Deadpool And Wolverine Movie Review: Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman revive MCU but at what cost?

Deadpool & Wolverine Movie Review: Ryan Reynolds And Hugh Jackman Revive MCU But At What Cost?

Marvel is going through an existential, mid-life, identity crisis all at once. Viewer fatigue has begun to set in. Given their never-ending film releases, spin-offs and unnecessarily long franchises, most of us have realized Martin Scorsese wasn't wrong when he said “Marvel movies aren't cinema”. I mean, it was fun while it lasted but it is beginning to get a little…too much (which Deadpool acknowledges at one point in the film).

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman fight tooth-and-nail as Deadpool & Wolverine to save a sinking ship. Do they succeed? The answer is a resounding yes. The humour, meta-commentary and self-deprecating jokes in the film are deliciously self-aware. But is taking jibes at MCU enough to sustain the franchise which has lost its spark?

Deadpool & Wolverine Plot

Deadpool & Wolverine opens with Deadpool digging a grave as he looks for Wolverine. This is followed by Ryan Reynolds showing off his dance moves as he grooves to NSYNC hit ‘Bye Bye Bye’ (full-marks to the choreography and Reynold’s dance routine). He simultaneously fights the guards from Time Variance Authority (TVA), who try to nab Deadpool for setting off temporal anomalies in the multiverse.

What exactly did Deadpool do? The film goes into a flashback where we see the masked vigilante working as a car salesman as he explains to his customers why a Honda is better than an Ikea. A cameo appearance by Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) allows Deadpool to share that he wants to be an Avenger—and that he is looking for a purpose (much like MCU itself).

Deadpool & Wolverine: Meta References

The TVA informs Deadpool that in order to save his universe, he will have to find his ‘anchor being’, who is Logan (Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman). Deadpool traverses a series of universes and finally gets his hands on the variant of Logan who can save his universe.

I just couldn't get enough of the many meta references in the film. Of course, that’s exactly what we expect from Deadpool films—fresh, self-referential humour but what was particularly endearing for me was how the film acknowledged the recent brickbats Marvel has received from the critics and viewers alike. “Welcome to MCU, you are joining it at a low point (paraphrased)”, Deadpool tells Wolverine at one point.

Ryan Reynolds, the actor, also addresses the fact that he is ‘gender blind’ through Deadpool. He makes his political views—on climate change, abortion, gender rights—clear as daylight. Add to it his banter Logan (Jackman), and you have a film that works well as a comedy superhero film. The choice to address the criticism is bold, and elevates the narrative, even if it is the only saving grace of this film.

No Marvel filDeadpool & Wolverine: Cameosm is complete without a series of cameos. You can expect a couple of Avengers to make appearances. At one point, Deadpool says “I have 206 bones in my body, 207 when I am watching Gossip Girl”, in an apparent reference to the now-iconic and cult show “Gossip Girl”, starring his wife Blake Lively.

So obviously, Lively too makes a cameo appearance (no spoilers here: to know who she plays, you’ll have to watch the film). There’s also a blink-and-miss appearance by Henry Cavill. And of course a thinly-veiled jibe on how Marvel is known for the many cameos in the movies, as Deadpool asks Wolverine at one point—why doesn’t he do cameos anymore.

Deadpool & Wolverine: Writing And Direction

The action and the use of visual effects in the film is top-notch. Jackman and Reynolds engage in some badass combat scenes (which may or may not involve Wolverine’s claws going into the enemies crotch). There is plenty of fourth wall breaking. Truth be told, the entire film seems like a two-hour, twenty-minutes-long fourth wall-break.

If one were to compare Jackman and Reynolds as performers, the latter gets all the fun bits and cool jokes while the former does most of the heavy-lifting in emotionally intense scenes. Wolverine is very clearly overshadowed by Deadpool but then, that isn’t exactly a surprise given how most one-liners and witty zingers go to Reynolds.

Deadpool & Wolverine: What Works, What Doesn't

What I didn’t like about the film was its over-reliance on humour. Sure, you can address how poorly MCU is being received but that cannot be the only thing your film is good at. Fourth wall breaks are cool but there are unfortunately too many of them. The constant onslaught of jokes (some of which don’t land) seems overbearing after a while and takes away from the sentimental moments of the film. The scenes which are relatively more emotional fail to leave an impact, as a result.

In fact, the entire premise of Deadpool trying to find his purpose (and subsequently looking for Logan) seems unconvincing. ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, the 34th (!!!) film in MCU, is just the hyper-aware, self-referential takedown of the superhero franchise we had expected. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman might have momentarily resuscitated MCU but it makes one wonder—is this formula sustainable? Can a superhero franchise rely solely on addressing the criticism they are receiving via fourth wall breaks (and cameos)? That is food for thought.

Star Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.