Film Review - "Deadpool & Wolverine"

Deadpool & Wolverine

Directed by Shawn Levy

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Emma Corrin

Deadpool has returned and he's come to save The MCU...not really though.

Deadpool & Wolverine is, quite unexpectedly, not a grand celebration of The Merc with a Mouth's entrance into the larger than life franchise, that arguably, could use a shot of Super-Solider Serum to get back on its feet. No, Deadpool & Wolverine actually is a surprisingly fun and touching buddy-adventure that earnestly pays tribute to a series of films, again, that arguably, deserve a lot more recognition than they get.

Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has fallen into a bit of a midlife crisis. He no longer suits up as Deadpool, and he desperately wishes to find meaning in his life again. On his birthday, he is whisked away to the headquarters of the Time Variance Authority, (The TVA, from Loki!) and meets Agent Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) who offers him a place on The Sacred Timeline (aka The MCU).

It's not all puppies and NSYNC dance parties for Wade however, when he discovers his universe and many others are in jeopardy. He recruits a very disgruntled and very reluctant variant of James "Logan" Howlett aka The Wolverine (Jackman) in his quest to save his world. Along the way, they run afoul of Cassandra Nova (Corrin), the twin sister of Charles Xavier.

Much like the last two Deadpool films, this one gets raunchy, rambunctious, and surprisingly heartfelt. Yes the goal of our heroes is to "save the universe" but their journey is very much a personal one. Themes of self-worth, how we see each other vs how others see us are quite cleverly interwoven throughout the narrative. Wolverine has always been such a rich character on screen, but Deadpool's journey in this film I think is truly special. Am I reading too much into a superhero comedy? Maybe, but stay tuned for the video essay.

As mentioned earlier, this is not a "Welcome To The MCU, Deadpool" Party. No doubt you all remember when Disney bought 20th Century Fox a few years ago. Through that purchase, Marvel got the theatrical rights back to many characters they had once sold off, such as X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool. For many years Fox made a lot of Marvel films on their own featuring these characters in a clunky, fluctuating in quality, universe. Avoiding all the spoilers, but Deadpool & Wolverine pays sincere tribute to this era of superhero films, and in a way, this film is its swan song. There are plenty of cameos and moments that will garner cheers and applause from longtime fans, but it never comes off like cheap fan-service, akin to 

dangling shiny keys in front of a baby. The film also gets delightfully meta in its commentary, but again, maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Both Reynolds and Jackman slip perfectly back into their roles. Reynolds was born to be Deadpool. What else is there to say? Jackman, who quite notably ended his tenure as Wolverine in 2017's Logan, gives it his all (Again this is a variant of Wolverine so Logan's ending is not undercut). There is so much passion in his performance here, he could've easily phoned it in considering he was well and truly done, but he delivers. The two of them also have amazing chemistry. It's so amazing to finally see them onscreen together (properly). The film would not work so well if not for these two.

Emma Corrin is delightfully wicked as Cassandra Nova. They give off huge Hela in Thor: Ragnarok vibes. However much like Hela, her character motivations are rather thin. Still, another enjoyable MCU villain. Matthew Macfadyen gives a fine performance as Paradox and he has some funny back and forth with Reynolds. Most of the supporting characters from the Deadpool films return but none of them get to shine quite like Rob Delaney's Peter. There are plenty of other performances I could talk about in this film but again, avoiding spoilers...

The action in the film is pretty good, but only one or two fight sequences really stick out after viewing the film. One between Deadpool and Wolverine mid-film is probably the best one, and the opening sequence is iconic. There's nothing really striking as far as visuals, but this isn't Eternals, and a majority of the film takes place in The Void (Where The TVA drops all the junk from discarded timelines) so what are you gonna do. The soundtrack is wild and eclectic as one would expect from previous Deadpool films, but did anyone else get Guardians vibes here?

This review is pretty barebones, because honestly much of the joy of Deadpool & Wolverine comes from witnessing it for yourself. Do yourself a favor and go see it in a big, crowded theater. It's a really fun film with plenty of moments to make you laugh and smile. Probably the most fun a superhero film has been since...maybe Deadpool 2? It's great to have Reynolds as Deadpool back on the big screen, and it's great to see Jackman as Wolverine again. But Disney don't listen to them. Don't make them do this until they're 90.

(See how I didn't scream THE MCU IS BACK? Let's keep our expectations calibrated going forward, people.)

Film Review - "Logan"

Logan
Directed by James Mangold
Starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Dafne Keen

Have I mentioned I'm not a big X-Men fan? I have? Okay, well despite that I have always loved Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. It's just a shame this great character and performance has had to survive in a film series that I describe as mediocre to lame, with a few high points. But Jackman and Wolverine get a hell of a send off in Logan, which I find to be one of the best X-Men films ever made.
I'm hesitant to call it one of the best superhero films ever made too, because it hardly feels like a superhero film.

Set in the year of 2029, mutants are almost extinct and an aging, broken Logan (Jackman) works as a chaeuffer on the edge of Texas. He cares for Charles Xavier (Stewart), who's mind is deteriorating and in turn losing control of his powers, with the help of mutant tracker Caliban (Stephen Merchant). Their peaceful but downright miserable existence is interrupted when a mysterious girl named Laura (Keen) is left in Logan's care.

They soon learn that there's more to Laura than meets the eye, and a powerful organization is on the hunt for her. Logan and Charles soon uncover a greater, sinister plot and take it upon themselves to take Laura to a safe haven. As they travel cross-country, Logan slowly starts to rediscover his humanity and get back in touch with his inner Wolverine.

The film pretty much abandons any tropes and cliches a superhero film could have, and acts much more as a drama or western, that just happens to star X-Men. It's emotional, it's depressing, but it's glorious. The Logan/Wolverine character reaches a poignant, profound conclusion that just makes sense. Hugh Jackman gives it his all in a performance that is both badass and heartbreaking. Logan thinks himself a monster, and he has to live in pain and isolation, for all that he's done. He's never been much of a team player. This film's all about him being confronted by those ideals.

The filmmakers take advantage of the R-rating, and the action is so gloriously brutal it might even make Deadpool look tame. It works though, because this is a dark film, and it allows the brutality of the Wolverine character to really come out. They do get a bit eager with the f-bombs early on in the film, but they start to show restraint as the film progresses.

As I said, Hugh Jackman is giving it his all for his final time as Logan. He's magnificent, making you believe every bit of pain, rage and heartbreak Logan feels. This is a completely different Professor Xavier than what we've seen before, but Patrick Stewart is still the best, providing both levity and emotion to this heavy picture. Young newcomer as Dafne Keen does stellar work in her breakout role, holding herself incredibly well against these two powerhouses.

One issue I have with the film is the pacing is a bit off. We go at a steady pace for the majority of the runtime, then almost rush to climax. It's not necessarily a bad thing though because the pace is slowed down for more important character moments, and the cast is allowed more time to shine.

Logan has quickly made itself known as one of the best X-Men films ever made, and in completely abandoning the typical characteristics of one, ironically becomes one of the best superhero films ever made. It reaches the emotional and sophisticated heights of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, something I thought an X-Men film could never do. Sometimes all it takes is for all the right pieces to fall into place I suppose. It's a beautiful send-off to Wolverine and Hugh Jackman. Thanks for over seventeen years of adamantium claw-fueled rage and smart ass-ery. We'll miss you, bub.