Early on in Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, in one of his infamous fourth-wall-breaking quips, the Merc With the Mouth tells the legendary X-Men hero that he’s joining the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) at a bit of a low point. Which, to be honest, is an understatement.

 

Ever since 2019’s genre-defining finale Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has been trying to re-create that euphoric magic — to little avail. Between the glut of mediocre TV shows and lackluster movies over the past five years, the now-bloated Marvel Cinematic Universe is indeed at its lowest point since the franchise exploded onto the scene with 2008’s Iron Man. But with the savagely hilarious and violently kinetic Deadpool & Wolverine (it’s Marvel’s first R-rated movie for a reason. It really shouldn’t be the last), Marvel has once again caught lightning in a bottle, delivering a cinematic experience on par with the very funniest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

There’s not much to say about the plot of Deadpool & Wolverine without giving too much away, but the basics are simple enough (for a franchise that leans heavily into its own multiverse, anyway): It’s set  six years after the events of Deadpool 2, and Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) has hung up his Deadpool costume and weapons (so, so many weapons), choosing to live a relatively quiet life with his loved ones. But when the Time Variance Authority, an organisation that monitors the timelines of the multiverse, decides to step in (with Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox leading the charge), it sets into motion a plot that pairs the foul-mouthed, violently destructive former mercenary with the foul-mouthed, violently destructive mutant Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). The synergy between them is a match made in Marvel Cinematic Universe heaven, even when they’re beating each other to a bloody pulp. (Yes, Jackman and Reynolds both starred in the stunningly terrible X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the less said about that movie, the better).

 

Going into Deadpool & Wolverine, there was a question of whether reviving Jackman’s Wolverine would cheapen 2017’s Logan, the final chapter in the “Wolverine” trilogy and a pitch-perfect send-off for the sacrificial hero. But thanks to timeline shenanigans (this is the MCU after all), Deadpool & Wolverine manages to pay proper tribute to Logan while creating a worthwhile new version of Wolverine just as complex and three-dimensional as the original — angry and quick to unsheathe his adamantium-infused claws, yes, but broken and scarred and just as human as the rest of us.

Deadpool & Wolverine may revel in its eye-popping profanity and flood of unsubtle jokes directed at Marvel and 20th Century Fox (which distributed the previous “Deadpool” movies and was acquired by Marvel-owning Disney in 2019), but the movie truly comes to life when the claws pop out and the bullets start flying. Deadpool & Wolverine has some of the best fight sequences in the MCU since the beautifully choreographed Captain America: Civil War. The fights are gory, kinetic, almost over the top — but they’re also mesmerising to watch as the two protagonists wreak havoc on those in their way (and each other!) as they try to right the wrongs of their past. (It doesn’t hurt that Deadpool & Wolverine has the most ridiculous, crowd-pleasing soundtrack — everything from NSYNC to Madonna — blasting as blood is spilled and bone is broken.)

 

Yes, Deadpool & Wolverine is mostly irreverent, much like the first two movies.It is also genuinely, laugh-out-loud hilarious. But it doesn’t shy away from the heavier topics: grief, regret, belonging, self-doubt, love. Wade and Logan have experienced great loss in their lives, and the scars show in everything they do.

 

In the end, Deadpool & Wolverine is the ultimate love letter to Marvel fans: The cameos and references are aplenty and brilliant (the audience at my screening gasped more than once), the source material is treated with respect and, best of all, it’s pure, unadulterated fun. It finally looks like Marvel is back in fighting shape. (P.S. yes, the equally sweet and crude credits are worth sticking around for.)

 

8/10

 

Boluwatife Adesina
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Boluwatife Adesina is a media writer and the helmer of the Downtown Review page. He’s probably in a cinema near you.