Deadpool & Wolverine review and star rating: ★★★★
When Disney bought Fox in 2019, The Marvel Cinematic Universe had the green light to include The X-Men and Fantastic Four characters in future films. But what would they do with Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds’ mercenary who didn’t seem to fit in with Disney or Marvel’s family friendly ethos?
Yet, at a time when Marvel movies are struggling, Deadpool seems to be their saviour as he teams up with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine for a trip through comic book movie history. Deadpool & Wolverine finds Wade Wilson/Deadpool trying to keep away from superhero activity after breaking up with his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and being rejected by The Avengers.
He’s forced to put the mask back on when an agent for the TVA (Time Variance Authority) informs him his timeline is being destroyed, along with everyone he cares about. To stop this, he recruits an alternate universe version of Wolverine (Jackman) who he believes can make everything right again. It doesn’t, and the bickering pair find themselves in the limbo wasteland The Void, where they must defeat psychotic mutant Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) to get home.
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It does help if you’ve seen the show Loki to understand the Time Variance Authority. However, you don’t need to be a Marvel expert to enjoy Reynolds as his fourth wall-breaking character points out the confusing aspects of Marvel’s multiverse, and makes jokes about loads from the superhero world, including Jackman’s age. It’s a delightful watch; the characters are there to fight and quip their way through a Mad Max style wasteland of Marvel characters.
Anyone with a fondness for 2000s superhero movies will be well served; it’s nice to see Logan’s Daphne Keen return as Wolverine’s ‘daughter’, while an appearance from Tyler Mane as X-Men 2000’s Sabretooth will give geeks a thrill. Reynolds has electric chemistry with Jackman. Their comedically charged, bloody fights are complemented by energetic verbal jabs. Should Jackman have left the role alone after 2017’s excellent Logan?
Probably, but his appearance here is a tribute to what he has meant to the genre, being as Deadpool puts it “The Best Wolverine”. Elsewhere, Corrin is a delightfully unsettling villain, although you might wish they had been saved for a more dramatic story as their menace can often be undercut by the comedy.
The thrill of Deadpool and Wolverine comes from Reynolds skewering his new employers. A mixtape of geeky delights, it’s both an acknowledgement of the problems with superhero movies, and an affectionate tribute to them.
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