You’re probably going to see a lot of Deadpool & Wolverine reviews declaring that "Marvel is back" but did they ever really go away? While it’s true that not every Multiverse Saga movie and TV show has struck a chord, if you've been waiting for a return to form, you'll almost certainly find it with this long-awaited team-up. It's been a long time coming, but we're pleased to report that Deadpool & Wolverine now sits alongside the likes of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Logan, as an all-time great Marvel movie.
Going into Deadpool & Wolverine as unspoiled as possible is a must, though even if you’ve tracked down every rumour and indulged in all those set photos, there are still plenty of surprises, many of which need to be seen to be believed (nothing will prepare you for some of the insane visuals in this movie, with IMAX easily the best format to watch it in). The gist of the plot is what you’ve seen in the trailers; Wade Wilson needs to save his reality, and the only way to do so is by finding a Wolverine Variant. Unfortunately, this Logan’s murky past makes him unwilling to help, and Multiversal madness ensues when the duo is left stranded in The Void. Deadpool & Wolverine is full of ties to the wider MCU and beyond but remains surprisingly self-contained. If you’ve watched Loki or any other Multiverse movie, you'll have a head start. If not, then it shouldn’t matter and, unlike some other previous Marvel Studios projects, this isn’t a two-hour trailer for the next big story or crossover event.
Instead, it’s a surprisingly heartfelt, wholly unique adventure for its title characters that delivers the pitch-perfect team-up fans have spent decades waiting for. Unlike some of the previous X-Men movies, it’s clear that making fans happy and respecting the source material was at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Surprisingly, the same could be said for how the Fox-verse is treated; while many of us took issue with 20th Century Fox’s handling of its Marvel properties over the years, Deadpool & Wolverine doesn’t dump on that franchise's legacy and instead lifts up what worked and respects an era of storytelling which was ultimately incredibly important to this genre.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman know plenty about that, of course, and Fox deserves a lot of credit for casting them because they were born to take on these roles. That’s on full display here and both actors are arguably at their best as these iconic characters. Reynolds has never been funnier or more foul-mouthed as Wade Wilson, though he takes advantage of the space between jokes to make us deeply care for Wade. As for Jackman, he hasn’t missed a step since hanging up the claws in 2017 and both actors seem energised with this new MCU playground. Jackman remains perfect for this role in every way imaginable, making it hard to imagine anyone else ever doing Wolverine justice in quite the same way. We can’t talk too much about the supporting characters without veering into spoilers, though Emma Corrin is phenomenal as Cassandra Nova and Matthew Macfadyen seemingly delights in playing the smug and unlikeable TVA agent Mr. Paradox. Aaron Stanford similarly has a fun part to play as the returning Pyro, putting a memorable new spin on the fiery supporting villain from the X-Men movies. Leslie Uggams’ gets some side-splitting lines as Blind Al too.
Talking of the humour, not only is this the best Deadpool movie but it’s also the funniest. The jokes land, particularly those that skewer the MCU and its recent struggles. There are no lazy gags here because no part of Deadpool & Wolverine gives anything other than its all. This is Marvel Studios’ first R-Rated movie but violence and swearing are never in the mix for the sake of it. The former enhances some already stellar action scenes and, with Shawn Levy’s expert direction, these different elements combine to make a movie that fires on all cylinders from start to finish and we can't help but feel a little sad that he won't be back for Avengers 5 because this is his magnum opus as a filmmaker. The fight scenes are among the greatest we’ve ever seen in a comic book movie and nothing short of jaw-dropping at times, whether Wade and Logan are tearing chunks out of each other or teaming up for a scene that, simply put, ranks among the best scenes ever put on screen by Marvel Studios. Combine that with a brilliantly eclectic soundtrack and this is not only the MCU at its best, but proof that superhero fatigue is no match for the Merc with the Mouth and the X-Man.
The movie is called Deadpool & Wolverine and their relationship is key in ensuring this movie goes down as an all-timer. Reynolds and Jackman's chemistry is off the charts and the evolution of Wade and Logan's relationship is both compelling and the beating heart of a movie which, R-Rated craziness aside, boasts some really lovely themes about friendship and being enough in yourself. It's as if everything else is a bonus and we really can't drive home just how special an experience watching this movie is.
Does anything about Deadpool & Wolverine not work? If we’re being honest, seeing Variants of familiar characters from the past played by random actors doesn’t quite hit the same way, though there is precedent for that in the MCU (look at Loki) so it’s far from the end of the world. Plus, trust us when we say there are more than enough cameos here to satisfy, particularly as they all bring something to the table and reach a level of awesomeness that’s hard to put into words. We just hope this team reunites for another MCU movie soon because there's an eXcellence from top to bottom here which makes Deadpool & Wolverine an unmissable instant classic.
A contender for the best superhero movie ever, Deadpool & Wolverine is two hours of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman proving they were born to play these roles and, crucially, be part of the MCU. It’s a f***ing masterpiece. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐