Deadpool & Wolverine Movie Review
by Rosa Parra
The self-proclaimed “Marvel Jesus” has arrived to save the day in the MCU. How Disney allowed this film to see the light of day beats me, but I’m sure glad it did.
Shawn Levy directs “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin and Karan Soni. Deadpool must team up with Wolverine to save the world.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is a love letter to the fans. It’s fun, hilarious, moving, and filled with fan service moments. The film doesn’t just entertain, it appreciates its audience.
The buddy duo of Wolverine and Deadpool, and their entertaining banter, are the heart and soul of this movie. The unique blend of Deadpool’s obnoxious, hilarious and savage self, evident from the opening sequence to the post-credit scene and the action-packed narrative, make this the best Deadpool movie. The familiar characters from the first two films return with an important role, amplifying the stakes.
The opening sequence instantly grabbed me and pulled me into the Deadpool world. It continues its tradition of iconic and often hilarious opening credits as they’re played out to a random song that somehow fits into the movie. In this case, it’s *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye.”
Spoilers ahead
The cameos are the chef’s kiss, with two genuinely surprising me. Seeing Chris Evans was shocking because I wasn’t expecting Steve Rogers to make a cameo. However, my jaw slightly dropped when I realized it wasn’t a Cap cameo but a Johnny Storm appearance (yeap, the Fantastic Four character he portrayed in 2005).
But my shock multiplied after seeing the remarkable Wesley Snipes walk into the frame as none other than Blade. He delivers one of my favorite lines in the entire film. I’m paraphrasing, but he basically says that he’s the only Blade there has been, and the only Blade there will ever be. The audience, filled with film critics, laughed loudly at this comment.
This type of self-deprecating humor from Disney made this movie much more enjoyable. Almost five years ago, Disney announced a new Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali in the titular role. Since then, we’ve had numerous scripts and directors but no production of the film yet. So Snipes delivering that line feels fitting and potentially a prognostication.
The buddy duo of Wolverine and Deadpool, and their entertaining banter, are the heart and soul of this movie.
The film doesn’t shy away from making fun of pop culture references, the actors’ real private lives (such as Jackman’s divorce), and other franchises and characters. Deadpool delivers my favorite line when he asks Channing Tatum’s Gambit, “Who is your dialect coach? The Minions?” I had plenty of laughs with Tatum’s various accents and depiction of this character; I hope to see him again.
That third act is cinematic. I never imagined seeing a live-action sequence of Wolverine in his yellow suit (with the mask, too!). It’s not supposed to be translated from comic book to live action, yet they have made it work. Various shots are screensaver quality. All I kept thinking during this sequence was, “Man, what a time to be alive.”
It does not escape me that we’ve only had one actor portray Wolverine, and he is still going as he delivers a performance that has no business being this good. Jackman is a masterclass actor.
Overall, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is a love letter to the fans. It’s fun, hilarious, moving, and filled with fan service moments. The film doesn’t just entertain, it appreciates its audience. It’s a raunchy, gory and hell of a time in the movie theaters. All hail Marvel Jesus!
4.5/5.