Movie Reviews

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ hits all the right notes to a very annoying song

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is the pinnacle of fan service, deploying Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in a movie that is essentially critic-proof.

By Kevin Slane

July 24, 2024

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Email
• 1

Following a gratuitously violent early action sequence in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) breaks the fourth wall, telling us to flash back with him to an earlier moment in time. The camera pans right until it is fully obscured by Deadpool’s spandexed posterior, before a match cut to an anus-shaped Marvel gizmo.

The scene perfectly captures every element of the third entry in the “Deadpool” franchise: Stylishly choreographed combat, winking fan service, and above all, a dogged dedication to burying itself up its own ass.

The plot of “Deadpool & Wolverine”— the first produced by Disney following its acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox — is boilerplate Marvel, and is utterly beside the point. But let’s go ahead and try to recap it in a quick couple of sentences, shall we?

Following a failed attempt to join the Avengers, Deadpool is now living a normal(ish) existence as Wade Wilson, working as a used car salesman alongside his pal Peter (Marblehead native Rob Delaney). He is then plucked from civilian life by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession”), who informs him that his timeline is being degraded due to the absence of an “anchor entity” (Wolverine), and he has been deemed an extraordinary being worthy of transfer to a better universe. Instead of accepting his world’s fate, Deadpool hops from reality to reality in order to find a version of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) that will fight with him to save his friends from destruction.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is less concerned with plot than packing the maximum number of sex jokes, pop culture references, and easter eggs it can into its 127-minute runtime. And with Reynolds — who remains a perfect fit for the role — firing off a joke per minute, even a 25 percent hit rate means there are plenty of laughs. (An example of a one-liner I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit had me in stitches: “I’m the merc with a mouth, not Truthful Timmy, the blowjob queen of Saskatoon.”)

Whereas most Marvel movies benefit from watching other Marvel movies or shows to keep up, “Deadpool & Wolverine” instead asks viewers to be familiar with Disney’s acquisition of Fox and its associated IP, including Deadpool, Wolverine, and their fellow X-Men. Why watch Season 1 of “Loki” when you can read a Wikipedia page about corporate mergers? 

About midway through the movie, Deadpool and Wolverine fall into a desolate void, where they stage a battle in front of a crumbling Twentieth Century Fox logo. It’s tough to discuss this section of the film without getting into spoiler territory, but it’s the most exciting and novel part of the movie, and features the most inspired cameos in MCU history. (Boston.com readers will likely enjoy some locally relevant easter eggs, but if I say anything more, I’ll never be invited to another Disney screening.)

As Wolverine, Hugh Jackman remains a magnetic screen presence, and a welcome antidote to Reynolds’ motor mouth. You really believe he’s fed up with Deadpool’s shtick — because at this point in the film, we all are — and it makes the otherwise gratuitous fight scenes between them believable. Director Shawn Levy gets a little heavy-handed with the slo-mo, but the second Deadpool/Wolverine donnybrook, which takes place entirely within the confines of a Honda Odyssey, is a memorable one.

Jackman also brings gravitas to a movie that is otherwise a showcase for Reynolds making a cocaine joke, then turning to the camera and saying “Take that, Disney!” for two hours. This version of Wolverine is supposedly “the worst” one in the multiverse, which is exactly the kind of motivation Logan needs to get the job done.

Marvel has gone through a bit of a rough patch lately, with Phase Four of the MCU coming and going during the pandemic without producing a single standout hit. (Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar: Deadpool tells us all about it.) With “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Marvel architect Kevin Feige (also namechecked by Deadpool in the film) has deployed a safety net. By uniting two popular characters, one of whom slyly points out every trope and archly articulates every criticism of the franchise’s direction post-“Endgame,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” is effectively critic-proof.

If you’re willing to nestle your head between Wade Wilson’s cheeks, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is a comforting piece of fan service that accomplishes all of its goals while signifying nothing.

Rating: ** 1/2 stars (out of 4)

“Deadpool & Wolverine” will be released in theaters July 26.