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Review: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Pays Action-Packed Homage to the 20th Century Fox Era of Marvel’s Mutants While Teasing the Future of the Marvel Cinematic Univese
July 23, 2024Ben MK
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Throughout all of comic book movie history, few characters have had the pop culture staying power of Wolverine. Over the course of three X-Men films and three standalone movies, not to mention the many cameos he's made in other sequels and spin-offs, Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Canada's most famous mutant has seared itself into the collective consciousness of moviegoers everywhere. It's a cinematic feat that has, for better or worse, made it all the more difficult to separate Jackman from his most well-known role. And in Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy take that obsession to the nth degree, as they bring audiences the epic team-up fans have been waiting for. Set six years after the events of Deadpool 2, the story finds Wade Wilson (Reynolds) trying to turn over a new leaf. After using Cable's time-travel technology to bring his girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), and a few of his closest friends back from the dead, then trying and failing to join the ranks of the Avengers, Wade has decided to lay down the Deadpool mantle for good. Donning a toupée and working alongside his good pal, Peter (Rob Delaney), as a salesman at a car dealership, Wade has all but given up on his dream to become a part of something bigger. However, when the Time Variance Authority — aka the TVA — comes knocking one day to forcefully whisk him back to their headquarters, Wade soon realizes that that something bigger may not have actually given up on him. Brought before TVA honcho Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), Wade is offered the opportunity to once again put on the Deadpool costume and join the TVA in their mission to uphold the Sacred Timeline, Earth-616. Unfortunately, when he's informed that part of that contract involves the annihilation of his own timeline and everyone in it that he cares about, Wade decides to go rogue and embark on a mission of his own. Intent on saving his friends from obliteration, Wade must find a replacement for the Logan (Hugh Jackman) of his world — who nobly sacrificed himself to save the life of his young clone, Laura (Dafne Keen) — and convince him to help him prevent the decimation of Earth-10005. Doing so, however, will prove more challenging than Wade ever imagined; and although he's eventually able to bring "the worst Wolverine" back to the TVA, both he and his newfound X-man variant soon find themselves on the wrong end of a time stick. Exiled to the Void, where most of the former 20th Century Fox Marvel characters have also been unceremoniously retired, Wade and Logan must forge unexpected new allies and fight their way through an onslaught of evil henchmen — all of whom do the bidding of Professor X's nefarious and equally powerful twin, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) — if they're to have any hope of ever returning to their own timelines. But even with their combined might and motormouth abilities, do they have what it takes to defeat Cassandra and put a stopper in Paradox's plan? Suffice to say, the result doesn't pull any punches when it comes to delivering on the copious levels of fan service viewers have come to expect from a big-budget superhero tent pole such as this. From Wolverine's comic-accurate costume to the cameos by actors from some of the genre's biggest pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises, there's no shortage of crowd-pleasing moments sure to leave hardcore Marvel fans slack-jawed and grinning. As for the actual plot itself, both Reynolds, Levy and their co-writers, Rhett Reese, Zeb Wells and Paul Wernick, appear keenly aware of the dissapointing decline in the critical and audience reception to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's post-Endgame entries. And while Deadpool & Wolverine rarely forgoes the chance to poke fun at the less-than-stellar sentiment surround the current state of the genre, that same tongue-in-cheek attitude also helps the film overcome, even when it's succumbing to the same tropes and clichés as the movies it mocks. Throw in a battle between our heroes and an army of Deadpool variants — which essentially amounts to the cinematic equivalent of the kitchen sink — and you have the makings of a new franchise favorite. And while Deadpool & Wolverine does at times feel like it's exerting more than maximum effort to make up for the MCU's missed opportunities, one thing's for certain — it's a fitting farewell to the Fox era of Marvel's mutant superheroes and a fun, action-packed peek at what the MCU has in store for the future. Deadpool & Wolverine releases July 26th, 2024 from Walt Disney Studios. The film has an MPAA rating of R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references. Its runtime is 2 hrs. 7 min. |
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