DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE BRINGS IT ALL TOGETHER AND IT’S OH SO GOOD

For 24 years Hugh Jackman has played one of the most iconic characters in comic books and movie history: Wolverine. A surly yet lovable character whose heart is stronger than the claws that protrude from his knuckles. Ryan Reynolds has only been playing Deadpool for 8 years but has quickly solidified him as the superhero you love to hear make a quick joke as much as make quick, and bloody work of a bad guy. As popular as these characters have been in comic books it was transferred over to the movies they’ve starred in. The dream years ago was that they would be in a movie together since 20th Century FOX owned both franchises. Unfortunately, around the time they both were hitting new heights of popularity Disney swooped in and bought FOX and threw most FOX franchises into limbo. Regardless of how much they were loved switching to the new company was only one hurdle as the movie Logan killed off Wolverine and Jackman said he was done playing the character. However, now that Disney got the family all back together, including getting back the Fantastic 4 properties and making a deal with Sony for Spider-Man movies it made Reynolds bold enough to ask the Jackman to reprise his role as the adamantium clawed hero and give us Deadpool and Wolverine directed by Shawn Levy.

Marvel/Disney has been deep into the storyline of “the Multiverse” where their heroes have been affected by other alternate universes spilling over into their world. It was leading to movies with a new main bad guy trying to rule every universe. That story may be moving to the wayside, but they can still use it to manipulate the current problem of brining Wolverine back to life. It’s no spoiler that this Wolverine is from a different universe. They use the plot points of the franchises and other Disney+ shows like Loki to build the storyline here. You may want to get caught up on that show. Deadpool needs Wolverine to help him save his universe from basically disappearing. He basically kidnaps a Wolverine from another universe to get the job done. Due to a few complications, they end up in “The Void” where they must survive other characters that have been dumped there and a creature that feeds off the discarded victims. Not only do they meet familiar faces, but a new foe named Cassandra Nova played wonderfully by Emma Corrin that is the sister to one of the most powerful mutants in comic book history. Can they put their own failings aside and escape “The Void” before they are killed or basically kill each other.

“Fan service” is something you hear about with superhero movies and that is where they have characters or storylines that keep fans of the original comics happy. Sometimes this can alienate casual viewers of the movies and shows. While they did this throughout the film it never feels like they are so deep in the weeds that folks will get lost. Mostly if you have grown with the X-Men movies for the last almost quarter century you can follow along just fine even if you haven’t seen the Disney+ shows. The chemistry of Reynolds hilarious charming wit and Jackman’s angry near feral personality is fabulous. They are basically The Odd Couple with deadly weapons and penchant for using them to the fullest. The fight scenes are fantastic and satisfy the most fanniest of fan boys. There are so many Easter Eggs in the movie you can easily miss some moments and it may require a follow-up viewing. It’s amazing some of the cameos they kept quiet and surprises that they had in store. The plot is well developed and doesn’t feel like it has gaping holes as it winks at you the entire time. Every Deadpool movie does that as breaking the 4th wall is as common here as it was in the comics. It keeps you invested fully. Jackman is awesome as this character, and it will be hard to ever replace him. Reynolds owns Deadpool just as much and anyone else would feel like they were doing a cheap imitation. There isn’t much lacking in this film and the only thing that disappointed me was who DIDN’T show up in the movie. This is big screen movie viewing and you should catch it in the theater before it’s gone. If you haven’t seen it, you are one of the few as it has already scored over $200 million at the US box office. Don’t take the kids because this is definitely not kid friendly movie and their vocabulary may become more colorful. Avoid spoilers and make sure you watch to the end of the credits for a satisfying movie that tries putting a family back together.