Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Director: Shawn Levi
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew MacFadyen
Primary genre: Superhero
READ ALSO: Ranking the X-Men Films
At this point, one might wonder whether the superhero genre has anything left to say. What once began as an alternative point of entry for filmmakers to run rampant with exaggerated costumes, unique production design and theatrical performances (e.g., “Batman Returns” (1992), “X-Men 2” (2003)”, “Spiderman 2” (2004), “The Dark Knight” (2008)), was quickly denoted - after the success of Josh Whedon’s “The Avengers” (2012) - into an array of irrelevant skirmishes full of digi action figures, blue sky beams, bourgeois fights of mass destruction and neurotic humor.
With each entry focusing on the launch of individual cinematic universes, the diminishing returns were inevitable leaving no room to concoct anything innovative. Consequently the idea of multiverses explored in “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) opened up a new can of worms for others to replicate (“The Flash” (2023)) seeking to reset timelines and previous events and to bring together forgotten movies with dubious, if not flat out disastrous results (e.g., “The Flash“ (2023)). Joining this now dated trend is “Deadpool and Wolverine” whose 4th wall breaking efforts barely salvage the superhero corpse.
In terms of marketing, it is ingenious. The uneasy alliance between the short fused Logan and the motormouth that is Deadpool along with the return of Hugh Jackman in the role which made him a global superstar did generate $1.3+ billion dollars worldwide and audiences loved it. And yet this is where the novelty of the third installment runs out. Held by a flimsy plot thread of multiverse mambo jumbo, the script is an excuse to parade a gazillion of entertaining but wildly distracting cameos in a surprisingly uninspired setting and attempts to tie itself with Disney+ TV shows.
You would assume 5 writers would know better but Deadpool’s trilogy capper, by far the weakest of the bunch, offers nothing more than a large barrage of jokes with some already echoing the sentiment of “haha, do you remember 2022?”. Refusing to crave into Disney’s telegraphic outputs, “Deadpool and Wolverine” at least has its R-rating doing it some favors. Be that as it may, having your entire film though relying exclusively on this type of tactic is not a good long-term strategy to sustain quality. As the people behind the camera are more interested in the mockery of contemporary culture, they forgot how to craft an appealing motion picture with an interesting plot besides emphasizing my-whole-world-will-collapse-stakes.
“Welcome to the MCU, by the way. You’re joining at a bit of a low point.”
While the chemistry between Reynolds and Jackman elevates the proceedings a bit, it is hard to care for the now stale comedic talents of dear old Ryan who is being playing the same character since “Blade: Trinity” (2004) and Jackman who has explored every single layer of Wolverine’s personality. Excluding these two, everyone else has a few lines squished between a large cameo cast including one of the most lackluster villains in recent memory who lacks a memorable scene to register. Geeks will geek out for sure in this overload of superhero Easter eggs, the rest unfortunately not so much.
Speaking of the action, “Deadpool and Wolverine“ is remarkably devoid of inventive set pieces. The Merc without a Mouth is not one to be called mediocre but perhaps his cinematic counterpart deserves it. Rendered by an unflattering color palette which strips the film from any distinct visual identity, Shawn Levi’s static and unengaging direction seems remarkably uninterested in thrilling the audience and more into incorporating a sitcom feeling. Everything that happens here has been done elsewhere and better. The long awaited D and W fight should have been a marvel of choreography and yet, it is only passable at best while an almost free-for-all skirmish at the end has that Netflix action stage of “The Matrix Resurrections” (2021).
“Deadpool and Wolverine” avoids the traps of modern identity politics and primarily aims to cater to the taste of modern movie audiences and it is a shame that it bears only a mild entertaining value. Like a firework, its crude comedy explodes in all directions; meanwhile its flaky action sequences and attractive duo of protagonists are not enough to elevate this to legendary status. Once you see it, you will already forget about it.
Banal and mildly entertaining
+Jackman is Wolverine
+Reynolds/Jackman good chemistry
+Some jokes are funny
-Most are not
-No plot
-Typical action sequences
-Lackluster villain
-Distracting cameos