***Spoilers Ahead***
Alright, folks, strap in because Deadpool & Wolverine takes you on a wild ride filled with surprises, laughs, and a boatload of cameos.
The film thankfully, in classic Deadpool fashion, kept the “let’s recap” segment at the beginning — which refreshed us on the first two films despite the Disney takeover. It can be scary/exciting when Disney takes over a franchise or character because no one knows what they’ll get out of the Disney-owned version. So that put a big question out there. Would Deadpool & Wolverine be like the original FOX-owned films or would it be solely filled with nothing but Disney references and characters. The answer is … Deadpool & Wolverine contains both. It makes everything feel connected to Fox’s two films, although, at times, it did feel like there was just a tad too much Disney influence.
Of course, Deadpool’s fourth wall breaks are back in full force, and it seemed like there were more than ever in this film. However, even though it happened in nearly every scene, it never felt like over killl as it simply adds to the comedic part, especially since Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) references people in his life.
The film doesn’t hold back on roasting Disney, especially with jokes about the timing of their merger. These little jabs throughout the film are woven into it perfectly, showing that even Disney can take a joke.
Everyone knows Hugh Jackman is back, and his entrance for being Wolverine again is done seamlessly. There’s no big dramatic reveal; instead, director Shawn Levy turned it into a hilarious moment by showing off Wolverine’s comic-accurate height difference. There’s no other way the Deadpool movies should have done it.
Jokes aside, seeing all of the Wolverine variants in a montage is one of so many high points of the film. But specifically, the rumors were true, they actually got Henry Cavill as “The Cavillrine” — just not the version that we all thought it would be. However, this short-lived moment kept the film at a high, not letting it drop for scene.
Speaking of variants, the multitude of Deadpool versions is insane (in the best way possible) specifically Dogpool being the best and cutest one. Not only are there variants from the comics with incredible actors portraying them, but Reynolds also got his family in on the action as Lady Deadpool (Blake Lively) and Kid Deadpool.
On the topic of cameos, Deadpool & Wolverine went off the charts. We’d be here all day listing every actor/actress who reprised their role. Each one absolutely nailed their entrance and each scene after. It’s like every other scene had a surprise guest, making it a cameo-palooza. It’s nice to finally see Channing Tatum take the role of Gambit. The one cameo that deserves a special shoutout is Chris Evans coming back to play the Human Torch. Viewers can tell he had an absolute blast filming it and having him return as Human Torch instead of Captain America is the best way Marvel could’ve brought him back. It would be another blockbuster if Disney and Evans created a Human Torch film showing how Evans got to the Void.
However, with all the greatness Marvel brought into Deadpool now that all of its owned by one company, there are some drawbacks. It felt like at the time, Marvel said “Screw it, let’s just throw in as many Easter eggs as possible.” Some of them didn’t add to the plot but were there to just throw at fans in hopes of providing fan service — granted they are all still enjoyable.
If there is a film to use the budget toward certain people coming back, it’s Deadpool & Wolverine bringing back the main cast of the X-Men — either the original, reboot, or both. Deadpool 2 gave fans some of the cast of X-Men: Dark Phoenix in a very short scene, and if that was possible to do for this film it should’ve been done. Granted it might’ve been because they were being filmed at the same time, but having any of the main X-Men over some of the other characters who came back would have cemented Deadpool & Wolverine in X-Men history.
The two X-Men fans had throughout the first two Deadpool movies are barely in the third. Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic) should’ve had larger roles, especially since they’re Deadpool’s main sidekicks even though they’re X-Men and he’s not.
Most of the people Deadpool ended up calling family in the end weren’t in this one and they should’ve been. Yet Disney decided to have Shatterstar (Lewis Tan). That doesn’t make sense because he’s supposed to be dead and to be quite honest not the one who’s preferred to have in the film. Cable (Josh Brolin), Domino (Zazie Beetz), Weasel (T.J. Miller), and Firefist (Julian Dennison) are just a few who should have replaced Shatterstar and while we’re at it let’s also replace Buck (Randal Reeder) with one of the ones mentioned.
Another person that should’ve been in this film that isn’t, is Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth. Instead, fans got Tyler Mane as Sabretooth, and he had more of a role here than he did 20+ years ago when Mane originally played Sabretooth. There’s no reason Mane’s Sabretooth would’ve been in the Void, but Schreiber’s Sabretooth most definitely would’ve ended up there. The Deadpool & Wolverine Sabretooth is just as underwhelming as the one from 2000’s X-Men. But nonetheless it’s great one of them is able to come back.
The film also had issues with character motivations. Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) would’ve never left Deadpool. The entire plot could’ve been the same with them together. Also, maybe Marvel should think about explaining what the TVA is a little more and showing Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) as more of a thought-out villain. Mr. Paradox’s plan seemed to be not quite thought out. Now that Deadpool is owned by Marvel, why did so much Marvel content come rushing into the third Deadpool film. Does everything have to intertwine so much?
Yes, having Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is highlight of the film — even with all these critiques there are endless highlights of Deadpool & Wolverine. But it would’ve been a stronger Deadpool movie with more focus on Deadpool’s world and not the MCU, even though it’s still entertaining and will most likely be one of the better rewatches.
Thankfully, Disney kept the film R-Rated and had just as much violence as the previous films. It seemed like non-stop fight scene after fight scene and that’s exactly what helps make this film phenomenal.
While there’s so much more to be said about this film, like how “The Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman should’ve been longer than just a few seconds, let’s not make this a 300-page book.
All in all, Deadpool & Wolverine was an absolute blast. Is it the best Deadpool movie yet? It’s hard to say — there’s still that freshly released/watched feeling. It’s packed with star power, and it’s ridiculously entertaining. Maybe a few more watches can determine if it’s better than the first two. It’s simply nice to have Jackman and many other characters back in their roles. Disney’s Deadpool is overall enjoyable and does make me hope there will be more.
