fighting. 

Steel on steel

Jackman plays the role beautifully and plays off of Reynolds effortlessly. While we are on the subject, Reynolds and Jackman on screen together as these characters is pure magic. The two of them have unrivaled chemistry with one another as every moment of them on screen is a guaranteed showstopper whether it's an action sequence or banter. It truly is a miracle come to life to see them lighting up the screen together. Other standouts do include Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova. Corrin is delightful in the villain role displaying such a sick and sadistic aura that makes her calm yet firmly terrifying from scene to scene. Matthew Macfadyen is solid as Paradox but is used as a plot device in the end. While I want to be careful to avoid spoilers, I do want to highlight that there are a plethora of moments that make this film not only an enjoyable ride, but a heartfelt sendoff to one of the defining eras of Marvel cinematic storytelling. The action is brutal, bloody, frenetic, and downright grin-inducing. There isn't a moment where you won't be cheering or at the very least have a smile on your face. This is already a strong contender for best action spectacle of the year. What is more gratifying to see is a number of people getting their what I'm calling "MCU moment". I will not get into detail but there are a few people who "show up" and get their flowers and their chance to be part of the club if even for a little bit. Trust me, you won't be ready for who walks in. Despite all the jokes, the film does a solid job of acknowledging the contributions of the Fox era of Marvel and wraps things up nicely for that chapter of the heroverse. It may not have been perfect, but that era of Marvel did a lot for what we see in our modern time. Overall, Deadpool and Wolverine is a massive collection of joy, meta, heart, and bloody chaos. Seeing two actors who are in essence the full embodiment of their characters in the MCU is truly a gift and a joy to watch from beginning to end. Wade and Logan finally made it to the big dance and the spotlight is blessed to be shining on them.

Rating and Final Thoughts

A full-on spectacle from beginning to end as the MCU brings a bloody and ballistic carnival ride that offers both closure and comfort to an era of storytelling worth remembering. 

Pool kisses all around!!!!