When Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2018, Fox’s big R-rated, foul-mouthed, quippy hit Deadpool was riding high on its first sequel, which came quickly after the 2016 Ryan Reynolds-led movie broke out. Even though the character came from the Marvel label, it was hard to imagine him fitting comfortably into the less edgy PG-13 Marvel Cinematic Universe owned by Disney, at least short of censoring what made the character, as invented by Reynolds, so much fun.
Now six years later, adding another infamous Marvel character, Wolverine from the X-Men Fox franchise, comes a dream teaming for fans with the first R-rated MCU movie and only MCU theatrical release of 2024. The results for Deadpool & Wolverine are, in so many ways, out of this world.
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Teaming Reynolds with his personal good friend Hugh Jackman, as well as setting up Deadpool and Wolverine in a forced odd coupling, this all comes off like an inspired cross between Godzilla vs .Kong and Midnight Run, a scenario in which two opposites are drawn together against any single natural instinct either one of them has. And guess what? It works beyond your wildest screen-team dreams. We can thank the stars but also director Shawn Levy, who clearly knew how to get the best out of them, having worked with Jackman in 2011’s Real Steel and with Reynolds on 2021’s heartwarming and terrific Free Guy as well as 2022’s The Adam Project. The chemistry is evident.
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Says Reynolds, for whom no quip is too over the top, it is like Fox dumped Wolverine, Disney picked him up, and now Jackman “has to play him until he is 90!” That would not be such a bad idea, and might not be since Deadpool & Wolverine comes in as the most anticipated movie of the summer, fires on all cylinders and certainly portends a brand-new future for both in the reinvigorated MCU — which, as Deadpool himself says, has hit a rough patch lately.
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In fact, so much of the fun — and if nothing else, this character is fun — there is absolutely nothing off limits coming out of his mouth, a crackerjack quipster who constantly breaks the fourth wall, letting nothing and no one off the hook including the studio paying for all this, even using a certain verboten sexual term to state, “I know what it means, but it certainly is new for Disney!” The jokes come at you so rapid-fire this time, even more than in the first two Deadpools, that one viewing is way not enough.
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Levy, who also co-produced and co-wrote the film (with Reynolds & Rhett Reiss & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells), abandons his well-known family-friendly filmography and fits comfortably into this particular universe, not only letting the blue comedy rip and the action soar but also managing to ingest heart and ultimately friendship into a winning mix that tonally never seems off for a minute in the (thankfully) tight 127-minute running time. And though there are plenty of spoilers and beloved uncredited characters turning up, many in more than mere cameos, this review will remain spoiler-free. You are going to have to find out for yourself. Stay away from the internet.
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Plot-wise, after a brief opening in current day, Deadpool & Wolverine flashes back six years (the same gap between Deadpool 2 and this one) to discover Wade Wilson (Reynolds) — no longer in his Deadpool guise — is interviewing for a job with Tony Stark’s company. Jon Favreau reprises his MCU role as Happy Hogan in basically brushing off this particular applicant whose dream is to be an Avenger. Instead he ends up as a used car salesman thanks to good friend Peter Poole (Rob Delaney), but it doesn’t take long before he finds himself back in the familiar red suit and dealing with a shady guy called Mr. Paradox (Matthew MacFayden), who needs his particular talents to help in completely wiping out one of the MCU’s many multiverses, this one eligible since its “anchor being” has died and is no longer of value. And not just him but the entire place as part of the multiverse.
That “anchor being” is none other than Logan aka Wolverine (Jackman), and we revisit his death scene. Cut to six years later, and Deadpool is in the middle of a burned-out nowhere digging up Wolverine, who is now a mere skeleton. He also becomes the target of Paradox’s army and realizes that he must fight to save the world from this evil guy’s plans.
Cue the first of many socko action scenes and a very funny search to revive Wolverine, finally settling on a loner he encounters in a bar. An uber-reluctant Wolverine is back and called into action but wants nothing to do with this Deadpool guy. Think Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier chained to each other in The Defiant Ones. Nevertheless, it is game on as Wolverine emerges in the yellow-and-blue suit the character wore in the comic books but Jackman never once put on in any previous movie. “He thought he was too good to look like a superhero,” snarks Deadpool.
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These Marvel Sunshine Boys don’t get along, leading to a great knock-down, drag-out fight in what looks like a bombed-out barren place that reminds of the Planet of the Apes ending. But instead of a destroyed Statue of Liberty, there is a collapsed stone cutout of the 20th Century Fox logo prominent among ruins in the background. The film’s fantastic production design is from the late Raymond Chan, to whom the movie is dedicated. It is one of a couple of dynamic fights between the two, another coming after Wolverine tears into Deadpool, ripping him apart verbally and, for once, leaving Deadpool quiet, speechless and hurt before the two get into another rip-roaring battle. That we don’t just hate Wolverine at that moment is a tribute to what Jackman does in showing off his utter frustration. In pure good old movie fashion though you can bet the two will find some mutual reason to work together, just like Godzilla and Kong did earlier this year. Along the way, they are joined by some familiar faces, but again no spoilers.
Reynolds simply owns this role like no other, and as a writer and producer, he clearly knows what makes it work. The very amusing dialogue is full of salty, stream-of-consciousness pop culture references in the extreme, but most of it lands. As good as he is, Jackman’s return, and wearing that impressive yellow-with blue suit (Reynolds suggests he just came from L.A. Rams practice), is perfection, and I would say his strongest turn ever as Wolverine, at least one that gives what he did in Logan a run for its money. He really commands the screen in this one.
Beloved Deadpool regulars are not forgotten and welcome, including romantic interest Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa, Delaney’s Peter and the wonderful Leslie Uggams making the most as usual with her brief screen time as Blind Al. MacFayden clearly is setting up a cinematic future as a villain. He makes a great one, and another fellow Brit, Emma Corrin, pulls off the real bad-guy role of Cassandra Nova in bald-headed style. Shout-out to Aaron Stanford’s Pyro, as well as lovable pup Peggy as the irresistible Dogpool.
Others, some very familiar to Marvel fans, show up including a hilarious turn here by a certain would-be Marvel hero. You figure it out. The intrigue is on to identify the star showing up as Lady Deadpool. Look even for an interloper from the DC universe, but don’t blink.
Levy’s longtime collaborators Dean Zimmerman and Shane Reid supply the sensational film editing, with fine cinematography from George Richmond and an appropriate score by Rob Simonsen. Musically, though, it is the needle drops that really rock, particularly Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” that ought to return to the top of the charts after this.
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Producers are Reynolds, Levy, Kevin iFeige and Lauren Shuler Donner.
Title: Deadpool & Wolverine
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date: July 26, 2024
Director: Shawn Levy
Screenwriters: Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew MacFayden, Jon Favreau, Monica Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, Karan Soni
Rating: R
Running time: 2 hr 7 mins