As a bit of a Marvel nerd (which brings me no shame), this Deadpool and Wolverine team up for a standalone film is something that I had been eagerly anticipating ever since it was announced.
I wasn’t alone in that department. I booked my Palace Cinema ticket for opening night (Thursday, July 25) at the start of June, at which point most of the seats had already been taken.
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynold’s announced the team-up in 2022, giving us a two year wait for the blockbuster which was further delayed by writers strikes in 2023. However, it was certainly worth the wait.
‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ is the best cinema experience I’ve had in a long, long time. It is the epitome of fun.
Immense action sequences, hilarious breakings of the fourth wall, a great use of cameo appearances and a stunning soundtrack makes this the best Marvel movie I’ve seen since the extremely popular ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’ double header in 2018 and 2019.
However, it wasn’t all perfect.
In the first two Deadpool films, Ryan Reynolds’ humour was sometimes slightly irritating. Although there are some great one-liners in this movie which got a lot of laughs inside the Palace on opening night, I did find him slightly grating and annoying in the earlier parts of the film.
There were scenes which took on a serious topic and looked to develop the story, but were downplayed because of Deadpool’s insistence on saying - at some points - unfunny quips. This did improve as the film progressed, and is only a minor criticism.
The return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan was a sight to behold, especially in his comic-accurate yellow and blue suit.
The end of ‘Logan’, the 2017 film which was Jackman’s last appearance as Wolverine, was a great send off for the character, and so it was a slight concern about how they would manage to bring him back.
However, this was dealt with immaculately in the first scene, which included a Deadpool killing spree while he danced to ‘Bye Bye Bye’ from American boy band NSYNC. Honestly, what more do you want?
The dynamic between Jackman and Reynold’s was great - you could really tell that this was a project they had both been keen to do for a long time. Reynold’s boisterousness and humour coupled with Jackman’s fiery aggression made for a great on-screen partnership.
The use of cameos was brilliantly done, bringing back much-loved characters from Marvel’s past who actually contributed to the story rather than being cheaply placed in the movie for fan-service. One cameo in particular was breathtaking.
Emma Corrin’s portrayal of the main villain Cassandra Nova was extremely chilling, while Matthew Macfadyen did his very best impression of his ‘Succession’ character Tom Wambsgans in his performance as Mr Paradox.
Without overanalysing this film and purely enjoying it for what it is (a funny and action-filled blockbuster), you are sure to have a great time with it. I sure know that I did.