Deadpool & Wolverine Review | An R-Rated Laugh Riot That’s Thin on Plot but Thick on Entertainment

Out of the Marvel movies, Deadpool isn’t the one where the audience anticipates a solid plot in order to be entertained. It is the fun we get because of the foul-mouthed fourth wall-breaking pop culture-rich meta-humor in the writing of those movies. With the Fox and Disney merger facilitating the availability of several characters from the X-Men universe to pop up in the MCU, the idea of Deadpool & Wolverine getting together was already a fan favorite, and with enough fan service on a seemingly simplistic plot, Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds offer that big screen entertainment that has been missing in the MCU for a while.

So, the timeline cleanup activities of Deadpool, which we saw at the end of Deadpool 2, trigger the TVA, and they capture him. TVA lets Wade know that his timeline is about to end soon since the “anchor being” of that universe, Logan, has died. But Wade is unwilling to give up on his world, and hence, he decides to go to various timelines to find a replacement Wolverine to save his endearing world of nine people. How that journey goes and what all happens in that is what we see in the third installment of Deadpool, aka Deadpool & Wolverine.

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds are two actors who would make us feel that they are irreplaceable as these characters. Jackman largely for the way he carries the masculinity, anger, and complexity of that character, and Reynolds because of his impeccable sense of humor. From the very first moment when Deadpool talks about the goosebumps of hearing the Marvel title theme, you are hooked into the fun ride. Be it the stylized bloodshed or the way he mocks the censored vision of Disney and his struggle to get things done as a producer, there is never a moment to distract yourself from the screen. With surprise cameos and meta humor that even mocks the downfall of MCU after Endgame (barring No Way Home), the kind of non-stop laughter package you get seeing Reynolds in those interviews is there in this movie.

In the promos and stuff, we could see Deadpool claiming himself to be the Marvel Jesus, and that’s not really because he is going to change the existing plan or something. It is mainly because the film has the structure of that blockbuster entertainment package, which can keep the MCU relevant. In terms of the plot, the idea here is pretty thin, and even if this movie was a flop and Deadpool wouldn’t get a fourth installment, it wouldn’t cause any major issues to the MCU lineup. So, like Antman films, Shawn Levy and the writers, which includes Reynolds himself, are creating a thin plot film with a lot of scope for the R-rated banter for which our man is known. They have retained the signature style of the action, and since Logan is here, there is a tiny bit of sentimental episode that works for the movie.

Ryan Reynolds is having a ball saying his own lines in his own style. With his innate sense of humor, this guy can make you laugh out loud for a good chunk of the runtime. Hugh Jackman is playing a more irreverent version of the Logan this time. Even though he is saying cuss words, there is an effort to make him slightly grey with that backstory, which we only see in the third act. The swagger is still there, and in that yellow suit, the man is a sight to behold. Emma Corrin, as Cassandra Nova, plays the antagonist, and it was a memorable performance as she matched up to the energy of the two men. The rest of the cast has minimal screen space in the film, and most of them are surprise cameos, which I don’t wish to spoil.

The wit in the lines, the chemistry of the title pair, the signature action blocks, and smooth incorporation into the MCU were the elements I was expecting in this installment of the Deadpool film, and Deadpool and Wolverine offer just that on a scale that we would love to see. It might not necessarily be the most influential film in the MCU timeline in terms of the significance of events happening. Still, it is clearly among the most entertaining movies in MCU.