Deadpool and Wolverine Review: Swords, Claws and Cameos Galore

In Deadpool and Wolverine, the self proclaimed ‘MCU Messiah’ finally arrives in all his ultra violent,  foul mouthed, fourth wall breaking glory. And this time, he’s brought a friend! But is Deadpool really the ‘Marvel Jesus’, an immortal saviour able to perform the miracle of resurrecting the MCU?

To save you skipping to the end, my short answer is an unfortunate No. This is not the film that gets the fandom excited again about the once dominant MCu franchise. Rather it’s a fond farewell to the Fox Studios era of heroes, with a list of cameos certain to leave any fan over the age of 30 in a state of pure delirium and experiencing what can only be described as ‘nerd-gasms’

Speaking of Cameos, after years of secrecy, Kevin Feige and Marvel took the unusual step of revealing those cameos at the San Diego Comic Con, mere days after the films release, thereby ruining those moments for those movie goers who were careful enough to avoid spoilers. Despite their decision, I still wont personally be revealing any specific cameo names. What I will say though is it’s telling that none of them were heroes from the actual MCU or even from the popular early 2000’s X-men movie franchise.

Deadpool and Wolverine is the result of almost 10 years of pressure and friendly ‘bullying’ from Ryan Reynolds towards his co star and good friend Hugh Jackman. From the very first Deadpool film, Ryan Reynolds has tried (unsuccessfully) every possible ploy, trick and technique to convince Hugh to suit up alongside him on the big screen. After years of refusals, Ryan finally wore him down and many fans like myself almost went into meltdown at the thought of these two regenerative heroes teaming up on the biggest stage of all.

Deadpool and Wolverine is directed by Shawn Levy with Ryan Reynolds serving as both writer and producer as well as its main star. In simple terms, the story follows Wade Wilson, having retired as Deadpool, being dragged out of his peaceful existence by the TDA (first seen in the Loki tv series). They inform him his reality is going to end and can only be stopped by bringing back  Logan aka the Wolverine. After searching through a  multiversal montage, he eventually finds the right Wolverine and the two clash and cause all sorts of carnage, violence and Mayhem in their attempt to save the universe.

The buddy movie is a tried and tested Hollywood  formula and works  just as well here. There was never any doubt these two real life best friends would have good screen chemistry and we are not disappointed, as they bicker endlessly while battering each other to a pulp. At times, the violence on screen is so sustained and overboard, it almost reminded me of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, especially with the invincibility of the characters who can come back from any injury inflicted on them.

Speaking of action, there’s plenty of it here to satisfy even the most hardened fans. It’s slick, stylish with just the right amount of slow motion to ensure we get to witness every blow, cut and gut wrenching slice. But again, due to the invincible nature of the lead characters, there are no real stakes in the fights. It just becomes a by the numbers bad guys execution. The only exception was during a group battle involving four of the cameo characters. If you know these heroes, they are not invincible bullet sponges and a battle like that could have fatal consequences for them. So it was great to see at least one of the battles have some real stakes.

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When the original Deadpool movie arrived in 2016, it felt like a  shocking breath of fresh air, an antidote to the traditional superhero movies we were being fed at the time. He made fun of many of the superhero tropes, including the corporate machines that churned out their formulaic adventures. And every now and again, he’d brake the 4th wall by looking at the audience and sharing an inside  joke with us.

Fast forward to 2024 and Deadpool is now part of one of those corporate machines, starring in a film designed to counter Disney/Marvels recent downward spiral with a loud, brash adrenelin fueled shot in the arm. The approach here was very much shoe horn in yet another non consequensial multiverse story, layered with a plethora of Cameos (some pleasing, one very surprising) and more fan service than I’ve ever seen. They pretty much threw everything at this but the kitchen sink.

But once you get past the excitement of seeing the two leads together, the stream of pleasing cameos and ultra slick action, we’re left with a very thin product. Hugh Jackman is solid in the role he’s played for over 20yrs. Ryan Reynolds still shines in the only role he was born to play and while the jokes were still flowing, there was a whiff of desperation about them. The first Deadpool film famously used the old school Salt and Pepa song ‘Shoop’, with Deadpool hanging out vibing to it. This movie opens with Wade performing the whole routine to a Backstreet Boys song, which just felt a bit forced/manufactured.

What used to be a 4th wall reference every now and again is now an ongoing commentary on Disney, Fox, Marvel and superhero movies. And whereas these comments were previously reserved for us at home, he now includes them in conversations with other characters, When Deadpool says to Wolverine ‘Welcome to the MCU, you’re joining at a particularly low time’ , its a reference we can appreciate but makes no sense in the conversation he is having with Wolverine, as he can’t respond or react to that comment.

Straight out of the Cinema Reaction

Deadpool and Wolverine is a big bright fun popcorn movie, with great action sequences and lovable lead characters. It still tries to make fun of traditional superhero movies but it’s harder to ridicule when you are now also a part of them. It’s an MCU movie in name only as there are no heroes or even cameos from the entire Avengers Infinity War Saga or from the Marvel films and shows that have come after. So despite the many mentions of MCU properties, there is nothing here that links to or points towards the future of the MCU. It gives fans no idea of what to expect next.

What it does feel like is a Swan song for the Fox Studios era of heroes, and seeing as this is the third Deadpool movie, quite possibly the end of the line for this portrayal of the Merc with the mouth. Kevin Feige can’t have an R rated film as part of the next main phase of the Avengers story and Ryan Reynolds is unlikely to agree to play a version of Deadpool who doesn’t swear and murder with such joy and frequency. The MCU is known for requiring its audience to watch all the movies to follow the story, so having a film some of the audience can’t watch wont really work.

Early indications are that the film will perform very well at the box office, at least in the short term. It’s a movie that’s sure to entertain the audience with great action, laughs and all those cameos. But after it’s done,  it will be remembered as an epic fan requested team up, the fond end of a chapter for heroes from our youth and not as the movie that restored the MCU to previous glory.