It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in a bit of a rut lately. Sure it’s had the odd victory here and there, but we are far from the days of Winter Soldier, Civil War, Ragnarok and the Infinity Saga. Maybe it’s an overreliance on the multiverse, overbearing studio interference, or simply a hesitance to even try to move the needle again. Either way, I have not been too kind to the MCU in past reviews, but fear not, a savior is on the horizon. White-eyed, clad in red and beloved by millions…no, not Spider-Twink. I’m talking Deadpool!
Yes, the wise cracking, expletive throwing, 4th wall breaking anti-hero has made his long awaited debut in the MCU, and he didn’t come alone. He is of course tag-teaming with his loving frenemy Deadpool, portrayed by a freshly resurrected Hugh Jackman looking to give the iconic role another go. This first time on-screen pairing, coupled with the fact that this is the MCU’s first R-Rated film, had many highly anticipating this film, myself included. But six years removed from the last Deadpool film, I had to wonder if the merc’s self-referential schtick would age like a fine wine made of memberberries, or stink like the rotting corpse of a once revered icon.
Deadpool and Wolverine is somewhere in the middle for me. It’s certainly some of the most fun I’ve had with an MCU film since Spider-Man: No Way Home, though I do have many of the same issues I had with that. This stroll down memory lane is filled with plenty of charming returns and shocking appearances no one could have guessed, but it also seemed like these inclusions were given top priority over other things like telling a compelling story or being visually interesting. It’s certainly a bit of fun especially if you’re in the know, aka your mother’s basement, but I do have to wonder about the precedent this sets for the future of Marvel’s films. We may be one step closer to seeing Lou Ferrigno’s old ass being painted green one last time.
The story is…well, pretty nonsensical and cobbled together. But, to dumb it down, Deadpool and Wolverine must reluctantly team up to save the multiverse when shenanigans from the Time Variance Authority and a mad telepath named Cassandra Nova threaten all they hold dear. The more you think about the story the less it makes sense, though it doesn’t completely ruin the experience. There’s plenty of questionable decisions and conveniences injected to simply generate the story they wanted to tell, and it can be noticeably sloppy at times. Things like Paradox telling Deadpool he’s going to destroy his world even though he’s trying to recruit him or Cassandra Nova killing people in an instant except for our main cast just felt like lazy contrivances.
What helps to make you forget is the performances, and there are plenty to enjoy. Ryan Reynolds pretty much decided he was going to play the same character forever before he ever donned the red spandex, but I do enjoy his wacky antics for the most part. Not all of his comedy lands, but there’s a good amount of standouts like telling 20th Century Fox to F themselves by mentioning Disneyland to simply saying the name of a movie to the camera. The comedy is still heavily referential, which means if you aren’t a comic nerd or haven’t been keeping up with the past 30 years of comic book movies, some of these jokes aren’t gonna hit. The ying to Deadpool’s yang is Wolverine, an equally foul-mouthed, eternally pissed off Canadian played by the eternally lovable Australian Hugh Jackman. If you thought Jackman’s return would desecrate the grave that was his final performance in Logan, you might have been a tad off. There is a literal desecration of his grave set to an N’Sync song, but this version of Wolverine is different and separate enough from that film to where I wasn’t too bothered by his return. Jackman brings the emotion to the role that was definitely needed, even though his arc and backstory are pretty weak, feeling redundant of Logan and ultimately not making a ton of sense. You ain’t no Casey Afleck in Manchester by the Sea my man, but you do try. I did find a lot of the supporting roles to be pretty fun though. Matthew Macfadyen is goofily stuck up as Mr. Paradox, while Emma Corrin does a solid job as the playful yet menacing Cassandra Nova, though I do wish her role could have been more fleshed out. Some familiar faces from past Deadpool films pop up again like Blind Al, Vanessa and Peter, but I am a little disappointed their role in the film is so minuscule. They remain the core of Deadpool’s heart, but the movie just kind of tells us this rather than showing us more of their relationships.
Then there’s those cameos, which, if you haven’t seen the film yet, I won’t spoil them here. Some of these I saw coming from a mile away, others took me completely by surprise and I’m shocked they didn’t leak. The importance of these many cameos vary; some are just neat little background nods, others get a little bit more play. I’m not going to overthink these; they’re pretty cool to see even if they don’t add a ton to the plot.
The long awaited head-butting of the titular heroes is done across several set pieces and action sequences that can range from creative and innovative to pretty dull and uninspired. We’ve gotten at least three other desert movies this year, and I’ve gotta say the barren Void the film mostly takes place in is the most drab of the bunch. Like many other recent Marvel films, everything is lit pretty flat while many of the colors come out muted and suppressed. I have an idea how this approach could have worked, but I’ll talk about that more later. What did tickle me were most of the fight scenes. While there are a few duds, there’s still plenty of standouts like the opening credits montage where Deadpool uses Wolverine’s skeleton as a weapon, a one shot mob fight sequence reminiscent of Oldboy, and my favorite, a bloody brawl inside a beat-up Honda Odyssey. The champagne of minivans.
I feel like it’s futile to think too deeply on a film like this, one that many people will probably profess is best enjoyed with the brain switched to auto-pilot. Yet, I feel like this film had a particular route it could have taken that never really gets fully realized. A lot of the film loosely centers around the products of 20th Century Fox’s past. The end credits would even have you believe that this is a tribute or ode to the fallen studio, but of course it only goes so deep as including characters from past films. This is where I feel like the film really dropped the ball on its concept. The Void is a barren, bland landscape filled with the remembrance of a time long past. This sounds incredibly reflective of the current status quo of the superhero genre; an overreliance on nostalgia that throws creative filmmaking to the wayside. Rather than cleverly using this setup to maybe say something about Hollywood’s lack of originality or even the risks that come with the monopolization Disney partakes in , the film instead uses its assortment of IPs for simple, cheap laughs. Obviously I can’t expect too much self-reflection from a company as profit driven as Disney, but I still feel like this could have fit the character of Deadpool. The Merc with the Mouth was always seen as anti-fundamentalist, breaking the confines of his medium to disrupt the comic foundation that was designed decades ago. The Deadpool films are kind of the same, offering a break from the established formula the MCU was operating with for years. Now that the two have merged, Deadpool seems to have lost that rebellious edge. Sure he’s swearing and bleeding goons all over the place, but he’s still partaking in the same sins the MCU is falling back on; relying on the charm of the past rather than trying anything new. And no, joking about it does not negate the fact you are actively engaging with bottom of the barrel ideas. Now that this has cracked a billion at the box office, it’s pretty clear where Marvel goes from here, and I fear originality on a Hollywood scale is going to suffer because of it.
But let’s not stay too existential. Deadpool and Wolverine still manages to be a fun time even if that fun hinges on two decades worth of superhero film knowledge. The action and comedy is mostly serviceable, and while the drab visuals and thoughtless story are certainly unfortunate, I still walked away with a positive experience as a lifelong comic book movie fan. Is it the death of cinema as some have clamored? Maybe, but let’s not act like the best films of the past decade have been coming from the traditional Hollywood machine. There is terrific filmmaking everywhere, and yeah Disney makes it nearly impossible sometimes for other films to get any showtimes. But it’s not impossible, and you’ve gotta show up to make a difference. If you’re looking for a decently fun time, this isn’t the worst thing in the world to watch I suppose. The cameos can be hilarious and the violence is refreshing for the MCU, just please don’t let the takeaway of this be more nostalgia bait. Give Hugh Jackman his rest and cast Michael Cera as the new Wolverine already, you cowards.
RATING
MERC WITH THE VERMOUTH
Deadpool has successfully swam his way from the sinking ship that was 20th Century Fox to the “promised land” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The wise-cracking mercenary deserves a fancy little cocktail for such an occasion, one packed with a bit of spice and a little nice(pool). This cocktail utilizes a gin infused with allspice to give it a slight, Christmassy taste, while the vermouth and cherry syrup sweeten things up and the red wine adds a bit of boldness to the body. It’s a slow sipper of a cocktail that I know you can’t wait to sink your adamantium claws into!
INGREDIENTS
- 2oz allspice-infused gin (10 allspice berries to 1 cup of gin)
- 1oz sweet vermouth
- 1/2oz red wine
- 1/4oz cherry syrup
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
- Garnish: cocktail cherry
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice to chill.
- Strain into chilled coup glass.
- Garnish with cocktail cherry.
The Martini Shot 