Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Director: Shawn Levy
Writers: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
If Deadpool is ‘Marvel Jesus’ (his words, not mine) or the ‘Marvel Messiah’, then Wolverine is the messiah’s daddy in a flashy yellow suit, straight out of comic-book canon.
“Just saw Deadpool & Wolwerine. Nonsensical and fun as fuck. Worth a theater watch.”
That’s the first thing I texted my BFF after stepping out of the movie hall. She texted back saying she was planning on watching it when it comes out on a streaming platform, so I upped my pitch: “This is the most fun film Marvel’s made since Spiderman No Way Home, and is funnier for those who enjoy Deadpool’s R-rated sex jokes.” She sent a “crying with laughter” reaction to my message and may or may not be convinced about going to the theater to watch “Deadpool & Wolverine,” but if you’re either character’s fan, I hope you get to see it on the big screen. It’s worth the outing.
Like some of the previous time-bending, universe-hopping Marvel stories (think “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”), the 2024 “Deadpool & Wolverine” is about Deadpool’s quest to team up with the Ultimate X-Men member – Wolverine – so that they can save the world from collapse. Only problem? The Wolverine in Deadpool’s universe is dead, so he has to find himself a Wolverine from an alternate universe who wouldn’t shred him to pieces at first sight, let alone agree to save a different world. Given Deadpool’s indestructibility, Wolverine does cut through almost every part of his body until he is finally convinced they should both be on the same side. Watching two near-immortal superheroes practically mutilating each other before shaking hands? Could be fun for some, repetitive for others.
Also Read: The Wolverine Legacy: Every Hugh Jackman Wolverine Movie in Order
“There are 206 bones in the human body, 207 if I am watching Gossip Girl,” Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool hilariously notes to the viewers while breaking the fourth wall in the very first few minutes of the movie. He goes on to brutally kill dozens of bad guys while dancing to N-Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye,” in what’s definitely one of the most hilarious/entertaining openings to any action movie. The character clash between the wordy Wade Wilson (Deadpool) and the quiet, broody Logan is obviously the USP of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” heightened by their contrasting spandex suits, Deadpool in his trademark red-and-black costume, while Wolverine is in the iconic yellow suit. It’s like watching London’s red bus driving alongside New York’s yellow cab. Hard to miss. Although a lot of the jokes might be lost on those who haven’t been following the MCU religiously or are not too up-to-date with pop culture.
One might wonder – if the world is ending, what are the Avengers doing? Don’t know. Don’t care. We just need to remember this is Deadpool’s story, so he gets to save the world with Logan, okay! As a long-time Wolverine fan who didn’t think we would get to see Hugh Jackman suit up as the iconic hero again, not after the emotional farewell to his character in the 2017 “Logan”. So “Deadpool & Wolverine” is like a bonus gift to X-Men fans. It almost feels like fan fiction, really, with some pretty killer violent sequences that come as close as a Marvel movie can be to “The Boys”, just that the Marvel guys don’t zoom in to the blood-splattered body parts to gross viewers out. Like when Deadpool and Wolverine mincemeat their enemies in a bus, and all we get to see are the windows slowly turning completely red. Deadpool of course keeps reminding viewers how Disney took over Marvel, so there’s some lines they still cannot cross, like when he exclaims “Fuck you, Fox! I’m going to Disneyland!”. LOL.
From epic, unexpected cameos to reviving Marvel heroes whose movies bombed at the box office to giving viewers a ridiculous rip-off of the wasteland from the “Mad Max” movies, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is an out-and-out entertainer, complete with a ‘Dogpool’ dog. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in this universe is a washed-out hero, “the worst Wolverine there is,” we’re told, but he is still the angst-ridden good guy we’ve come to love in the MCU. So, even though Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool dominates screen time and gets the maximum dialogues, the mere presence of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine gives the film an emotional heft that it wouldn’t have been able to pack in otherwise.
Just go watch “Deadpool & Wolverine” for Hugh Jackman and maybe Ryan Reynolds.
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