Review by C.J. Bunce
At last the year’s biggest blockbuster has finally made it to Disney+. Nearly a year ago we looked at all the best movies scheduled for release in 2024 (see them all here), and nothing had the potential to bring in audiences like Deadpool & Wolverine. Instead of merely being the third Deadpool movie featuring Ryan Reynolds as Rob Liefeld’s “Merc with the Mouth”–the irreverent hero who breaks the fourth wall in the comics and in theaters–this is Hugh Jackman returning as the most popular Marvel character for the first time since being killed off at the end of the Academy Award-nominated Logan–the greatest superhero drama of all time.
Although we’ve seen Marvel superheroes switch sides from Disney Marvel to 20th Century Fox Sony Marvel and go back again (see, for example, Spider-Man), this is Disney doing R-Rated Marvel, and the first they really get their mitts into Deadpool and Wolverine–the biggest Marvel movie superhero of them all.
If you haven’t seen it yet, get ready to stream it now on Disney+. Let’s run through why this is a big win for Marvel fans, and why it’s not for one key demographic.
That demographic is, of course, kids–in particular, little kids. The R rating is no joke, and if your kid does watch this one, they’ll learn all the profanity they don’t know yet in only 2 hours (and nine minutes). Sure, it was probably covered by Reynolds in the first two movies, but parents with kids readying their action figures, don’t say you weren’t warned. This movie wouldn’t be Deadpool without it–and it’s a fair requirement for a grizzled old Wolverine like this timeline’s version.
Marvel is synonymous with Multiverse! Audiences were prepped beginning with Doctor Strange pointing Iron Man to redo the timeline in Avengers: Endgame, followed by more timeline hijinks in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the TV series Loki. So now with Marvel anything goes… and stakes are pretty much out the window. At last–that is a good thing, thanks to director Shawn Levy. All that mumbo-jumbo about the “time variance authority” in Loki actually set fans up for a brand of fun we haven’t seen yet. Sure, Spider-Man: No Way Home re-introduced the key Spidey-villains and previous Spideys, but now the sky’s the limit. They might as well throw in a big homage to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
It’s as if someone at Marvel was listening. As MCU newcomer Channing Tatum’s Gambit says, “It’s on like chicken and corn.” (What?!). Just when you thought Logan really was the ending, fans get a surprise sequel to Logan. Dafne Keen returning as Laura aka X-23 is a dream come true. Chris Evans reprising his role as Johnny Storm from the original Fantastic Four movie? It’s how fan service can be done just right. Add in Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Wesley Snipes as Blade, Stefan Capicic as Colossus, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warrior (with Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio), Lewis Tan as Shatterstar, and so many more X-Men, plus an appearance by Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, and fans could hardly ask for much better. I’m not even going to mention the Henry Cavill appearance. Even Patrick Stewart’s Professor X makes an appearance in a certain way–Emma Corrin plays Cassandra Nova, Xavier’s twin–and she looks great and plays the role for all it’s worth. Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox was well-cast, too, but it would have been nice to see him first in Loki.
The re-creations of key Wolverine scenes from the comic pages in this movie are simply perfect, the choreography and visual effects bring the characters to life better than any of the Avengers team-up movies. The first collision of Deadpool, and Wolverine with Johnny Storm–Deadpool in magenta, Wolverine in yellow, and Johnny in cyan super suit–is what readers of four-color comics going back the bulk of a century have been waiting for. Graham Churchyard and Mayes Rubio’s costume work can’t be beat. The addition of many over-played pop songs in the weirdest places fits Deadpool well–embracing the weird was definitely the recipe that worked. And that Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan homage is a cool nod to one of the few franchises left not owned by Disney.
You hardly notice Morena Baccarin, Leslie Uggams, and other Deadpool players are back–but even better is the expansion of multiverse Deadpools, including Blake Lively as Ladypool, Reynolds as Nicepool (how does he do that with his face?) and Peggy as Dogpool.
Reynolds jokes in character that Disney and Marvel will keep throwing money at Hugh Jackman so he’ll be playing Wolverine at age 90. Fans can only hope. The first 24 years have been great. It might be the best Marvel movie since Logan and X-Men: Days of Future Past. It’s finally streaming to you. Catch Deadpool & Wolverine now on Disney+.
