What was a pretty crazy idea becomes a very nutty movie with Deadpool & Wolverine, a film that stands as a possible fitting end to Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool saga, a strange coda for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and an acerbic reset for the stalled-out Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A LOT of things are going on at the same time (including the usual shtick of Deadpool breaking the fourth wall and mocking the whole process), but Reynolds and Jackman make most of it work. They’re an awesome screen pair, assisting director Shawn Levy in both mocking the MCU and assimilating them into it at the same time.
It can certainly be described as weird—but it’s a good kind of weird. Seeing Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine is super-weird, for starters. Spoiler alert: His character definitively died in Logan, but we now have the whole multiverse thing that has been infecting Marvel films for years now, so the writers have found a rather obvious way to bring him back—and they mercilessly tease the process while doing it.
At the same time, there’s a semi-actual story here, and substantial opportunities for gravitas, mostly from Jackman’s Wolverine, but some for Reynolds as well. It’s actually shocking how serious the movie gets at times, given it’s a Deadpool flick. The stars make it work even when it feels a little awkward.
It’s hard to call out great acting work beyond the leads, because it would ruin the element of surprise. I made it into the movie with only a few of the cameos spoiled for me—and I wish you the best of luck avoiding spoilers yourself. I will say: One in particular is an all-time-most-terrific cameo, affording the actor an entertaining chance to make fun of themselves. It’s a great surprise, and it was one of the many times I audibly laughed during the movie.
A Deadpool movie isn’t a place where I’d expect to see lengthy, straight-faced monologues, but they not only happen; they are effective, a testament to the performers and Levy’s ability to maintain a nice balance between the satirical and the serious. In the hands of other actors, this could’ve been a catastrophic mess. In the hands of this team, it’s an intentionally hilarious and somehow occasionally sweet and blessed mess.
There’s a true sense of appreciation from Reynolds that he got to play the Deadpool part the right way with the series. Meanwhile, Jackman seems forever grateful for Wolverine, rather than feeling it’s something he needs to put in his past like Daniel Craig did with Bond. There’s an always funny and bold “Disney bought 20th Century Fox” angle that services some majorly funny comedy throughout the film.
I’m not sure what this all means for the future of Deadpool and Wolverine. The movie plays as if it’s intended to be a one-time blast, but the record-breaking success of this combo could change some plans. Jackman now has a chance to keep credibly playing his seemingly finished character for a few more years, and Reynolds might have a couple more endearingly smarmy wisecracking chapters left in him as well.
If this is the end for both of them, it’s a fitting finish—and a funny-as-hell kick in the balls to the multiverse concept while simultaneously being an ingenious use of the concept. Like I said, it’s pretty weird—and a lot of fun.
