Let’s just get right down to it: Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel Studios’ first R rated entry, is goddamn phenomenal. It’s certainly an event that deserves to be experienced with a sold out crowd with some of the craziest, funniest and at times, bat crap insane moments of any movie bar none. Marvel Studios’ massive gamble with making an adults only, gory and extraordinarily profane film in its treasured cinematic universe paid off big time.
Right off the bat, Deadpool & Wolverine proves that it’s not skimping out on the Hard R, cartoonish and fourth wall annihilating stylings of the previous Deadpool films. The opening sequence immediately had the crowd in my theater laughing out loud, cheering and at times, reacting with shock and disgust. Marvel and their parent company Disney (That’s right!) clearly were not afraid to deliver an NSFW story and the results are kind of graphically beautiful in a way. Make no mistake, this movie is NOT for kids!!!
But the real draw of the film is right there in the title; Ryan Reynolds’s Merc with a Mouth and Hugh Jackman, who had previously “retired” from his iconic role, are finally together onscreen. Beyond a fun gimmick to nostalgia bait fans, the inclusion of Wolverine is earned here. This take on the famous character is a radically different version than any seen prior, akin more to the Logan version than any of the Fox era X-Men films. That makes sparks fly once Reynolds’s Wade Wilson enters the mix, creating a true odd couple who should not be sharing a room for any reason. And yet, that’s what makes it work; This is a team up with everything working against it, giving the duo a place to arrive by Act 3 that feels like a journey coming full circle.
That’s not to say that Wade and Logan are the only draw of the cast. Emma Corrin makes a strong impression as longtime X-Villain Cassandra Nova, twin sister of Charles Xavier, who is a sadistic and threatening arch enemy with a truly gruesome skillset of powers and Corrin makes her a calm, calculated menace who you truly fear. Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen as a TVA agent tasked with recruiting Deadpool to the MCU also makes a strong impression and of course, there are tons of surprise characters, as is routine for the MCU at this point, all of whom shine, arguably more so than past cameo roles.
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The biggest surprise, however, isn’t gory or a big secret, but how heartfelt the film is. Director Shawn Levy, who’s directed Reynolds in Free Guy and Jackman in Real Steel, makes sure that even throughout the bloody mayhem, you give a damn about these two. There is an honest heart at the center of this that carries through to the end, especially when it comes to honoring the legacy of the Fox era, which gets a send off of sorts here that, as a lifelong fan of the X-Men, was exactly what I wanted for the epic saga.
Deadpool & Wolverine is a crowd pleasing great time, but one with its heart in the right place. It’s without question the edgiest and most fan pleasing film in the recent MCU and is already well on its way to becoming one of the highest grossing R rated films ever, which is a win in and of itself. You’ll leave the theater with a massive smile on your face that will stick with you for a long, long time.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.
