Running Time: 128 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, Matthew Macfadyen
It's been quite the journey on the big screen for the Merc with the Mouth. Ever since his ill-fated first appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, chatter never died down about a solo film where Ryan Reynolds could play a less bastardized take on the character. As leaked test footage led to the 2016 film, the character's popularity kept growing to the point that he survived Disney swallowing up 20th Century Fox. In the aftermath of that iconic studio closing, the talkative assassin returns with another familiar face in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Newly single and struggling to find direction in his life, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) considers his costumed days behind him. That changes when he is whisked away by the TVA - an authority that polices the multiverse - and discovers that his reality faces destruction. Intent on saving his friends, Deadpool enlists help from a reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and crosses paths with past faces.
After Reynolds starred in Free Guy and The Adam Project, the star reunites with director Shawn Levy to close off this Marvel character's trilogy. Working in an R-rated field has allowed the Night at the Museum and Cheaper by the Dozen director to spread his wings, as this is easily his most visually impressive work. It has fun with brawls that revel in brutality, particularly as it peaks with an opening fight set to a '90s boyband classic. Outside of that, the laughs struggle to flow fluidly as a number of them do not land, while the ones that do unfortunately outstay their welcome. An example of this is an increasingly graphic description of an antagonistic figure, which brings to mind the phrase "quit while you're ahead."
Ever since the first Deadpool film, Ryan Reynolds has settled into a specific style that has permeated throughout his career. He delivers once more as the snarky assassin, while also capturing the character's lost sense of purpose that transforms into a drive to save his loved ones. Returning to the role he inhabited since 2000, Hugh Jackman delivers a reminder of why it will be difficult for the MCU to fill his boots, capturing the character's berserker rage as easily as the wounded heart. On the antagonistic side of things, Emma Corrin gives a performance that compensates for the underwhelming characterisation of Cassandra Nova, while Matthew Macfadyen follows four seasons on Succession by playing another slimy corporate figure sans some layers.
An early scene sees this film visualize what many have said following Jackman's announced return, as Deadpool desecrates the grave from the magnificent ending of Logan. While this is an attempt at a knowing sense of humour, it ultimately comes off as a hollow way to mask the film's reliance at nostalgia. While there are admittedly cameo appearances which are entertaining to see, a large part of them feel like past faces being paraded around to mask the thin nature of the plot. The most egregious decision is how this Disney film tries paying tribute to 20th Century Fox, a baffling choice considering the iconic studio is no more courtesy of the Mouse. Instead of feeling like a touching tribute, the credits sequence have the impression of a funeral where the eulogy is given by the murderer responsible. By the end, Deadpool & Wolverine feels like another multiversal whimper.
Deadpool & Wolverine is available in cinemas now
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