Review: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is a Fast, Fun, and Bloody Invitation into the MCU

Deadpool has always been his own unique kind of superhero, someone who occasionally managed to do noble things and save other people but usually was too wrapped up in his own ego – and breaking of the fourth wall – to be concerned with such petty typical tropes of superpowered good guys. He’s the perfect narrator to begin the extremely long-awaited introduction of the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, offering a viciously violent and endlessly enthralling rollercoaster of ill-fated team-ups in everyone’s favorite foulmouthed antihero’s latest effort to potentially save the world if he stops talking long enough to do it.

As with all other MCU projects, it’s helpful to have some context, but audiences might be especially confused since the rights to Deadpool and the X-Men were previously held by 20^th Century Fox, and the first two films in this franchise weren’t part of the MCU. But Deadpool is just the right person to help provide a few more direct helpful hints thanks to his unending tendency to speak directly to the camera and call out Disney for its questionable decisions in making this very movie. For those in the know, that might make it even more fun, provided it doesn’t get too grating, something that Deadpool is always in danger of doing.

Tying Deadpool’s latest misadventures into the MCU does make things more enticing since there are so many different elements of its expansive world to bring into the fold, including Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan and the Time Variance Authority featured in Loki. There are a number of other fantastic references, most of which should remain unspoiled provided those who have yet to see the film have miraculously been able to avoid the all-too-prominent leaks of long-awaited cameos that are best experienced without any prior knowledge.

Deadpool & Wolverine makes a signature splash in its opening sequence even before the first appearance of the second character in its title. Set to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” Deadpool chops his way through a horde of attacking TVA agents, seemingly giving no care to the many lives he is quite brutally ending. Worrying about consequences or collateral damage doesn’t figure much into his mindset, until of course the fate of his world is at risk, and for reasons the film only somewhat logically explains, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) may be the only one who can possibly save it.

Understanding and agreeing with every minor plot point of a superhero franchise movie is never going to be all that easy or relevant, and this film does its best to set it all up with Deadpool’s explanations and a scenery-chewing breakdown by TVA agent Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen). The fight scenes – set to excellent soundtracks – and the comedy are rightfully the focus here, and moving away from logic is something this film smartly does since trying to make it all make sense is merely a waste of time. In fact, due to the film’s propensity for breaking the fourth wall, multiple memorable scenes begin with Deadpool simply noting that audiences really want to see this happen, regardless of how it might or might not fit into the story.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman make a great team, though the burden rests mostly on Reynolds’ shoulders to provide the film’s dialogue since Jackman mainly grumbles and swears angrily at the chipper chatterbox who’s dragged him from a life of misery into a fight to save the world that he doesn’t particularly want. While Deadpool jokes that Disney is going to make Jackman keep playing this part until he’s ninety, it’s Reynolds who could probably do it in his sleep and never run out of energy to make Deadpool a vividly watchable protagonist.

Formidable cameos aside, this film benefits from Macfadyen’s presence, allowing him to try something new after his two Emmy wins for Succession that will surely dictate the kind of roles he’ll be offered in the future. The film’s core villain, though there are a number of them, is played by another TV talent with a promising future, Emma Corrin from The Crown and A Murder at the End of the World, who finds a fitting balance between terror and glee as a frighteningly powerful being who doesn’t have much patience for either of the title characters.

Hopping between different timelines means that no story in the evolving MCU is ever fully complete, and news of a fourth film being in development wouldn’t be at all surprising. This still stands apart from many of the other films in the franchise because of its hard R rating and its taste for blood and excessive language, but it works well and flows very smoothly. There’s carnage aplenty and just as many laughs to be found, and what this “threequel” achieves best is its immersion into the MCU, tapping into just the right number of key references and teases to satiate audiences and deliver a welcome nostalgia for the many non-MCU installments that have led up to this point.

Movie Rating: 7/10

Awards Buzz: Neither of the first films earned craft Oscar nominations, and that likely won’t happen for this one either despite impressive visuals, sound, and editing. This isn’t meant to be an intellectual awards movie, but any action- or genre-specific prizes may well celebrate its accomplishments.