Movie Review: Deadpool and Wolverine

Wolverine as the “straight man” works incredibly well

My expectations for this were pretty low given Deadpool 2. Partly as a result of that, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Deadpool and Wolverine at the very least is much funnier. Clearly one of its main functions was to inject some vitality into the MCU brand. At this it succeeds. Leaning heavily on a plethora of cameos and Hugh Jackman’s second best turn as the Wolverine (nothing will top Logan) this film is guaranteed to put a smile on your face at least a few times.

The plot is standard issue “save the timeline” comic book fare. It doesn’t require much setup or consideration. Just know that you get a lot of great comedic back and forth between the two titular characters. Wolverine is just so damn great at calling out Deadpool on his bullshit. It is something Deadpool’s character sorely needed. What’s more, the movie doesn’t pull any punches in its roasting of Marvel, Disney, Fox, and the entire superhero movie genre over the last three decades. Deadpool and Wolverine milks that ‘R’ rating not only with its violence and language but also with its edgy humor. (Deadpool running up to the camera and yelling, “Get fu**ed, Fox” was refreshing)

Spoiler Alert: Blade, Gambit, and X-23 were lowkey the best parts of the movie

Deadpool’s mockery works well here because you can see very clearly that underpinning it is a real love for all this nerdy comic book stuff. His admiration for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is not ironic. Cameos from other 2000’s era heroes like Blade, Elektra, and Johnny Storm show that the appreciation is for everyone, not just the biggest hits. A great montage of Marvel movie production footage during the credits puts a pin on this point in heartwarming fashion.

So many recent works of media demonstrate a clear disdain for the source material. Star Wars, Velma, She-Hulk, Indiana Jones, Borderlands, Rings of Power, Snow White — this list goes on and on. It’s good to see that the ones that show real love for the IP and fandom (Sonic, Super Mario Brothers) are doing well. Deadpool and Wolverine falls into the latter camp and is deserving of its success at the box office. It’s fun and worth a watch.

Grade: B