DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE Review: A Violent and Filthy Tribute to the Fox Era of Marvel Movies

Marvel has a lot riding on Deadpool & Wolverine. After the lacklustre box office and general fan disinterest in a number of recent MCU films (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 notwithstanding), Deadpool & Wolverine is being marketed as the return to the Marvel Studios blockbusters of yore.

In many ways, Deadpool & Wolverine lives up to that hype, delivering a violent, filthy, and ultimately emotional tribute to the Marvel-based superhero movies that first stoked fan excitement so many years ago. 

Ryan Reynolds returns to the red tighty whities as Deadpool / Wade Wilson, the beloved fourth-wall-breaking indestructible anti-hero, who teams up with the formerly-deceased Wolverine (High Jackman) to try and save his world from extinction. 

Without delving too deeply into spoiler-territory, the plot centres on Deadpool being targeted by Mr. Paradox (Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen), a member of the Time Variance Authority (see: the Loki TV show on Disney+). Mr. Paradox (quite the name there) has deemed Deadpool’s universe to be sub-standard in the wake of Wolverine’s death and sets his mind to destroying the timeline completely. 

The plan to wipe out everyone Deapool knows and loves doesn’t sit well with the Merc With a Mouth, who traverses multiple timelines to find a version of Wolverine to help save his universe from being wiped out of existence. 

Along the way, Deadpool and Wolverine have a never-ending series of one-on-one violent mega-brawls set to loud pop music hits before finally agreeing to team up (you’d be amazed at just how many creative places a set the filmmakers find for adamantium claws to pierce). 

Yet before the duo can make any headway on their mission, they are banished to an apocalyptic dimension filled with the detritus from across the multiverse, overseen by a deadly and unstable leader Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).

Co-written and directed by The Fall Guy’s Shawn Levy (Ryan Reynolds also co-wrote the story along with Rhett Reese), Deadpool & Wolverine works best when it focuses on the Odd Couple energy between Reynolds and Jackman. The constant fourth-wall breaking Deadpool quips get old fast, and generally serve no real purpose other than to congratulate die-hard Marvel fans for bring “in” on the joke. (Did you know the Deadpool films used to be distributed by 20th Century Fox but are now distributed by Disney? If so, you’ll love the constant references to this very obscure bit of showbiz lore.) 

That said, there are fan service elements of the film that work well, especially when referencing classic comic book moments that have never been brought to life in a live-action film. The highly-touted special appearances are great, and the idea of a superhero Island of Misfit Toys filled with forgotten heroes is a fun sandbox for Deadpool and Wolverine to play in. 

The performances are strong (it really is a treat to have Hugh Jackman back in this role), and Reynolds and Jackman have a playful chemistry that carries the film along even when it tends to spin its wheels during the middle section. 

Ultimately, Deadpool & Wolverine is a tribute to the Fox era of Marvel films that eventually set the stage for the MCU as we know it today. In spite of all the pegging jokes and eye-popping ultra-violence, Deadpool & Wolverine lovingly pays homage to a simpler era of superhero films before the multiverse nearly swallowed Marvel whole. 

Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theatres on July 26.