First review: Deadpool and Wolverine is a mighty Marvel mash-up

As strong as the pairing of the title characters proves to be, the best stretches of Deadpool and Wolverine happen when Deadpool goes solo and goes rogue with the one-liners.

“Welcome to the MCU. You’re joining us at a bit of a low point ...”

Whatever you may think of Deadpool, there can be no denying this fast-talking, loose-living, insane, profane, one-man whack-a-mole has always been honest with his audience.

He knows his belated induction into Marvel’s ailing Cinematic Universe doesn’t make any sense, and would feel infinitely better about it if you know it too.

However, there is more to Deadpool’s third movie assignment than merely shooting Ryan Reynolds’ irrationally indestructible anti-hero into the MCU like a clown being fired from a circus cannon.

Nope, this time around, Deadpool has company. None other than Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is along for the ride, and there is no way this adamantium-clawed legend of X-Men lore will be sitting contently in the passenger seat.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. Picture: Jay Maidment. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL

Now that is one heck of a double-act to headline any movie, I’m sure you will agree.

However, there is just one heck of a logistical hurdle to clear, as I’m sure you will recall.

Umm, didn’t Wolverine, errr, kind of die an unforgettably definitive death when we last saw him in Logan back in 2017 (one of the great movie endings of the past decade, by the way)?

Without going into too much detail, Deadpool & Wolverine swerves around that gaping hole in the storytelling road with the aid of Marvel’s much-maligned (and rightly so) multiverse concept.

The Wolverine we meet here exists on an alternate timeline to the Wolverine we solemnly bid farewell to in Logan. This one’s a bit of a broken-down boozehound who goes big with the self-loathing, and small with the self-confidence.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan, Dogpool, and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. Picture: Jay Maidment. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

The sharp contrasts in demeanour, mental health and all-round sense of humour between Wolvie and Deadpool promise fireworks aplenty, but it must be said it does take a while for them to truly ignite.

Sure, Reynolds and Jackman plug into the right kind of irascible chemistry from the get-go. However, Deadpool & Wolverine’s rather dull and convoluted opening act takes longer than it really should to follow the lead taken by its two stars.

Hang in there. Once the movie arrives at a brutally bloody (and spectacularly stoo-pid) fight scene between the title characters - staged entirely within the spacious confines of a 1997 Honda Odyssey sedan - the whole production finally clicks into top gear.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

So what do we find once we finally get to the good stuff? Well, first and foremost, without naming names, there is a long, clanking chain of surprise cameos from long-forgotten or not-so-popular screen superheroes that opens up a rich vein of humour.

Also sure to rapidly become a fan favourite is the introduction of Dogpool, an irresistibly cute canine companion for Deadpool played to perfection by screen debutante Peggy the Pug (famous for being the ugliest pooch in the UK).

As strong as the pairing of the title characters proves to be, the best stretches of the movie generally occur when Deadpool goes solo and goes rogue with the one-liners.

There’s no-one better in the business of un-bricking the fourth wall than Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and a few of his direct-to-audience asides deliver a ton of garrulous gold.

Reynolds’ best lines are at the expense of Jackman - “Fox killed him. Disney brought him back. Now they’re gonna keep him working till he’s 90” - including one crack about the Aussie star’s recent divorce that embodies the irreverently enjoyable spirit of the production as a whole.

Deadpool & Wolverine (MA15+)

Director: Shawn Levy (Free Guy)

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Matthew Macfadyen, Emma Corrin.

Rating: ***1/2

Originally published as First review: Deadpool and Wolverine is a mighty Marvel mash-up