Why do we love Deadpool? One, he is a tough as nails, and the other, we relate to him. Well, not to his regenerative healing ability, but to his charming and funny personality. And there’s nobody else better than Ryan Reynolds to play Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool.
In fact, Ryan Reynolds is him.
But Deadpool & Wolverine, as the name suggests, isn’t about Wade, nor is it about the second titular superhero, Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. Perhaps the most interesting bit about the film is Jackman’s return as the popular mutant, someone fans bid farewell to in 2017’s Logan.
However, Disney had other plans after acquiring Fox in 2019, which straight away gave them rights to the much-loved X-Men and Fantastic Four roster.
So, as Deadpool says in the film, Wolverine is sprung back into action at a very low point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is true, ever since Avengers: Endgame in 2019, Marvel has picked up the reputation of producing lacklustre films, milking the multiverse dry, and turning powerful characters into dysfunctional, needy beings.
Deadpool is known for his satirical approach, giving audiences something to laugh about in the film. That’s exactly what happens in Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine: digs after digs after digs. Reynolds is throwing jokes at Fox, then Disney, then Marvel, then DC (Marvel’s arch-nemesis) — it is almost like a roast special with the entire podium to Reynolds himself, and he guarantees a laugh throughout.
The superhero flick certainly lands its jokes right (with gasps and laughter heard across the cinema), but with its storyline and action, not so much.
Here’s a gist of the plot: Deadpool wants to matter, mainly to his lady love Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), and subsequently to his group of friends; he wants to save the world, and be an “Avenger.”
He doesn’t really come across as the world-saving type, as we’re told. But he wants to be, and so he tries. His universe faces the threat of extinction due to the death of an “anchor-being,” so he sets out to bring him back. Guess who? Yes, you guessed it right.
Things go south and we see the pair-up of the century, the kind which requires nerds to bring out their “special socks.” Deadpool and Wolverine, with some allies of their own, are up against Cassandra Nova (Chuck Xavier’s sister), played by Emma Corrin, and her mercenaries in The Void, a rip-off of the Mad Max world.
Thanks to the Time Variant Authority in MCU, the franchise can play with timelines and universes, and bring back favourite characters albeit different variants. That’s what we see in Deadpool & Wolverine, a mix of fan-favourite X-Men characters who are now part of the Marvel roster.
You might think with the inclusion of these characters, the action must’ve been top-notch. Quite the opposite, actually. It was below-par. Barring a couple sequences, the fight scenes were dull, including the penultimate battle.
The stale storytelling, however, can be excused as the film is a curtain-raiser. It is sort of like, “Goodbye, Fox,” and “Welcome to Marvel,” in the way it reintroduces our favourite X-Men. Wolverine along with the other exciting cameos in the film, is now positioned to play a much larger role in this universe and hopefully bring Marvel back to its former glory.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Stars: 3.5/5