TL;DR – While it languishes in parts, the camaraderie and love for what they are doing is off the charts, and you feel that love in every part of the film.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Deadpool & Wolverine Review –

Well, here we are, with a movie that is either the MCU’s latest desperate attempt to try and get either the multiverse or the mutants to work. Or a fun fourth-wall-breaking meta romp bro road trip through the Fox X-Men years via someone who liked that one bit in Loki season 1. Yet, somehow it is both of these things, and in the process, might be better than the sum of its parts.

So, to set the scene, after we deal with the ethical quandaries laid bare by the existence of Logan, we find that things have not gone well for Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) since we last saw him in Deadpool 2. While his friends always surround him, and he has made it along the way, no one in power trusts him, and rejection after rejection leads to him shutting himself off from people, especially on this birthday. But when henchmen from the TVA arrive to take Deadpool to see Mr Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), he finds out that this timeline is dying, and the only way to save it might be to find himself a new Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).

I am going to start this review off with the things that didn’t work for me before we jump into the rest of the film. Like the rest of the Deadpool films, Deadpool & Wolverine has a very particular style, which will either gel with you or annoy you. Where it didn’t work for me was in the back half of the second act. The whole section in The Void needed another editing pass because it really started to drag. I think part of this came from at least one of the spoiler cameos (voice coach) having a bit that was only fun the first time, and they kept going back for a second bite of the apple. Also, the big climatic battle at the end of the act was the weakest of the entire film. A mess of insert cuts, frantic movements, and missed opportunities.

While that did make for some frustrating viewing at times, thankfully, it never torpedoed the film, and I think much of that can be put down to the sheer determination that Ryan and Hugh bring to the proceeding. It also would have been a shame, given they have been hoping for this for two films now and needed to convince Hugh to go back to a role he had officially said goodbye to. They are throwing their all into this film and bar the setup. I think it would be fair to say that the title of the film is a fair representation of what you are going to get in the cinema. They play off each other so well, and given that is much of the film, it was so crucial that this worked. Their verbal (and non-verbal) quips back between each other are what makes the film. Indeed, the whole script is full of amusing deep cuts, such as ‘Death by Dayplayer’.  

They also make up most of the action scenes, and when they are working (it does not always happen), they are fantastic to watch. The one I think people will be talking about the most is the opening credits montage, which … ah … took some choices in its design. I think for me my favourite one was a fight in a car that made the most of the location in how the action unfolded. There is more promise than following through with some of the power combinations on offer. However, thanks to an exciting duo of villains in, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) and Mr Paradox, who are very different but also complementary. You get the drive that you need for the action. I might say that Cassandra has the most unsettling mutant power that we have seen put on screen so far.   

But of course, Deadpool has a habit of getting weird, and this is no exception. I don’t mean Dogpool (Peggy), but it’s not just Dogpool. There is a surreal moment when you see Deadpool in the opening Marvel credits, almost like you are not sure it was actually going to happen until you watched it go down. These films have always loved their cameo moments, and this is no exception. I wondered why they spoiled so many of them, going in beforehand only to discover that it was because they had so many others in reserve. Seriously, try not to get spoiled, avoid the cast list down below, and just watch them roll in. There are so many comic references here that I think if you bring someone who has bookshelves covered in comics, they will struggle to get all the references in the first showing.

But what makes these films work for me is that behind all their 4th-wall breaks and dropping enough language to make the parents section on IMDB weep, there is usually an undercurrent that is the natural force of the film. In Deadpool 1, it was a love story. In Deadpool 2, it was about finding your true family. In this entry, it is a love letter to the entire Fox/Marvel franchise. It never gets as pointed as, say, The Matrix Resurrections. How we use and discard media is at the core of the story they are telling. They wear it on their sleeves and in a mid-credit scene.

From a production side of things, it was a bit hit-and-miss at times. Some of the locations did have ‘we filmed this in a car park’ energy for them, but thankfully, it improves as the film goes on. Nearly all of the music in this film is needle drops, which means your mileage will vary a lot with the choices. I quite liked almost all of them, but I may be alone in that. Though I will say, beware, some of these songs will lodge themselves in your head and refuse to leave. The stunt team did a fantastic job in making some of those action scenes work. There are so many awkward angles, so many.     

In the end, do we recommend Deadpool & Wolverine? Yes, we would. Now, if you have not liked any of the previous films, then I am sorry, but there is nothing here that is going to change your mind. But if you like Deadpool or Wolverine, the comics they are based on, or the irreverent meta-humour that permeates these films? Then this is the film for you. If you liked Deadpool & Wolverine, we would recommend to you True Lies.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Deadpool & Wolverine?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Deadpool & Wolverine
Directed by – Shawn Levy
Screenplay by – Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy
Based on – A Lot of Marvel Comics
Music by – Rob Simonsen
Cinematography by – George Richmond
Edited by – Dean Zimmerman & Shane Reid
Production/Distribution Companies – 20^th Century Studios, Marvel Studios, Maximum Effort, 21 Laps Entertainment & Walt Disney Studios
Starring – Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin & Matthew Macfadyen with Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapičić, Shioli Kutsuna, Randal Reeder & Lewis Tan And Aaron Stanford, Tyler Mane, Aaron W. Reed, Kelly Hu, Mike Waters, Ray Park, Billy Clements, Dania Ramirez, Jason Flemyng, James Dryden, Dafne Keen, Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, Channing Tatum, Chris Evans, Wunmi Mosaku, Jon Favreau, Chris Hemsworth, Blake Lively, Nathan Fillion, Matthew McConaughey, Henry Cavill, Nick Pauley, Paul Mullin, Alex Kyshkovych, Rob McElhenney & Peggy
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 14A; Germany: 16; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R