Remember when Hugh Jackman hung up his claws and said he was done playing the role of Marvel mutant, Wolverine? Well, it turns out he wasn’t.
Oh, sure, when Logan was released back in 2017 the actor was happy to put the character to bed and move on with his life, but the world (or Hollywood if you prefer) had other ideas. And thanks to a bit of time away from the role, some persistent persuasion from friend and colleague Ryan Reynolds, and presumably a big sack of cash from Disney, Jackman is back as Wolverine.
But the character’s return isn’t via a new Wolverine solo movie, it’s via a team-up film. A team-up with Deadpool, appropriately titled Deadpool & Wolverine.
Although, I don’t know why I’m telling you this, as you know this already, don’t you? Of course you do, because you’d have to be living on another planet not to be aware of this movie.
From billboard posters and television interviews, to social media posts and merchandising, Deadpool & Wolverine is everywhere right now. The promotional blitz for this film has been huge, with Marvel Studios (the studio behind the picture) throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this picture, hoping it’ll have maximum impact and be this summer’s Barbie.
Will it? Well, that’s for the public to decide, but as the film is now playing in cinemas you, I, and the rest of the world have the opportunity to go along and see what all the fuss is about.
Directed by Shawn Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, alongside a cast which includes Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, and Stefan Kapičić. The film sees the eponymous heroes join forces for some multiverse shenanigans which brings Deadpool and Wolverine into the MCU (well, sort of).
In the movie, Wade Wilson has long-since retired from his role as the mercenary, Deadpool. And with no maiming and no killing, he lives a quiet life surrounded by his ex-girlfriend Vanessa and all his friends.
But Deadpool’s peaceful existence is thrown into chaos when the Time Variance Agency (TVA) show up at his door and recruit him for an important mission. This puts Deadpool on a path toward alternate timelines, as well as a struggling Wolverine, and new villain, Cassandra Nova.
Now, for those keeping track, Deadpool & Wolverine is the third Deadpool movie (fourth if you include Deadpool’s appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine), as well as the fourteenth big screen X-Men movie overall. The film is part of a collection of X-Men movies which spans back to 2000, and includes entries such as X2 (2003), The Wolverine (2013), and The New Mutants (2020).
All of the previous X-Men movies were produced by 20th Century Fox, while this new movie is produced by Marvel Studios. The film acts as a bridging picture, which connects the old X-Men movies to the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is the MCU’s first proper foray into the world of the X-Men.
Do you need to have watched all of the old X-Men movies to be able to view this new film? No, but an awareness of what came before in Marvel’s extensive back catalogue of films would be helpful.
Deadpool & Wolverine is stuffed with callbacks to the past and a couple of cheeky winks too, so expect plenty of in-jokes, references, and cameos. Also expect a road movie of sorts, with less of a focus on story and more of a focus on set-pieces, bits, and gags.
You see, while Deadpool & Wolverine is a whole heap of fun, and Marvel fans will get a lot of enjoyment out of the picture, the story is wishy-washy and held together by sticky tape, so don’t expect the Earth. However, I’m going to place emphasis on the words ‘whole heap of fun’ because it really is, and it’s clear a lot of work has been put into this movie to make it an event picture.
In terms of the story (let’s get this out of the way first) it’s essentially a case of Deadpool recruiting Wolverine for some multiverse timeline hijinks. There’s a serious side to the adventure for Deadpool (and Wolverine too), but it’s mostly the two leads joining forces to stop something terrible happening.
Along the way they fight, they fight some more, they get some unexpected assistance, and they do heroic things. From a story perspective there’s not much more to it and a few MacGuffins are thrown at the screen to paper over the cracks.
For the most part, the film is built around fight sequences and exposition, and you can’t help but feel that bits of the movie were bolted together or constructed in the edit. However, in fairness to the movie, the whole production was severely impacted by last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes, so maybe this could explain the scrappy nature of the picture.
What I’m essentially saying is, don’t go into this film expecting to be dazzled by Marvel’s greatest script, because this ain’t it. Deadpool & Wolverine has a serviceable story, which gets the characters from A to B, and that’s all it is.
But putting the story to one side, the film has enough going on to keep the interest level high. This is a theme park ride, with lots to see, so it’s unlikely anyone will get bored, and of course the combination of Reynolds and Jackman is always going to be a big draw.
Reynolds is at his wise-cracking best in the film and brings the usual dose of fun to the part of Deadpool. His jokes are dirty and his language is colourful, and despite this being a Marvel Studios production (and therefore a Disney film) it’s business as usual.
Those worried that Disney would be watering things down can stop fretting. This is the same Deadpool we all know and love, and Reynolds isn’t afraid to deliver the filth.
There’s also some colourful language from Hugh Jackman, who steps back into the role of Wolverine for the first time in seven years. It’s not the same Wolverine that we’ve seen before, and yes, he does wear a comic book inspired costume, but it’s Jackman delivering the goods as you might expect.
Is this his best performance as Wolverine? No, and I’d argue the character is restricted and not quite as likeable as before, but going back to what I said above, this is a script issue through and through.
Either way, if you love Jackman you’ll welcome another opportunity to see him back as Wolverine (even if he does feel a little off at times). You’ll also enjoy the chemistry and camaraderie between Jackman and Reynolds, which brings a great deal of impact to the movie.
But the film isn’t just a Reynolds-Jackman love fest, there’s also a lot of meta content to indulge in including a sizeable amount of nods and winks to the camera. If you’re someone well-versed in what this film has to offer (including one or two surprises) you’ll have a ball.
No big spoilers here, but there is a significant section of this film which has been hidden from the preview trailers and for good reason. My advice is to avoid spoilers and see it as soon as you can.
In fact, there are moments in the movie I’d really like to talk about, especially as a longtime Marvel fan who has watched everything (and I mean everything), but I really don’t want to ruin anything. All I will say is, at certain points there were a few cheers in my screening from fellow fans, and a smile did pop up on my face on more than one occasion.
This smile also extended to the end credits, which differ from what we’ve seen before. Marvel and its audience has come a long way over the years, which hasn’t gone unnoticed, and the end credits pay tribute to this.
Outside of the above, Emma Corrin is excellent in the role of Cassandra Nova; the soundtrack features some toe tapping pop bangers; and there are plenty of laughs to be had. Occasionally some scenes do feel stretched out beyond what they need to be, and there are a couple of moments of ropey CGI (isn’t there always these days?), but this is largely overlooked with everything that’s going on.
Deadpool & Wolverine is simply fit to bursting with fun and surprises. There’s lots on offer and if you just want pure escapism then this film has it and then some!
Will it be the big hit of the summer? I expect so, and it probably deserves to be too.
While the film has some issues, and in terms of its script it’s arguably a three-star movie, it gets elevated to four stars because it is likeable. Not all of the movie’s swings hit their mark, but it sure does win points for trying, and it’s very entertaining.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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