Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) returns to civilian life following his days as the mercenary Deadpool. Once he discovers an existential threat to his world, Wade suits up once again as Deadpool. Joining him is the reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Together, they must stop Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), a powerful telepath who seeks to destroy reality.

Review:

For many years, Marvel fans anticipated the arrival of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in the MCU.

Despite his character’s demise in Logan (2017), fans wanted to see Hugh don the classic yellow and blue attire.

This would come to fruition with the third installment in the Deadpool franchise.

For context, director Shawn Levy decided to take a shot at this film. As a whole, Deadpool & Wolverine show off Reynolds and Jackman’s chemistry well.

This includes the film's brutal yet inconsistent action sequences. While some of them are impactful, others depend far too much on CGI.

Furthermore, Deadpool & Wolverine also made decent use of several licensed music tracks. Outside of these, Rob Simonsen’s score is forgettable.

Also, there are many cameos from past 20th Century Fox Marvel characters and others.

While some fans may appreciate these cameos, they have very little purpose. This is outside a cluttered and CGI-heavy action sequence towards the finale.

Deadpool & Wolverine focuses so much on pleasing fans with character cameos. With that, it forgets to have a cohesive narrative.

Much of this film’s plot has difficulty establishing a sense of purpose and stakes. This is common in the film’s first half.

As this is a Marvel Studios production, the movie feels it has to expand on that universe.

Much of this involves reintroducing the TVA (Time Variance Authority). For context, they are from the Loki TV show.

This will be confusing for fans going into Deadpool & Wolverine without having watched Loki.

This film also fails to clear up any confusion that those fans may have had.

For context, this film has a secondary antagonist, Mr Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen). Matthew's character links to the TVA.

Outside of giving tiresome exposition, the actor does not have much more to do.

As is the case with many MCU antagonists, Cassandra Nova suffers from underdevelopment.

This is due to her lack of screen time in the film. All audiences learn about her is that she is the sister of Charles Xavier, Professor X.

If the film delved more into this, it could have made the character less generic.

Furthermore, the film has some inconsistencies with tone. Though the jokes will entertain some fans, they wear out their welcome over time.

In that sense, the film feels reminiscent of an MCU film rather than a Deadpool one.

A character will tell a joke, which is then followed by an awkward silence or another joke.

It is a formula that has to change if the MCU wants to move in the right direction.

Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in this film gets a few serious moments that delve into his past. Though these are welcome, they are all too brief.

Take a brief conversation that Logan (his real name) has with Laura Kinney, X-23 (Dafne Keen). It delves into his past and the mistakes he made.

This demonstrates Hugh’s commitment to providing the audience with serious moments.

Despite this, it is over in an instant. If the film had extended these scenes, that would have engaged the audience more.

One other mixed aspect of the film is its visuals. Though the other Deadpool films had some dull-looking shots, they had their moments.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s visuals appear rushed in many areas. Take the very obvious use of greenscreen or its corporatized, by-the-numbers visual style.

Though the film has some above-average CGI in places, the heavy use of greenscreen does little to help it.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Deadpool & Wolverine is the most inconsistent, muddled entry out of all the Deadpool films.

Certain fans may appreciate the cameos by past Marvel characters. Despite this, they serve little purpose other than getting fans to point at the screen.

As the film focuses so much on them, it leaves little room to develop a consistent story.

This is evident in the film’s handling of the TVA, using tiresome exposition to confuse audiences. For those who did not watch the Loki TV show, this will be even more frustrating.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s antagonists also fail to leave an impression.

Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova is not well-developed enough to be interesting. This is due to the character’s lack of screen time.

Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox may as well be a machine that’s programmed for exposition. Otherwise, the actor does not have much else to offer.

Despite Hugh Jackman's good performance, this Wolverine does not have enough serious moments.

Outside of his brief conversation with Dafne Keen’s X-23, the film struggles to find time for more of those.

This film’s jokes, though funny at times, overstay their welcome.

As with most MCU films, they depend on awkward pauses, telling joke after joke. For fans of this style, the film may bring some laughter.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s visuals and action are also inconsistent. Take the overuse of CGI during the action sequences or its lifeless visual style.

Some fans may find entertainment in Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds's chemistry. Both actors appear to enjoy themselves, despite the shallow plot.

This film’s use of licensed tracks is also decent, even if Rob Simonsen’s score is generic.

With this film, some fans may have wished Wolverine’s legacy ended with Logan (2017).

Still, fans looking for a mindless Deadpool and Wolverine experience may find it entertaining.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 5/10

Story - 5/10

Action - 6/10

CGI and visuals - 5.5/10

Soundtrack - 6/10

Overall score: 5.5 out of 10