Overview
A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life with his days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. But when his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctant Wolverine.
Let’s preface this review by highlighting that I’m pretty much the target audience for this film entirely. Having been collecting comics, especially Marvel, since the late 70s, and being a fan of Deadpool ever since Tolliver sent him to convey a message to Cable by taking down his New Mutant team in issue 98 of that comic series (which also introduced the character of Domino – another fan favourite), I’ve loved the character over the decades. Then you factor in my somewhat unhealthy obsession with Ryan Reynolds that even makes me enjoy Blade Trinity, and it is no surprise that I’ve absolutely loved the first 2 Deadpool films. Now, 6 years since he last graced the big screen, we get the long awaited payoff we were all waiting for as Hugh Jackman reprises his role as Wolverine, dons a more comic accurate costume, and joins the Merc With The Mouth as they kind of join the MCU.
Being careful to avoid spoilers here, it is safe to say that this film is a cameo packed event, dangling nostalgia for what has gone (and what we never got) from the Fox era of Marvel, coupled with the usual wisecracks, pop-culture references, and 4th wall winks that we expect from Wade. There have been many leaks over the past few months (and disappointingly a couple of official trailers that spoil a few surprises), but there has also been a wealth of false rumours that have muddied the waters, and this thankfully still meant that there were some pleasant treats in store for fans of the films, and fans of the comic alike. Suffice to say, I sat for the whole run-time with a big cheesy grin on my face as I was simply caught up in the loving mockery of the X-franchise.
What I was more surprised with though was the depth of plot on offer. The last 2 films from Deadpool have been rather light on plot, peril, and threat, relying more on the fun antics and japerey. With the myriad of cameos thrust into this, I was expecting much more of the same low-plot/high-fun approach, but instead found a rather nice balance between the two with a woven underlying storyline threat that proffers up a few villains, most notably that of Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova. This felt like an event movie plot, only without the seriousness. With regards Cassandra Nova, I am still absolutely amazed that they opted to pull a rather unknown (to the mass audience) character from Grant Morrisson’s very divisive run on the comics to use, and have to give them credit for how they played her. Corrin is chilling, but also comical, and the manner in which she uses her powers is represented with some striking digital effects works.
She isn’t the only deep cut from the comics, and there are a handful of references that those who haven’t read any comic books won’t latch onto as much as the heavy readers among us – but it never feels like it obstructs the general audience enjoyment, as such moments are fleeting, and fit with the way the tale is being told. In a similar manner, the inclusion of the TVA (Time Variance Authority) from Loki could have been confusing for those who haven’t watched that show, but a flippant one sentence exposition dump reference fixes any lack of knowledge of them for the casual audiences enough so they can just accept what they are to this film.
But what about the pairing of Deadpool and Wolverine, and how do they make it respect the events of Logan – oh boy, trust me when I say the opening scene asks that same question before answering it in the only way you would expect Deadpool to do so. The pair, once united, follow the tropes of the buddy-cop genre, with them not seeing eye to eye, but being forced to stick together, and rest assured the bloody carnage on offer with these two sharing a screen plays out to fun, brutal, and hilarious effect.
All in all, look this is a Deadpool movie, and puts to rest all the worries that Disney would soften the character. Far from the truth, as not only does this keep the foul mouthed approach, and brutal carnage, but it actually seems to benefit significantly from the additional budget on offer, whilst also poking a lot of fun at Disney themselves.
A fun packed third entry for Deadpool, and also a heartfelt reflection on the Fox era (a montage of behind the scenes moments from over decades of Fox films plays during the end credits), this kind of brings some closure to the Fox X-Universe, whilst opening the door for the step into the future. More than that, it simply offers a fun packed time at the cinema.