Talking about Deadpool & Wolverine without mentioning the slightest spoiler is a very perilous exercise, I would even say that it is worthy of a balancing act, as the film is a spoiler in itself. From the first minute to the post-credits scene, there is almost no sequence that cannot be mentioned without revealing anything. But a promise is a promise, there will be absolutely no spoilers in this review, absolutely nothing, nada, just shit. And it would not be cool of me to do so because the film is so based on the element of surprise that it would spoil the euphoria of seeing such a spectacle on the big screen. For comparison, this is a bit like what Sony did in 2021 with Spider-Man No Way Home by bringing together Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland in the same film, except that in Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s done with more panache, humor, swear words and especially gore. Deadpool & Wolverine may not advance the MCU, but there is at least an awareness and it’s been a while since we’ve appreciated a Marvel as much since Avengers Endgame.
Until now, the Deadpool and X-Men films were owned by 20th Century Fox. While these superheroes belong to the Marvel stable in comic books, the film rights were owned by Fox. Like Sony, which has full powers to exploit the name of Spider-Man and all of its spin-offs on the big screen. Except that in 2019, Disney bought Fox for $71 billion and intends to take advantage of it. A sum similar to what Microsoft put on the table to buy Activision-Blizzard-King a few years ago. And when you think about it, Disney buying Star Wars for 4 billion and Marvel for 4 billion as well, it seems so ridiculous today… But let’s get back to our sheep: with Fox now owned by Disney, it’s the perfect opportunity to get the X-Men, Deadpool, but also the Fantastic 4 back to integrate them into the MCU. In 2019, Marvel Studios was at its peak, especially after concluding 10 years of MCU with Avengers Endgame and therefore had in mind to relaunch the mutant saga to integrate it into its Cinematic Universe with new actors. Good news for some, a fear for others, because since Avengers Endgame, the MCU has been on the decline. The films are floundering at the box office, but also in quality, mired in a Multiverse arc from which Marvel is struggling to extricate itself.
IT’S THE TRANSFER WINDOW!
All these details of buyouts and transfers of teams are explained in the first 30 minutes of the film, alternating between action scenes, flashbacks and Deadpool’s voiceovers, all with a perfectly controlled rhythm, and using the TVA that we discovered in the Loki series, but also via the watch that Cable used in Deadpool 2. There are also some elements that risk confusing you in terms of timeline and multiverse and what you have to understand is that Deadpool lived in his own time, that of the MCU, it is Earth 616, while the timeline of the Fox X-Men films corresponds to Earth-10005. And so the idea is to bring everyone together on Earth 616, the sacred timeline of the MCU. The other problem with the Deadpool case is that the first two episodes had been successful adaptations, also because they were violent, raw in their subject matter and casual in their situations. Except that we know Mickey’s house when it comes to watering down works so as not to offend the sensibilities of the youngest. Well yes, Disney wants at all costs to please everyone, even the greatest number, so that its films are visible to adults, but also children. Except that no, it doesn’t fit the Deadpool spirit and that’s what the fans feared.
Rest assured, the Rated-R (prohibited to children under 17 in the United States) has been respected. Not only does this Deadpool & Wolverine retain the spirit and violence of the first Deadpool, but Ryan Reynolds even allows himself to add another layer by openly mocking Marvel and Disney. The two companies take so much flak that it’s a delight to hear Deadpool and his alter ego Winston Wade launch missiles against Kevin Feige, all the failures of the Multiverse and the entire Disney strategy of sucking the marrow out of licenses that work until death ensues. All this is done with such nonchalance, while also involving the viewer with it, since each time, Deadpool breaks the 4th wall, either by winking at us, the viewers, or by taking the camera outright to insult Fox at the same time. No, really, it’s genius. Ryan Reynolds is clearly the best thing that could happen to Deadpool.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN REYNOLDS
Now that we know that the Deadpool spirit has not been degraded by moving from Fox to Disney, the other question that remains is how to integrate the X-Men into the MCU, and this is perhaps where the problem lies. Obviously, with Wolverine sharing the bill with Deadpool, we thought that it was the tree that hid the forest and that the X-Men were going to be introduced into the MCU via the Multiverse. Let’s just say that it is in a sense, but not in the way we expected. I can’t go into further explanations otherwise I’ll spoil the whole point of the film. All I can tell you is that yes, you’re going to see some mutants, but maybe not the ones you were expecting. Is this a flaw, though, not necessarily because Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy were smart enough to surprise us and above all make each situation a moment of pure delight and pure pleasure. You will laugh during the film, sometimes out loud, as we witness unexpected scenes. The film strings together cameos, some minimal, others more important, but it is certain that you will inevitably applaud in the room. At least that is what happened during the press screening.
There are at least 3 cameos that will make your hair stand on end, and what’s good about the Deadpool movies is that these cameos give the audience what they want, but don’t hesitate to reclaim them right after with an almost systematic counterattack. We saw it with the X-Force team in Deadpool 2, it’s also the case with this Deadpool & Wolverine. Are we at the level of the hype of the 3 Spider-Men reunited in No Way Home? Clearly yes, especially since in this Deadpool Wolverine, it’s much more rewarding I find, in the staging. We’re not in an appearance of legends in a pre-fabricated kitchen in a studio. There’s context here and especially action that’s much better done. By the way, a quick word on the CGI, which is much better mastered in this Deadpool & Wolverine than the sometimes disgusting synthesis of No Way Home. Marvel gave the artisans time to work and it shows on screen.
WELCOME BACK
If we already know that Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool, it is also the case with Hugh Jackman, who is back 7 years after the excellent Logan and the perfect ending that the character deserved. For many people, including me, it was a real pain to bring the character back after this perfect ending, but Ryan Reynolds and Shaw Levy found the best way to bring Wolverine back to the screen. It is done by using the Multiverse of course, but it is done with intelligence and with a welcome humor that we willingly accept this almost unexpected return, and in truth, what a pleasure to see Hugh Jackman again this time donning the real Wolverine costume. This is perhaps what he was missing in his list of achievements as Logan. And for once, this film allows him to play several Wolverines from the comic books, but I won’t say more. All I can add, however, is that at 55 years old, Hugh Jackman proves that he is the Logan we always deserved despite his 1.90m. Moreover, the film does not hesitate to play at one point on the height of the actor in relation to the character in the comics, it is absolutely brilliant.
What is a shame, however, is that the film does not go further than its meta discourse and the awareness of a drifting MCU by its own leaders. I would have liked the film to go further, by integrating the mutants officially, in a way it is because we see some and there is Hugh Jackman, but it is quite obvious that the real X-Men will be introduced differently, especially since Marvel will probably cast other actors. It is quite obvious after this film that the real Logan of the MCU will be played by a new actor, who has probably not yet been found, but if the plan is to continue the MCU with the X-Men, Hugh Jackman cannot be the official Logan. One thing at a time obviously, but we would have liked more, even if the film succeeds in its main bet, namely to revive the hype around the MCU. Now, the other films and projects need to be of the same quality, to finish once and for all with the Multiverse, for the Fantastic 4 to become the common thread of the next phases and for Reed Richards to become the new leader of the Avengers. We lost Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr, but we will have Pedro Pascal as the new leader. Did we lose in the exchange? Only the future will tell us… In any case, this Deadpool & Wolverine is by far one of the best films in the MCU since Endgame and it’s good to see that Kevin Feige is getting moving to make up for 5 years of drift and tired superheroes…
OUR RATING: 8.5/10
