DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (2024)

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Matthew Macfadyen
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 25 July 2024

Synopsis: Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy.

Movie Review:

At one point in this highly anticipated superhero flick, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds doing his thing) wonders whether he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Understandably so, because the Merc with a Mouth has been talking almost non stop since the movie started, and we’re guessing it’s not just his on screen partner Wolverine (Hugh Jackman in a role that is meant for him and no one else) who wishes he would shut the f*ck up.

Listening to Deadpool go on and on and on (sometimes even breaking the fourth wall to speak to audiences) is like listening to a kid trying damn hard to please his friends. And that is also somewhat true for this sequel to Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018).

If you are reading this review, it is probably not news to you that this marks Wade Wilson/ Deadpool’s debut appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Fanboys and nerds have been eagerly waiting for the release of the 34th movie in the MCU, and they won’t be disappointed because the 127 minute ride is a thoroughly enjoyable one, chockful of cameo appearances (and we mean MANY - with some that will send viewers howling and applauding in approval), as well as countless Easter eggs (you probably won’t be able to spot of them in just one viewing). Heck, even trying to catch all the names under the cast list during the rolling end credits is a challenge.

So we are happy to report that the movie does an exceptionally fantastic job at pleasing fans, while managing to deliver a very funny (and violent) standalone comedy for those who do not know what the Time Variance Authority is. After all, not everyone is a MCU fan who watched the Loki TV series on Disney+. For the rest of us, just watching the sequences featuring *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” and Madonna’s “Life A Prayer” are worth your time.

What does this latest entry in the MCU do for the franchise, especially in terms of how the storylines across the various multiverses is going to move forward? Not much actually, because director Shawn Levy (Free Guy) and his team of writers probably know that the current status isn’t looking too good, and the least they could do is to make things worse – they even managed to get Deadpool to admit this on screen.

Instead, the filmmakers chose to focus on something that’s a sure win. Both Deadpool and Wolverine are characters from 20th Century Fox’s film series, and this is the first time they are teaming up since the studio was acquired by Disney in March 2019. There are many jibes at how Disney hasn’t been the most welcoming when it comes to NSFW content (f-bombs, crude jokes, blood and violence), and this M18 movie approaches these jokes in an entertaining way while retaining the naughty humour. We even found ourselves reminiscing some of the good ol’ days of watching Fox’s superhero movies.

Fans are also hyped up for this movie because it is the first official appearance of Wolverine in the MCU. A favourite from Fox’s X-Men franchise, we thought the studio had already sent the character off in the very well made Logan (2017). So it is to our surprise that this MCU movie brought him back in a respectable way, and with it, a much needed emotional aspect to the film. We really can’t think of a better actor than Jackman to portray the mutant.

It is evident that Reynolds and Jackman’s on screen chemistry serves this movie well. Their friendship in real life probably adds to the charm, and while we wished to see more of Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova (aka the evil twin sister of Charles Xavier), we know that the real draw here are the two best bubs – engaging each other in bloody fights and dirty jokes, while gloriously decked in their signature ketchup and mustard superhero outfits, no less.

Movie Rating:

(With countless cameos and Easter eggs, together with an abundance of crude humour, this extremely entertaining MCU movie will please fanboys and nerds, as well as viewers who just want to have a blast watching Deadpool and Wolverine exchange f-bombs)

Review by John Li