Deadpool and Wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
It's been 6 years since we last saw the fan favorite merc by mouth. After two successful movies in a row, expectations were naturally high from the next one especially when Ryan Reynolds announced that he will be based in the MCU and that Hugh Jackman will return as the one and only Wolverine! It's the only Marvel feature released this year, and excitement for it has been high. Well, the moment everyone has been waiting for, for so long has arrived.
First of all, this film is very different. It's an amazing experience, to say the least. The stakes are high and that is established early. People who were expecting a simple, breezy and easy to follow buddy comedy will be disappointed. This film is none of those things. Let's start with the mouth merc himself, Ryan Reynolds. Besides being the star, he also co-wrote and produced it. He was certainly at the heart of every decision, and from a business perspective and fan satisfaction, he made many good decisions. We'll talk about the business and fan side of it later, but his performance is as good as you'd expect. She oozes fun, has style, and moves (acting and dancing), and most importantly, is very entertaining for the most part.
When it comes to the hero that most of us grew up watching, Logan/Wolverine was the star of the galaxy. He is the best part of the movie. Most of us thought we'd never see the cruel, old, clawed crusader again after that Logan (2017), but here's a 55-year-old showing everyone, arguably the most popular comic book character of all time. His body is awesome and it feels like he never stopped playing Wolverine. He's still as fierce and full of rage as ever and just as brutal as he was in the fight sequence. His battles with Deadpool are really cool and well done. Hugh is also very emotional here.
Deadpool and Wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
Among the other actors, Matthew Macfadyen does well with what he has to offer and so does Emma Corrin. Rob Delaney gets great scenes as Peter. There are no other standout performances. On the other hand, fan favorite characters like Yukio, Blind Al, and Dopinder in particular are wasted. They barely get any screen time and just feel unfairly sidelined this time. Vanessa gets a bit of screen time and the story justifies her, but for others, there was too much scope to use it. TJ Miller, another really fun character, isn't even in the movie.
The writing is the most frustrating aspect of Deadpool and Wolverine. No one expected this to be a memorable story, but I was expecting a decent one with a lot of heart and emotion especially when you have Logan. Structurally it's a mess, and it has too much exposition at times to make it hard to follow. Some characters also come out of nowhere to spoil the flow of the film just for a cheap gag. The story also lacks real heart or emotion, even with such a high level. The writers could have gone too deep into the bromance of our best 2, but they failed and that causes a limitation in the level of chemistry between the 2 characters, it's not bad, but it never fulfills its true potential.
The film has a good running time, and clocks in at over 2 hours. But its relentless speed is its worst enemy at times. There is no space or time to allow arcs to fully cook, or to develop and establish characters in the first place. That's what prevents Cassandra Nova and Mr. Paradox in being interesting or threatening. This also leads to us not making the most of Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen who are both excellent actors. Fans also expect a villain they can hate, in modern superhero movies but Cassandra Nova is not well cooked and ends up being a forgettable villain rather than a villain.
Deadpool and Wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
Although the film is called Deadpool and Wolverineit still feels a lot like a Deadpool movie, not to mention that Logan doesn't have his moments. If he wasn't there, we'd be having a completely different conversation, but I'm thankful that he's here and he's giving it to us. Another thing I've noticed is that all the Deadpool movies have the common problem of starting with a bang and then slowly fading away. I actually liked the first half more than the second, and that's because of the weak third act. The movie really comes off the top. Its main concern seems to be fan service rather than tying all the knots and wrapping the story with a warm effect.
For me, that's Shawn Levy. I like him as a director, but he seems very reserved with his direction here and seems afraid to flex his muscles at all. Yes, there is a lot of cool action here and the VFX are good, but you could have done more. His ignorance of R-rated content was evident here. Speaking of action, it was very cool and stylish. But (Minor Spoilers) 90% of the fight scenes are between Logan and Wade. I didn't bring that to this movie, we already had that in the X-Men origin. In the end, I think the film struggles to cope with the pressure of entering the MCU. Not only does it have to be a good Deadpool movie, but it also has to be a good MCU movie, which comes with its own challenges. The writers tried to adapt to the new landscape and went into every tool at their disposal, but it made the screen worse in the larger context.
But keeping all that aside, there is something else that the audience was promised in this film, cameos, lots and lots more. They absolutely deliver cameos, it might exceed some people's expectations. I can imagine people screaming in cinemas at some of them. Most of them work well within the story. And they didn't detract from the tone or feel of the storytelling and were shaped to fit the Deadpool brand and R rating. The R rating is well-used considering it's Marvel's first attempt at it, but for all the violence and blood in this movie, don't expect much gore. Do you expect insults and jokes from adults.
Deadpool and Wolverine [credit: Marvel Studios]
Deadpool and Wolverine it's a genuinely insane variety that delivers buckets of silly fun, but ultimately gets buried under the weight of joining the MCU. The threequel delivers all the violence, profanity and needle drops you'd expect from a Deadpool movie. It brings new energy to the MCU and honors the X-Men by fully shooting Hugh Jackman at its heart. It really is an R-rated romp that doesn't stop for the most part, but it's scripted and lacks warmth and emotion, and it leaves you wanting more from these characters. But thanks to its amazing soundtrack, plenty of great cameos, and almost non-stop meta-commentary, it still makes for an enjoyable cinematic experience.
Deadpool and Wolverine will be released in cinemas in July 26.
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