With Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds serves up a roast of Marvel that's comic nerd nirvana
In a movie not exactly for newbies, the 'Merc with the Mouth' joins Marvel's universe and promptly skewers it
I hate to do this, but I'm calling out Ryan Reynolds.
In an interview with the New York Times, Reynolds, the face and force behind Deadpool, said his nine-year-old daughter and his mother both happily watched his latest film.
While I applaud the Reynolds family's sense of cohesion, I have to call BS.
Deadpool & Wolverine is ideally not for them. It is not meant for nine-year-olds or supportive parents. It is meant for us.
And by us, I mean the fans of the last decade of comic book inspired content, those raised on the cinematic exploits of The Avengers, The X-Men, The Dark Knight and more.
Those still clinging to treasured memories of the peak of the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe, the operatic excess of Avengers: Endgame still ringing in our ears. Those waiting to recapture the uncomplicated pleasures of a well-told tale, watching as the corporate colossus shuffles forward like, well, a Marvel zombie seems to be an apt metaphor.
To be a fan of super-heroic cinema in 2024 is a peculiar state of arrested development. You long for the sense of escapism, the giddy bliss of a theatre roaring in unison, but you're also old enough to see the faults. Which is what makes the arrival of Deadpool & Wolverine so timely. This is the roast of the MCU it so richly deserves.
If you shiver with excitement at seeing Hugh Jackman appear as Wolverine in the iconic yellow and blue X-men suit, this is for you. (And Bub, when it comes to costumes, you ain't seen nothing yet.)
If, when someone mentions The Fantastic Four, you say "Which one?" and then sing the praises of Ioan Gruffudd, this is for you.
Sure, there's the basic premise of "superhero without purpose who finds a quest and fights the Big Bad" that casual fans can grasp. But to understand why the guy in the X-Force T-shirt behind you is chuckling while spilling his popcorn, you need to have lived through the peaks and valleys of the last couple decades of comic book drama.
Taking aim at the MCU
Going into the third instalment of the Deadpool franchise, I worried that Reynolds' brand of potty-mouth sass may have reached its expiry date. But by aiming his barbs at the fading embers of the MCU, the result is both a love letter to and absolution for fans of the comic book blockbuster.
Reynolds and his writers are, in effect, saying, "We know this is ridiculous, the rules arbitrary and continuity unmanageable, but for 127 minutes, let's have a lark, see some old friends and make a mess."
And the mess begins with our hero at a low point. Wade Wilson has hung up his Deadpool suit and is now wallowing in a normal job while dreaming of a greater purpose.
But a sudden interruption by the Time Variance Authority (Yeah, you might want to have a passing familiarity with the Loki series on Disney+) gives the "Merc with the Mouth" the opportunity he's been yearning for.
Bringing back Wolverine
In an interesting lateral move from the world of finance, Succession's Matthew Macfadyen improbably appears as Mr. Paradox, a rogue member of the TVA who informs Deadpool that degrading timelines mean a chance to save the day, if not the world.
To spare you the mind-numbing concepts such as "anchor beings," what this means is that Deadpool begins a quest to bring back Wolverine.
Reynolds and Jackman have been friends in real life since they first met while playing these characters in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, with every Deadpool movie since featuring gratuitous mentions of the hairy Marvel mutant.
And while Jackman finally laid Wolverine to rest in 2017's Logan, he returns to playing the character with such zeal, that at times, it feels as if he and Reynolds are acting in different films.
Intensity may be Jackman's superpower, but it's Reynolds' meta mirth-making abilities that are the most impressive, as he somehow manages to mock the very structure of the story without sacrificing the movie's critical momentum. This is a film that openly labels a time-smashing device a MacGuffin and then spends 20 minutes trying to destroy it.
Part of the pleasure of Deadpool & Wolverine is that when it's not tearing down the Marvel universe it's also celebrating it, returning to the screen long lost characters that became casualties of corporate comic book continuity and who were, up until now, only a glimmer of an idea rumoured to be in development.
Sincerity under a tsunami of snark
In terms of affection, there's one element that provides just enough sincerity to balance the tsunami of snark we've come to expect. Under the jabs and the winks and the crass double entendres is actually a film about two friends finding a sense of belonging.
While the story may have the structural integrity of tissue paper, the connection between Jackman and Reynolds is real. Watch carefully, and in between the endless fight scenes and the cavalcade of cameos, you'll see moments when Reynolds drops the shtick to speak not to Wolverine, but to his friend.
As he told CBC News at the Canadian premiere in Toronto this week, "There's a lot dialogue where it's almost indistinguishable between us or the characters."
There's a lot to enjoy in Deadpool & Wolverine: Forgotten characters given a moment to shine, classic comic book covers recreated, and a side-scrolling battle scene set to the music of Madonna. But in the end, I was most pleased with what the movie was not.
This isn't a bridge to a new era of Marvel movies. It's not the magic solution to erase Disney's shambolic efforts of the last few years. Really, this is Deadpool's party. It's a raunchy riot, and like any good bash, you may not remember all the details the next day, but you'll know you had a good time.
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