Deadpool & Wolverine is the best thing since Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Whip-smart, deliciously meta, crude, bloody, and unsurprisingly wholesome, it’s everything longtime Marvel fans could dream of for the dynamic duo.
Marvel fatigue is a very real experience for many fans and journalists alike. (I’m one of them.) With the introduction of the multiverse, it’s become more exhausting to keep up with the newer stories. Further, characters are now taking a backseat to the convoluted narratives, making watching the movies feel like a chore. However, Deadpool & Wolverine works because it taps into this very exhaustion by giving viewers something that is both light and emotionally profound at the same time. It spoon-feeds us plenty, but it throws its punches with calculated blows that’ll keep us thinking long after the credits roll.
It’s easy to look at this movie as Marvel’s love letter to its fans and the expansive universe because it tackles the ideas that are challenging to invest in. Loki Season 2 is undoubtedly one of the better Disney+ series, but there are still details within the TVA that aren’t as gripping as the collection of Infinity Stones was. Blink, and you miss too much; heavens forbid you have too much to do and can’t rewatch something. Thankfully, Wade Wilson hilariously wraps this up for viewers, assembling the concept of time in a far simpler means to digest and surprisingly care about. It takes all the preceding concerns about the movie’s logistics and hilariously answers all our questions.
Naturally, with the events of Logan, we all questioned how Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine would make his grand return. And well, the film answers that plainly. It ensures that the solution not only makes sense but it keeps the stories viewers know intact without causing more damage.
More than anything, Marvel’s latest spectacle focuses on character beats. Loki works because the show centers the titular character’s journey by tapping into grief and love—the two most universally binding experiences. It humanizes the characters amid the bloody battles and aggressively unrefined jokes. It makes every moment not only believable but surprisingly earnest, which is a nuance Ryan Reynold adds in the most subtle ways. This story doesn’t need viewers to remember every little detail because it creates a delicate balance between showing and telling, which manages to help stick the landing thoroughly. Yet, all that aside, it’s especially riveting for those of us who grew up with some of the more forgotten Marvel films.
The franchise’s Disney budget is something viewers tend to mock, but Deadpool & Wolverine is an astute example of what it means to utilize every little dime at their disposal. Shawn Levy is no stranger to using nostalgia to his advantage. In fact, it’s what he excels at, and it’s why he’s the ideal director for the film. Additionally, with the collaborative writing process, often different versions could cause unfortunate distractions, but the voices here fuse as seamlessly as an expertly choreographed 90s dance number. The needle drops are near perfect, and the special effects are finely crafted to showcase careful and hard work. It’s a love letter through and through that leans deeper and deeper into what it means to truly uphold a legacy.
At the end of the day, the conversations around legacy and friendships are precisely what makes the third film a worthy conclusion. It’s a meticulous reminder of the detail that each of these characters means something to different viewers, which is why these connections matter. It’s why we all collectively freaked out during No Way Home. It’s a film worth going into completely unspoiled because the trailers do an outstanding job of keeping the true story under lock and key. The focus on a relatable, deeply complex theme amid surface-level action is precisely why the two hours fly by. The theatrical experience feels more electrifying that way.
There’s a long journey ahead for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s hard to imagine how a film like Deadpool & Wolverine could be topped. For a while, it’s rightfully going to remain on top where it belongs. For a while, the memorable cameos and wildly bonkers action sequences will be what longtime viewers turn to for the needed levity during tough times. Sometimes, films that take too long aren’t worth the wait. The simmering dulls the flavor, but Deadpool & Wolverine is well and truly worth the wait.
P.S. Hugh Jackman never ever misses a beat.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing exclusively in theaters.
First Featured Image | Official Poster Credit: ©Marvel