God, I loved this movie. There’s nothing like being in the splash zone of this perfect storm. Let’s see: We’ve got Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and, finally, the first R-rated under-the-official-Marvel-Cinematic-Universe-umbrella release. Trust me: They understand the assignment and know how to make every second of it count… all the way to the final “Gotcha, f**kface.”
Taking the director’s reins for Deadpool and Wolverine is recent frequent Ryan Reynolds collaborator Shawn Levy, who also directed Hugh Jackman’s Real Steel. And we all know how much Reynolds loves bugging Jackman on social media, so this trifecta alone is already in cahoots with each other and know how to make some mayhem. Suffice it to say that all of those moments were just leading to what might be one of the most fun and gnarliest superhero movies ever.
I don’t say that lightly. Coming as it does 26 years after Blade made its theatrical debut, thus paving the way for many, many more comic book adaptations and the staggering Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it might even sound a little suspect. Even Deadpool himself acknowledges superhero movie fatigue in one of his famed fourth wall-breaking rants. But when you’ve got Marvel’s most irreverent film hero finally breaking into the MCU with the only Marvel film released in 2024, it’s gotta be something special. And indeed, it is.
The pairing of Reynolds and Jackman alone is gold, as their bromance was always headed for this… and, as expected, it’s the kind fun that no impact scale – Fujita, Richter, or otherwise– could even measure. Reynold’s Deadpool and Jackman’s Wolverine are a far cry from their appearance together in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and they won’t let you forget that. Neither of these incarnations of the characters know each other in this specific timeline or on Earth-10005, to where Deadpool – at shady Time Variance Authority (TVA) agent Paradox’s (Matthew Macfadyen) direction – is attempting to pull Wolverine. Why? Paradox says that Deadpool’s timeline is disintegrating due to a very crucial multiverse version of Wolverine dying, so Deadpool figures that if he brings an alternate universe Wolverine to where he needs to be, that’ll set things right… right? Oh, so much no. Which gives ample time for Deadpool and Wolverine – and, eventually, Wade and Logan – to get to know each other.
Immediately, going into alternate universes opens up the possibility for anything, and writers Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Reynolds, and Levy take every possible road their excited brains could hope to travel. Which, of course, is when the fun really takes off, with the rest of the movie being spent going for broke, each scene trying to outdo the one before it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything for you; this is best experienced, not ruined. They’re going for full-on geeker joy with each successive setup, whether it’s something Deadpool says that just keeps going further into uncomfortable places (among them, tongue-twisting, genius strings of sexual or anatomical euphemisms or actively taking the mickey out of Disney – DISNEY!), or if it’s something you never expected that makes you stand up and cheer.
Through it all stands our triumphant duo of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, both of whom play their respective roles to the nth degree. It’s fantastic to hear these two riffing on each other but at the same time giving their characters serious gravitas stemming from their own baggage. Even in one of the many Deadpool/Wolverine beatdowns, there’s a focus that both actors give to their characters that keeps us from losing the plot because we’re simply having too much fun watching these two mix it up. It’s nice to see Jackman with the Wolverine snarl again, and the script gives him the chance to add more of an emotional depth than we’ve seen in earlier outings. Likewise, this is probably the most grown-up we’ve ever seen Wade Wilson, no matter how much he’s lying to himself, and Reynolds has the most cheeky fun with the gobfuls of expletives and suggestive comments coming out of Deadpool’s mouth.
Yeah, the story takes a general backseat to the “Let’s Throw It All at Our Audience and Make Them Have a Blast!” ethos plastered all over Deadpool and Wolverine. Forget plot holes and other nitpicks; the filmmakers know their audience and what they want, and they have a very merry time shoveling it all on us. From the opening fight underscored by a 2000 pop music earworm to the “Distributed by Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios” credit that sends us out into the theater lobby, the meta-references, mugging for the camera, and the finest in fan service do not stop. Deadpool and Wolverine demands your attention… and about maybe two or three more viewings to catch all the jokes we missed.
