A self-cannibalizing slog, "Deadpool & Wolverine" -

The first Deadpool movie, which Fox Studios released in 2016, was a lighthearted and satirical response to our general apathy towards comic book movies. Deadpool, real name Wade Wilson, was a foul-mouthed mercenary who used the same insane energy to destroy both the fourth wall and his opponents.

Deadpool often faced the camera and, with a deadpan sense of humor, teased the superhero movie cliches to the point where you almost forgot you were watching one. It’s also possible that Ryan Reynolds, the sassiest leading man in Hollywood, was created in a lab specifically to play this filthy vigilante. Though one was plenty, I found the movie to be very enjoyable; but, by the time Deadpool 2 debuted in 2018, all that self-aware humor had begun to appear incredibly self-satisfied.

Deadpool & Wolverine, our third film, is the result of some recent plot twists in the film business. Along with other mutant characters from the X-Men series, Deadpool formally entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Disney acquired Fox a few years ago.

This puts the recently released film in an almost intriguing bind. It makes fun of its difficult corporate upbringing; among Deadpool’s first remarks is “Marvel’s so stupid.” However, the film now has to work within the MCU’s storyline constraints. It attempts to be both satirical and genuine at the same time, using brand extension as a cover.

The most well-known X-Men character, Logan, also known as Wolverine, is paired with Deadpool in this strange-couple comedy. Hugh Jackman plays the mutant with the retractable metal claws and unbreakable bones.

It makes sense to combine the two characters—and not just because they are both Canadian. Deadpool used to frequently make Wolverine the brunt of his gags off-screen in his previous films. Wolverine and Deadpool are practically immortal due to their bodies’ ability to regenerate after injury. Both are attempting to atone for their previous transgressions and are tortured by them. The two share a strong on-screen connection, with Jackman’s melancholic pauses providing a wonderful counterpoint to Reynolds’ breathless delivery.

I could go into further detail about the plotline, but only at the risk of angering studio publicists, who have requested that reviewers refrain from discussing the narrative or the film’s numerous appearances. Let’s just say that the two leads are brought together via a variety of multiverse rifts by filmmaker Shawn Levy and his horde of screenwriters. Yes, the multiverse—that ever-flexible comic-book concept—where Wolverines and Deadpools from different parallel universes appear one after another.

It’s probably safe to disclose that Emma Corrin from The Crown plays a horrible villain in exile, while Matthew Macfadyen, most recently of Succession, portrays some sort of nefarious multiverse bureaucrat. The script’s numerous wink-wink references to other television series and films, such as Furiosa, The Great British Bake Off, and Back to the Future, don’t accomplish anything to freshen up the shallow, derivative material. Furthermore, Levy, who previously helmed Reynolds in the science fiction comedies Free Guy and The Adam Project, has a strong sense of the gory violence that characterizes the Deadpool films. The protagonists’ bone-crunching, crotch-stabbing killing sprees, complete with corn syrupy blood geysers, are more tedious than exciting.

Deadpool & Wolverine occasionally aims for sincerity despite all of its gore, intense meta-humor, and R-rated sensibility that pushes the boundaries of the MCU’s normally PG-13 rating. A few of its cameos and story twists are obviously intended as homage to Fox’s early 2000s X-Men movies.

Even though I’ve been an X-Men fan for a long time, I can still appreciate the appeal of this strategy; in fact, there was one casting decision in particular that made me smile, almost against my will. It’s not enough to stop the film from feeling like a self-cannibalizing bore, but I have a feeling that many viewers—who thrive on this kind of sly fan service—won’t mind. Whatever you think of Marvel, which I have, it’s not quite as dumb as Deadpool makes it out to be.