The Film Buffa Reviews: 'Deadpool & Wolverine' delivers on the hype, reviving Marvel and launching the summer
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman anchor a signature team-up movie.
Tango and Cash.
Deadpool and Wolverine.
You can compare the two lead characters to numerous 1980s movies team-ups, and mostly hit the mark. Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell giving each other shovels of shit for 90 minutes fits in fine. As the great Jake Hamilton said, there’s a ton of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles humor mixed into the plot. Wait, is there really a plot?
Shawn Levy’s latest bash doesn’t really have much of a story aka plot, at least nothing that will sound coherent. The semi-retired merc with a mouth and stapled on hairpiece (Ryan Reynolds can’t go wrong here) is living a decent life when he is kidnapped and offered a chance to join the real heroes, aka the Avengers. But is Mr. Paradox’s (the wonderful Matthew Macfadyen) offer legit, or merely a trap? There’s other jargon and loose change about saving worlds and a company that oversees everything (you can’t have them without canon) holding the cards. There’s Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin, having some fun) portraying the closest thing to a heel.
All of it is cinema kindling for Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (a true thrill still as Logan) to repeatedly roast, punch, stab, slice, and roast each other some more for a couple hours while doing some hero shit. Somewhere in Wade’s new mission lies an opportunity to track down and team up with his favorite member of the X-Men, including one of the most hilarious opening scenes in recent memory. Deadpool & Wolverine wisely gets things started fast, avoiding that dull launch that so many hyped-up movies crash into after takeoff.
From there, the two go on a mission to save Wade’s world and friends while finding a way to avenge Logan’s failure to save his own. Stuffed with cameos (maybe too many), the rest of the movie is a greatest hits of 20th Century Fox tape mixed with a refreshing one-off Marvel delight. For once, there isn’t a real hint at a sequel… and that’s a sweet sound. Instead of world-building and thinking four plays ahead, get an individual movie right and go from there. I wouldn’t doubt a fourth Deadpool movie, because they’re the rare R-rated superhero film with a unique sense of humor.
Look, there aren’t many scripts with five sets of handprints that receive good reviews. Take a bow, huge Deadpool & Wolverine writing team. Reynolds has a hand in it, infusing Wade with that rapid-fire joke delivery that can be hard to keep up with. I wrote a while back about his ability to hone in on what he does well while adding just enough emotion, and he pulls it off here. Due to his appearance, Wade does crave friendship and a unit that supports him, and Reynolds plugs right into it to inject the film with a sense of humor and heart.
It was surreal to see Jackman step on screen again as his most iconic character. His work in other hardcore movies such as Prisoners and The Front Runner aside, he’s the only one who should ever play this character. Along with being in terrific shape, Jackman brings that trademark “zero fucks to give but I’ll do it anyway” swagger to the role. He doesn’t just still got it; the man never lost it. Seeing him tackle the latest Logan adventure in the yellow suit created some goosebumps.
In one of Logan’s biggest takedowns of Wilson, Jackman nails a monologue that begins perfectly: “You couldn’t even maintain a relationship with a stripper!” The actor is one of the most versatile, if not the most, players in the game.
You can tell the two actors are friends, because that kind of back and forth verbal foreplay isn’t easy to conjure after a table read and couple run-throughs. Like Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn or Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, a viewer can pick up on Reynolds and Jackman’s speed and flow as if they were watching from a nearby Starbucks. They have a true rapport, and it carries the film to a place where real plots aren’t necessary for success and happiness.
I won’t spoil the cameos, because there are at least a couple jaw-droppers. You won’t see one of them coming, and I love Kevin Feige and the creators of Deadpool & Wolverine for it. When you merge an IP behemoth with a unique sense of humor, this kind of goodness happens.
Now, we can enter the nitpick zone. It could have used 15-20 minutes trimmed, because the gags and cameos do start to get obsessive. Parts of it are overstuffed, and it can be overbearing at times. Think of it as a comedian who gets most of the stand-up skit dead-on while missing here and there.
Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t a perfect film and won’t win any awards outside of Best Scene, but it’s a team-up flick that they got right. It matches the steep hype, and ups the ante with a few surprises and a lot of belly laughs. If this is it for Jackman, he really got to put yet another stamp on a great character. Since she is listed on IMDB and was already spoiled in a trailer, it was nice seeing Dafne Keen again.
One small warning: While the humor is rightfully raunchy, the gore factor is real here. It takes the first two films, and raises the stakes considerably. One character has his skin basically yanked completely off his body, and it’s about as gruesome as Marvel has gotten outside of the Dr. Strange sequel. Speaking of which, any and just about every 20th Century Fox/MCU well-known villain or hero is mentioned in the movie. It’s a real memory kick for this older Marvel fan.
Here’s the thing. This is exactly what Marvel needed. After so many failed or flat-out uninteresting restarts, they asked Mr. Wilson to chime in and give the building a well-needed makeover. That’s what Reynolds and company does so well here: take a still well-oiled machine and make it better, mostly just updating it. Some laughs never hurt.
On the new ratings scale, this one ranks as a film not to see later or skip, but to see right away in a theater with some friends and family. You will laugh, Marvel/Deadpool fan or not.
Now, pretty please with sugar on top, please consider subscribing below.