Holy crap! This was a perfect match. I mean perfect. In retrospect, it’s easy to see: Deadpool and Wolverine are incredibly similar; they’re the most violent characters in the Marvel Universe (probably because they both heal instantly), and yeah, the healing thing. Both of these guys can take bullets to the brain and come out ok. And, as both are pretty violent and abrasive, they both will take bullets to the brain from time to time.
OTOH, while Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is confrontational, aggressive, and takes everything seriously, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds – also co-wrote) tends to treat life as a game show where everybody ought to be smiling. He’s either gonna be your therapist or your assassin; you choose. It is quite fitting that neither of these men is American, and yet they’re somehow more American than any other screen tandem you can name.
First of all, God help you if you are unfamiliar with either of these jokers. If there is one flaw to this marvelous Marvel-rush it is that the film is 100x more enjoyable if you get the jokes – like where else Ryan Reynolds has appeared in superhero films? And why is Wolverine wearing yellow? The latter requires a bit of graphic novel knowledge to boot. While Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine never wore the X-Men costume until now, it was standard issue in the comic books.
But why would you know that? Why would I know that? Take it from me, this film is a testament to how fun a film can be if you get all the jokes … and how lonely/isolated you can feel if you don’t.
What is this silly film about? How do we get these crazy kids together? Well … Deadpool (aka used car salesman Wade Wilson) is having a birthday party with his friends, woo, when the TVA (Time Variance Authority – the people who control and limit uses of time travel for universe integrity purposes – oh, and nobody likes them because they limit use of time travel for universe integrity purposes – Geez, the stuff you gotta know just to keep up with a stupid comic book, amIright?) capture him and take him to Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfayden). Seriously? Is there a Mrs. Paradox? Or is he/she also Mrs. Paradox as well, hence the name?
Anyway … Paradox wants to destroy Wade’s timeline, because without its “anchor being,” Logan (aka Wolverine, who died several films ago), the timeline is deteriorating and this iteration will extinguish itself anyway. He offers to place Wade in a different timeline for the good of, I dunno, time integrity. Whatever. But Deadpool has a different idea: resurrect Logan and replace his failing timeline so he can save the nine people who threw him a birthday party.
Are you willing to screw with the space/time continuum just to have a nice birthday?
Here’s the problem: there are a lot of Logans on a lot of worlds. All of them are irascible. And many of them are dead. The one Wade manages to collect is “the worst Wolverine,” one who failed to save his own universe and drank himself into the abyss afterwards. But even “the worst Wolverine” is very lethal and very perturbed. And he doesn’t exactly require a redemption arc. i.e. There’s gonna be a lot a lot a lot of blood shed between these two before cooperation happens.
Woo, a buddy road pic! Woo, an immortal buddy road pic! With violence. Lots and
lots of violence. And special guests.
And, screw it, I can’t even tell you the first special guest because simply revealing a name is considered a spoiler. Rats. Suffice to say, there are plenty of folks revisiting plenty of roles in this film. You don’t have to know all of them to enjoy the film. Heck, you don’t even have to know any of them … but it helps. At times, Deadpool & Wolverine feels a little like a final exam in which you’re responsible for not only everything in the Marvel world, but everything in the both the cinematic and graphic novelization of herodom.
Personally, I love Deadpool. I also love Wolverine. I didn’t even realize I missed Wolverine. Apparently, I do. This is a wonderful pairing and a great script for those in the know. For the rest of us, we get two redemption arcs: the worst Wolverine gets to reclaim accomplishment and Deadpool gets to overcome a lifelong mediocrity haunted by Avengers rejection and the haunting words, “you’ll never matter.” It’s hard not to love a film in which two great characters both get to elevate themselves, and all tongue-in-cheek, of course, because Deadpool has no sense of gravity. See the film. See it. Do. But see it with somebody who knows exactly as much as you do about the world of superheroes, OK?
There was once a hero named Wade
Who needed to save the friendships he’d made
So he stole a time portal
Collected an immortal
And abused every universe where he strayed
Rated R, 128 Minutes
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Genre: Films that shouldn’t have been made, but I’m glad they did
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Marvel fans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: God help you if you don’t know who either of these characters are
