Deadpool & Wolverine Movie Review by Steven Redgrave : Pop Culture Leftovers

Deadpool & Wolverine Movie Review by Steven Redgrave

August 2, 2024 5:48 pm |

Warning: Contains some spoilers

The long desired Mutant duo has finally penetrated the MCU in this third Deadpool installment, Deadpool and Wolverine, directed by Shawn Levy and written by the team of Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells.

With Deadpool at his lowest, struggling with civilian life, he is offered an opportunity by the TVA that would see the end of his timeline, unless he can navigate the multiverse to find a Wolverine capable and willing to help stop the erasure of everyone he loves.

Rest assured, though, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) have not tamed anything since the Disney acquisition. Keeping with a R-rating, expect a bigger onslaught of violence as they quite literally disarm their enemies, all while delivering the crudest of jokes, mostly at the expense of the former 20th Century Fox.

Deadpool and Wolverine is full of laughs and hyper violent action, staples that have shown the franchise so much success, but at the core of this story is the bond built between these two iconic characters, as they brutally tear eachother apart on a universal road trip to redeem themselves.

Deadpool hides his pain behind his wall breaking sass and this story dives into that feeling of loneliness he has, despite having everyone he loves around him. Reynolds takes the Merc with a mouth and gives him a heart that shouts even louder for the desire to matter.

On the other end of the spectrum, Wolverine comes from a universe that he did matter, but ran from everyone, only to suffer the consequences, all alone. Jackman had already put Logan to rest through many X-Men films, delivering a brilliant performance and satisfying arc, but his return to the character and introduction to the MCU had everyone’s attention. Not only did he deliver on the expectation of the Wolverine, but Jackman also gave a new life to the character, giving fans a variant that had his own demons to overcome and doing so in the flagship yellow and blue costume.

When they weren’t mutilating each other, Deadpool and Wolverine went up against Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), sister to Charles Xavier and an omega level villain, spending her days ruling the Void. Her abilities are unmatched and Corrin gave the character a disturbing balance of charm and chaos on screen. Unfortunately, her character, despite being all powerful, wasn’t the main aspect of the story and used more as a hurdle to the objective. Corrin did give Nova some unforgettable moments with the time she had. Oh and Nova has an unsettling enjoyment of fingering others for torture, so that’s a thing.

As this is a multiverse story, there were plenty of variants to go around. Some of Wolverine, many others of Deadpool, including some known as Nicepool, Dogpool, and Ladypool, among many others. They didn’t necessarily have a lot of screen time or steal the show, but added fun nods to variants from the comics.

The more notable moments were with the cameos of many forgotten and missed heroes and villains. Deadpool and Wolverine brings a lot of nostalgia infused surprises along this ride and gives those characters another moment to shine.

Despite the many jokes aimed at the former Fox Studios, Deadpool and Wolverine delivers a meaningful love letter to the Fox universe, with plenty of satisfying moments. It’s full of variants and cameos while giving Wade and Logan impactful arcs that find their fates entangled in the multiverse, but the story does rehash a repeated issue with Marvel movies, specifically struggling to flesh out the villains.

Deadpool and Wolverine thrives with its gory comedy and regenerative heart, being the Viagra that the MCU needed to give fans another round, since Avengers Endgame.