Deadpool & Wolverine (Movie Review)

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Deadpool & Wolverine is the latest romp in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), or at least in the MCU featuring characters that were part of 20^th Century Fox, before they were absorbed into the Disney collective.

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is back as the obnoxiously over-the-top wisecracking and immortal mercenary known as Deadpool. In this adventure, and unbeknownst to him, he has been informed by Mr. Paradox (Matthew McFadyen), who works for the TVA (Time Variance Authority) that his world and everyone that he holds dear will be destroyed. This includes Morena Baccarin. Not thee Morena Baccarin but the character she has played in all three films.

As Mr. Paradox gives Deadpool the obligatory lesson in how the multiverse works, Deadpool is distracted by how cool Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is. He gets the bright idea of recruiting the one failed Wolverine in one of the failed timelines to help him out with his own plight. Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) AKA Professor X’s twin sister is the main villain who is the mastermind behind the death and destruction of Wade’s world and many other variant worlds. She’s pretty awesome, too.

That is the crux of what Deadpool & Wolverine is all about. It’s one of the coolest team-ups in comics and made for a pretty damn fun outing at the movies. Make no mistake, the film IS fun but the screenplay is a mess, although not as grating as I thought it was going to be. They somehow managed to include another AC/DC song in the film and it was awesome. They also included cameos from folks I thought we’d never see again in the comic book world. There are plenty of things that happened in the previous Deadpool films that are never addressed in the new film but since the main focus is that of Wolverine being in it, it gets a pass. Wolverine’s presence saves what could have been a mediocre sequel.

Deadpool & Wolverine is a juggernaut at the box-office and I do look forward to the 4K disc release because if the first two films are any indication, it may be a director’s or extended cut at home. I am hearing that certain versions of this theatrical releases have certain cameos and tidbits removed for whatever reason. Personally, I can confirm that my screening in Dolby Cinema did not have the Rob McElhenney cameo. Things like that. Maybe the home video version will restore them all.

In any event, Deadpool & Wolverine was a fun ride in theaters and I recommend that folks see the film in Dolby Cinema or IMAX for the best possible presentation. Flame on!

Deadpool & Wolverine is in theaters July 26th, 2024 in the U.S.

• Rating Certificate: R (for strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references.)
• Studios & Distributors: Marvel Studios | 20th Century Studios | 21 Laps Entertainment | Donnors’ Company | Maximum Effort | New Zealand Film Commission | Quebec Production Services Tax Credit | TSG Entertainment | The South Australia Film Corp.
• Country: USA | Canada | Australia | New Zealand
• Language: English
• Run Time: 127 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Director: Shawn Levy
• Written By: Ryan Reynolds | Rhett Reese | Paul Wernick | Zeb Wells | Shawn Levy
• Release Date: 26 July 2024