**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

Director: Shawn Levy
Writers: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic, Peggy the Ugliest Dog in Britain, plus a ton of others that are *redacted* to avoid spoilers.

It’s finally here, folks. The collaboration many Marvel/Deadpool/Wolverine fans have been clambering for, fuelled almost entirely by the love/hate bromance perpetuated through the media and social media by stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. It’s quite well-known within the fandom that James Howlett, aka Logan, aka Wolverine, is a fan-favourite and a classic Marvel character, and Deadpool has risen ever higher in the ranks since his big screen debut back in 2016 and its sequel in 2018. It was risky to bring back the character of Wolverine, considering the events of 2017’s Logan, but truly, it’s what the fans wanted. Has it been worth bringing the X-Men’s straight-faced anti-hero back to team up with the other popular anti-hero, the infamous Merc with a Mouth, or should Wolverine have been left in his grave and Deadpool left to figure out his new home, the MCU, for himself?

***NOTE: This review is SPOILER FREE for this particular movie, but there may be spoilers for other past MCU/Deadpool movies***

Six years after being refused membership by the Avengers in another timeline, Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Reynolds), is recruited by the TVA (the Time Variance Authority) to do… something that I don’t really remember because, quite frankly, that side of the plot is Confusing (with a capital C). Anyway, Deadpool manages to end up pissing off a Logan/Wolverine (Jackman) from another timeline, a Wolverine that has fucked up one too many times to be considered an X-Man anymore, and thus whiles away his time by drinking his problems (classic Wolvey), desperately in need of redemption. Reluctantly, Wolverine teams up with Deadpool to defeat a common enemy that threatens multiple timelines, familiar faces, and old friends.

If you go into this movie expecting anything more than a Deadpool movie, you’ll be sorely displeased, but frankly, why would you want anything more? Yes, DP is now part of the MCU, but don’t expect a standard Marvel movie. The writers do attempt to add some life into the film, partly because joining the MCU/Disney fam and all the characters it contains must be like stepping into Professor X’s head during rush hour with Cerebro, and so there’s a lot to unpack and slot in somewhere. The writers have mainly gone down the route of TV’s Loki in using the TVA to avoid dishonouring the memory of the Logan we know from Earth-10005 (most likely) and instead plucking a Wolverine from another timeline. As a result, we get an interestingly balanced movie that has the serious (and newly-sweary) Wolverine juxtaposed with the comically filthy Deadpool. It works well having Jackman as an (even more) intensely emo Wolverine; something about his onscreen chemistry with Reynolds is reminiscent of Michael Caine playing deadpan opposite Kermit the Frog (if Muppets Christmas Carol was R-rated). The first act belongs to Reynolds and Deadpool, and the second act to Jackman and Wolverine. It’s a little jarring when they come together again, jolting your headspace from unserious to serious to something in the middle, but the writers just about manage to keep it all together tonally.

Where it wasn’t particularly held together was the plot. Honestly, I always found the TVA stuff and most of Loki confusing and a struggle to keep up with, and in D&W nothing really changes there. However, as previously mentioned, one does not really stroll into a Deadpool movie expecting an Oscar-worthy plot. The film does know what it is, as Reynolds often reminds us when in-character, and on the whole it’s part-Deadpool, part-gratuitous Marvel movie. As long as you can watch it with a pinch of salt and not as a die-hard Marvel fan, you’ll be just fine. The puns and jokes at the expense of Disney and 20^th Century Fox are truly where much of the comedy lies, not to mention the consistent meta nods to reality (including the actors’ personal lives), but again, we would expect nothing less. Just enjoy it for the ride.

No spoilers ahead for cameos, but suffice to say, there are cameos aplenty. Some were expected, some eagerly assumed, and others a complete (and mostly pleasant and humorous) surprise. Reynolds is once again on top form as his own personal alter ego, and one of the best things about having a six-year gap between D&W and Deadpool 2 is the zeitgeist since 2018, meaning plenty has changed in pop culture and society, giving more to mock and piss all over with Reynolds’ own brand of comedy. He is laugh-out-loud funny, and although his comedy isn’t always my exact cup of English Breakfast, he does add the sugar to it. Jackman is a delight to see return, especially in the classic yellow suit of Wolverine. He hits the character so on the head that it was like he never retired. It’s a blast to hear him let out all the F-bombs and myriad other bombs that the previous incarnation of Logan must have been holding in so tightly his balls probably turned yellow in anticipation. Corrin is not a bad villain as Cassandra, Professor X’s twin sis, but the character in general felt rather weak and certainly *MacGuffiny*. Macfadyen makes for the real villain of the piece, and he gets his comedic moments in there, too. The usual gang appear briefly here and there, but nothing beats our lead duo (except maybe one or two particularly outstanding cameos).

A Deadpool movie never claims to be more than what it is, and that’s a bucket full of foul language, dirty jokes, incredible puns and an anti-hero we love to love for his warts an’ all (that can be applied to either DP or Wolvey). Will this movie save the currently-floundering MCU? No, of course not, but it’s a welcome breath of fresh air. It’s also extremely satisfying to see Deadpool make his debut in the MCU and certainly make himself very much at home. Do we want to see more DPxWolvey? Maybe. Do we want more solo Wolvey? I personally don’t think so. This particular iteration would feel lost without his new bestie. But I think we can definitely hope for more Deadpool, and to have him cameo in other movies (maybe sans the fourth-wall-breaking) would be pretty fucking awesome.