Deadpool & Wolverine - Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

HOW best to describe Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine? It's a toughie. By turns genius, hilarious, gratuitous, profane, gleeful, annoying, OTT yet oddly heartfelt - the film is an all-out assault on everything, designed as the ultimate gift to fans.

And when taking all of those things into account, it has to rate as a massive success for the trio behind it - Ryan Reynolds (the force of nature who has single-mindedly turned Deadpool into a cultural phenomenon), Hugh Jackman (reviving Wolverine to glorious effect once more) and Shawn Levy (defying expectation to deliver his most adult film to date).

Sure, not everything works and there is a sense that the longer things last, the more bloated they become.

But in the main, this is a romp: one that captures the essence of the Deadpool character and self-consciously let's rip inside the Marvel universe. Hence, no target feels off-limits - everything and everyone is ripe for a comic takedown.

The best experience of watching Deadpool & Wolverine will be to avoid as many spoilers as possible, given the sheer number of surprises (from cameos to references, to plot points) that Reynolds and company have packed in. Suffice to say, I won't be giving anything away here.

But those surprises reward patience, as well as a keen knowledge of all that's come before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which incorporates the battle to bring this version of Deadpool to the big screen, as well as the many films that made up the so-called Marvel universe prior to being brought under the one, mega-successful roof by Disney - particularly, the failures or the ones that got away.

The plot, therefore, finds Deadpool (Reynolds) in a state of malaise, having hung up his suit, and in the doldrums following another life-altering event.

When he is called upon by the TVA, in the form of Matthew Macfadyen’s agent Mr Paradox, he is tasked with bringing a speedy and definitive end to his own timeline, in the hope of being offered better opportunities to shine in another sacred one.

But given this means that he will lose the few people that mean anything to him, Deadpool rebels and sets out to save his own timeline with the help of a Wolverine variant (Jackman) from yet another different timeline, who is in dire need of his own shot at redemption.

This mixing of timelines enables this film to honour Wolverine's existing legacy (as played out in Logan), while also managing to incorporate the cameos that offer so much fun.

But they may appear confusing to some fans, who may not have a full blown knowledge of all superhero shenanigans prior to Deadpool or the MCU, or even some of the MCU's more recent, Disney+ based content (most notably TV shows like Loki, which is heavily reliant on the TVA and what they stand for).

Indeed, the plot is arguably the weakest link in Deadpool & Wolverine.

But in spite of such a potentially huge shortcoming, the film thrives because of the undoubted chemistry of its leading men, the sheer energy it deploys throughout, and the relentless sense of fun it displays - some of which, admittedly, can becoming tiring and even jarring.

This is, first and foremost, a gift to the fans who have supported these characters from the start, and through thick and thin. It's a love letter to the central characters, which embraces their shortcomings as well as their strengths.

And in doing so, it also feels hugely emotional, with several scenes allowing both Reynolds and Jackman to flex their acting muscles and stretch their characters beyond the jokey or physical. There's genuine depth here, imbued with a sense of loss, regret and what it means to be an outsider.

Kudos to the creative team, therefore, for managing to pull this off without losing the film's edge or allowing it to feel too contrived or sentimental.

Praise, too, must go to the likes of Disney and Kevin Feige for allowing Reynolds and company such free reign to take so many swings, often at the expense of Disney and Feige themselves.

A Deadpool movie wouldn't be a Deadpool movie without the ability to send things up, take the piss and downright offend. And this one does all of those things like a sugared up child being let loose in a toy shop. It runs wild.

So, from the opening (and now much memed) dance sequence to the Madonna soundtracked final battle, nothing is safe from Reynolds' motor-mouthed wit, which merely adds to the fun and irreverence.

And while there are many niggles along the way - from Emma Corrin's surprisingly bland villain to Reynolds' sometimes agitating shtick, right through to some of the unnecessarily gratuitous violence and profanity - none jar big enough to place any serious dents in the film's overall ability to seriously entertain.

Deadpool & Wolverine is a rip-roaring, laughter inducing, crowd-pleasing superhero romp that almost demands repeat viewing to catch up on what you missed. It deserves to be seriously fucking huge!