Deadpool & Wolverine

This weekend, Deadpool & Wolverine, the one MCU film of the year, releases in theaters. Deadpool & Wolverine follows the two titular characters as they attempt to save Deadpool's universe from being erased from existence. Naturally, I was very excited for this movie. It was my second most anticipated movie of the year and the one MCU movie to come out this year. The MCU has been at a bit of a low point recently so I was hoping that Deadpool would put it back on track.

In general, I was pleased with this movie. It delivers everything you want from a Deadpool movie about the multiverse. Everything from the crass humor to the cameos is delivered in this movie. Just like with the other Deadpool films, this movie is incredibly funny with Ryan Reynolds giving his classic wit and crass humor. A lot of people were concerned that Disney was going to water down Deadpool but this movie ends up holding nothing back. It is a true R-rated superhero comedy. The movie also does a great job of delivering that high energy you want and never creates dull moments. There is always some reference to notice or a fun action sequence to watch. The movie also manages to be more of a stand-alone story. Of course, the more Marvel movies you've seen, the more references you are going to get. But from a basic story standpoint, the movie explains everything you need to know without needing to do any homework. I also liked how the movie doesn't get too bogged down by subplots. The second Deadpool movie has a bit too much going on but this movie just stays focused on a single simple story. The cameos and references are of course a lot of fun. This movie delivers on what Multiverse of Madness was lacking and it works very well in this movie. Deadpool is known for making references and breaking the fourth wall so having a ton of cameos makes sense for the movie and feels more natural and not shoehorned in. Easily the best part of the movie is Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine. He brings a sort of gravitas to the film and is kind of the emotional backbone of the movie. The chemistry between Deadpool and Wolverine is also a lot of fun. They are essentially polar opposites but still play off each other very well. Their relationship makes the movie feel like a mix between a romantic comedy and a buddy cop film. Finally, I thought this movie did a great job of handling the multiverse. The Multiverse has been hit or miss in movies these days but this movie uses it in a great way. The movie kind of reminds me a bit of the animated Spider-verse movies in terms of multiverse usage.

I don't have too many huge issues with this movie. The story is a bit overly simplistic. You can just about summarize the premise of the movie in one sentence. But that leaves more time for multiverse fun, so I didn't have a big issue with it. Along the same lines, I wasn't a huge fan of the setup of the movie with the usage of the TVA and how Deadpool and Wolverine end up where they are for the majority of the film. It just seemed a bit lazy.

Overall, this movie was a blast to watch. It keeps the essence of Deadpool going while still making him connected to the main MCU. The movie isn't trying to be a big epic MCU film. It is just trying to be a classic Deadpool story and a love letter to Marvel movies and I think it achieves that.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+ Recommendation: A must see for Marvel fans