On July 26, 2024, “Deadpool and Wolverine” was released worldwide in theaters. The movie was directed by Shawn Levy, who had also worked with Ryan Reynolds, who plays Deadpool, in past movies such as “Free Guy” and “The Adam Project.” The movie follows cynical antihero mercenary Deadpool, and an alternative version of Wolverine to save the world from ending. It slashed its way up the top of the box office, grossing $1.3 billion, and eventually settled at the top 20 on the leaderboard. However, now that the excitement around the movie has settled, was this movie truly deserving of the positive responses?
In 1993, Marvel sold the rights of the X-Men franchise to Twentieth Century Fox. With X-men off the table, Disney bought the remaining parts of Marvel such as the Avengers in 2009. Clearly, they wanted more. With Disney eventually buying Fox in 2019, they now had rights to even more comic book characters. Many superhero fans got to see their beloved characters back on the big screen again, with some being more of a surprise than others. The most exciting thing for fans was the long-awaited return of Hugh Jackman’s role as the Wolverine.
I was among these many fans thrilled to see characters from movies I didn’t think I’d ever see again. The witty Deadpool and the lone Wolverine teaming up was the last thing I expected to come out as a movie in the first place, but seeing various other superheroes, and villains too, who had never interacted before was satisfying to see. The movie’s main antagonist, Cassandra Nova, is a prime example of this. In the comics, she was Charles Xavier’s (more known as Professor X) twin sister who took a much darker path than he did. She had never truly been in the spotlight until her appearance in this movie. My favorite character appearance, however, was Dogpool– an ugly yet loveable dog who also takes on the Deadpool costume.
The movie wasted no time in getting into the bloody and crude action that the Deadpool movies are known for. I began to notice how fast-paced the movie was with Wolverine and several other characters, new or old, being introduced within just under an hour or so into the movie. Although I thought it was just the right pace, I know some people may not enjoy the fast-speed of the storyline moving forward as certain details could easily be missed.
In my opinion, the movie did very well with the interactions of Deadpool and Wolverine. As the trailer for the movie revealed, this version of Wolverine failed his entire world. He was extremely depressed and full of regret. Our Deadpool, on the other hand, struggled with his place in the world. He felt worthless and tried to reach success by doing things outside of what he usually does before he was forced back into his position with the iconic red-and-black costume. His mission? Save his dying world that lacks an “anchor being,” the person whose existence holds the world together. This just happens to be the Wolverine. Throughout the movie, the two characters go through lots of character development. From constantly bickering and ruthlessly fighting to get their anger out at each other, they eventually come to an understanding. A lot of the jokes and dialogue from these two characters landed well. I especially enjoyed Deadpool’s fourth-wall breaking throughout the movie. It must be a reminder once again though that this is a Deadpool movie. Inappropriate dialogue, bloody scenes, and the 116 F-bombs dropped in this very movie are overall to be expected.
In other words, the movie was spectacular. It met the expectations of many superhero fans and possibly even exceeded them. I loved the action, witty jokes, and character interactions that the movie is filled to the brim with from start to end. The plot of the storyline showed the audience an important message with Wolverine’s character, that you have to learn to move forward from the past to become a better person. On the other hand, Deadpool showed that you can find meaning in what you already have in life rather than constantly reaching for something else. When looking past the wild action scenes of the heroes and villains in the movie, audiences can take a moment to realize that these two messages are genuinely good advice that will help them move forward in life. Overall, the positive reviews of this movie were very well deserved.
“Deadpool and Wolverine” is now available to purchase. Additionally, all of the movies from the Fox era to the new “Deadpool and Wolverine” are currently streaming on Disney+. While it is not necessary to watch any prior films before seeing this movie to understand the story, it made it very special for many fans, including myself, to have previously watched movies such as “The Fantastic Four” and the X-men franchise overall during its Twentieth Century Fox era. It is wonderful to see how far putting beloved comic book characters on screen has come since then.