Having gone from oversaturating cinema schedules and streaming platforms with content for years to having virtually no presence in 2024, the effects of superhero fatigue and the recent Hollywood strikes have had a significant effect on the once ever-present MCU, and this has largely been a welcome change, as audiences had lost interest in the increasingly convoluted cinematic universe.
As the only MCU film gracing the silver screen in 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine is a novelty in more ways than one, as there are many layers of expectations resting on its shoulders.
For fans of the genre, the promise of the first R-rated MCU film is only outweighed by the anticipation of finally seeing Hugh Jackman don the classic X-Men suit whilst having to put up with Ryan Reynolds’ obnoxious Deadpool, all the while not having to adhere to Marvel Studios’ usual, family-friendly restrictions on language and violence.
Thankfully, as far as the team-up itself goes, the two are a blast to watch due to their remarkable chemistry, and not a single scene between them feels wasted or unnecessary.
Both Reynolds and Jackman do what they usually do with these characters, however, thanks to both actors being perfectly suited for their respective roles, the pair revisiting these parts together guarantees substantial entertainment value, and if there is something this film has no shortage of, it is entertainment value.
Featuring a myriad of cameos, which are largely utilized to a satisfactory degree, Deadpool & Wolverine puts itself in the extreme fan service category alongside the likes of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
As such, the appeal is present as far as fans are concerned, but outsiders and relative newcomers may not experience the same thrill, as the plot surrounding the superhero extravaganza is the flimsiest the three Deadpool films have had to offer, and there is nothing to write home about in terms of themes, storytelling or narrative structure.
With regard to how well the marriage between the MCU and Reynolds’ foul-mouthed antihero works stylistically, Deadpool & Wolverine manages to serve as a palate cleanser after the onslaught of formulaic mediocrity that has been the vast majority of Marvel Studios’ releases after Avengers: Endgame in particular, and it feels cathartic to laugh at the MCU this thoroughly after half a decade of increasingly underwhelming content.
Where the film falls short, however, is in applying the MCU formula for villains and McGuffins, which is as tired as ever, and it remains to be seen if Marvel Studios are willing to forego this approach, or if the MCU formula will continue to be its own worst enemy.
Instead, the star of the show here is Reynolds’ passion and the chemistry he shares with Jackman, as their giddy energy injects the film with not only unapologetically immature fun, but also a decent amount of heart, both of which saturate the film as a whole.
If you already loathe superhero movies, Deadpool & Wolverine is most certainly not the one to change your mind, as the merc with a mouth is the most obnoxious of them all.
However, if you enjoy the genre and have been looking forward to this masturbatory display of fan service blasting the cobwebs off of a dormant MCU, Deadpool & Wolverine is likely to be the silliest mainstream movie of this summer, and laughing and cringing your way through it is a fine way to let loose and be reminded of what made the MCU enjoyable in the past, and why audiences are ready to move on to something new.
Verdict: 8 out of 10.
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Produced by Kevin Feige, Lauren Shuler Donner,
Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy
Written by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese,
Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy
Based on Marvel Comics
Directed by Shawn Levy
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin,
Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, Matthew Macfadyen
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