Deadpool 1 and 2 were some of the best things to come out of Fox. When Disney brought Fox, I hoped that Ryan Reynolds would remain as Deadpool. Thankfully this is the case but they also brought back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine despite the perfect send-off in Logan. Does Deadpool continue to entertain or is this a tainting of Ryan and Hugh Jackman’s legacy?
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are still phenomenal as their Deadpool and Wolverine respectively. Both of them have excellent antagonistic chemistry. The contrast between Jackman’s serious performance and Reynolds’s jokey performance is incredibly fun to watch. What made previous Deadpool movies great is that while it was primarily a comedy, it had a lot of heart too. This is still the case here. Deadpool’s love for Vanessa and his friends is still here and despite his stupid antics, it is very clear he is serious about them. Wolverine has immense guilt and Jackman’s excellent performance conveys the pain perfectly. Both have great character arcs that are honestly very heart-warming and satisfying.
On that note, the comedy continues to be hilarious! You still get the crude and dirty jokes, the fun meta ones, the downright silly ones. All of which got a chuckle out of me. What I appreciate most though is that the movie doesn’t shy away from jokes that point fun at Disney or the current state of the MCU. The movie being part of the multiverse saga did worry me about it being a cameo fest. There are definitely moments with short appearances of individuals but there are also some proper appearances. Some of these “cameos” feel more like a supporting character. The movie also has a killer soundtrack that is used very effectively. There is a great sequence with Madonna and NSYNC that still stick in my mind. There are also some very entertaining action sequences that are well-choreographed. There is an excellent one in the intro and a unique one involving a car.
Yet, for some reason, one of the action sequences in the beginning of the 3rd act is just weirdly bad. This one particular action set piece had such awful cuts and shaky camera that it was nearly impossible to tell what was going on. It is weird as every action set piece before was terrific and even the one after is amazing. None of them had shaky camera, except that one particular one. The Deadpool movies have had a lot of jokes that feel like you would need a bit of knowledge of things that occurred in the real world to understand. In this entry, there are definitely a lot more of these types of jokes. I understood all of it which is why it made me laugh but I was watching the movie with someone else and the jokes flew over their head. It’s not a big problem but it is something to note, especially if you plan on watching this with another person.
One of the weakest aspects of this movie compared to previous entries is the story. The stakes are higher than it ever has been with the whole universe of Deadpool being at stake. The problem is that we don’t ever really feel it. There is no tension, suspense or urgency to the oncoming doom. Deadpool and Wolverine don’t ever feel like they’re in any rush. The multiverse setting also results in what feels like nothing is truly ever at stake. Characters could die but it never really feels like their death means anything. It also introduces more rules to the multiverse and it just raises so many questions. Despite this being a Deadpool movie in the MCU, the story is very inconsequential and doesn’t really add anything. I also find the villain, Cassandra Nova, to be quite dull. They have cool powers and Emma Corrin gives a lively performance as the character. However, the villain’s motive is very weak and they are not given enough depth for us to care one bit about them.
Overall, Deadpool is Marvel Jesus. After a lot of stinkers from MCU movies, we finally get a genuinely great one. It doesn’t taint the legacy left behind by Fox X-Men movies. If anything, Deadpool & Wolverine is a celebration of those past movies. It respectfully honours our nostalgia while also giving us hope for the future of MCU movies. I can’t wait to see where Deadpool will turn up next!
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