Review by Paul Bowler.

Marvel Studios Deadpool & Wolverine hits the ground running with a gratuitously violent opening fight sequence, sowing seeds of the madcap mayhem to come, before embarking on a multiverse spanning smackdown of epic proportions. Yes, the team-up of the Merc with the mouth and our favourite Adamantium clawed Mutant is finally here at last bub! When the Time Variance Authority (from the LOKI Disney Plus series) snatches Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), who is enjoying a quiet life after leaving his mercenary days behind him, and sends him on a mission that teams him with a variant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save the multiverse from Cassandra Nova (The Crown’s Emma Corrin) – the evil twin sister of the X-Men’s Professor Charles Xavier.

Directed by Sawn Levey from a screen play he wrote with Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells this third Deadpool film is both a sequel to the first two Deadpooll films and Logan, and a crossover to merge the universes of the MCU and the Fox Marvel movies. Incidentally Deadpool & Wolverine also retains the same R rating as its Deadpool and Logan predecessors, making it the first MCU movie with an R rating.

The plot of Deadpool & Wolverine is stretched paper thin in places. But let’s face it, we’re all probably here to see this movie because we know it’ll be a wild ride anyway, Hugh Jackman make a welcome as Wolverine as well, and this time he’s sporting the iconic yellow comics accurate costume we’ve all been clamouring for. Ryan Reynolds is at his crotch grabbing outrageously over the top best as Deadpool, and the superhero bromance Reynolds and Jackman bring to the screen is a joy to behold as these brothers from another multiverse carve up the screen, their opponents and each other with visceral glee!

While the wacky multiverse story doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny, Deadpool’s fourth wall breaking satire and Wolverine’s grizzled swagger doesn’t shy away from poking fun at everyone and everything. Nothing is off the table for the films raucously in-you-face self-awareness, the misfortunes of recent MCU movies and TV shows, stereotyping, and even the lives of its two leading men are all up for grabs with merciless abandon. Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t quite the game changer you might’ve expected though. Sure, it’s a fantastic crossover that bridges two huge cinematic franchises, but the amalgamation of these properties in doesn’t exactly set out any clear definition of where things will go from here. Deadpool & Wolverine is a nostalgia filled love letter to the 20th Century Fox Marvel films, and a wickedly subversive kitchen sink mash-up of conventional cinematic superhero tropes.

Director Shawn Levey works wonders with this ultra violent superhero team-up buddy movie. The incredible choreography of the fight sequences alone are brilliantly dazzling, and cued to soundtrack beats that punctuate the narrative sublimely. There are surprise cameos galore to enjoy as well. The cameos are sure to delight fans and some will totally blow your mind as well. Then there are the variants. Don’t get me started on the variants, or we’ll be here all day!

Deadpool & Wolverine is rip-roaring fun from beginning to end. What it lacks in plot it more than makes up for with its anarchic blend of wildly orchestrated violence and goofy foul-mouthed silliness. It’s easily one of the best Marvel films I’ve seen in a long time and certainly the most fun as well.

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About The Author

Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS5. You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook