My fellow cinephiles probably had the same reaction I did when Ryan Reynolds announced he'd be doing a Deadpool movie under Disney. 

"Uh oh." 

It didn't actually help that he was putting everyone's favorite Aussie actor, Hugh Jackman, back into the role of Wolverine. While it was admittedly cool to think that Reynold's Deadpool and Jackman's Wolverine would be teaming up, the underlying problem remained; this was still going to be a Disney movie. Given the fact that Disney/Marvel has been reduced to a mess of bad writing and too often soaked in socio-political themes, hopes weren't exactly high. 

But then the movie released, and one thing seems to be agreed upon throughout the entirety of movie-going America... it's pretty good. I purchased my own ticket and saw it Thursday night. 

How does yours truly judge it? The film does exactly what I thought it would do, and even did a little bit more. As a fan of the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) who watched Disney burn this franchise down to a smoldering wreck with incompetence and activist writers, this film was almost cathartic as "Deadpool and Wolverine" doesn't just provide entertainment, it gives certain characters and audiences a bit of justice. 

Minor spoilers ahead. 

Right off the bat, "Deadpool and Wolverine" makes it clear that this isn't your typical Disney movie. Reynolds performs his signature character as he would when the films were under the ownership of Fox, foul-mouthed and ready to get very violent. Moreover, he does so in very hilarious fashion, killing Time Variance Authority (TVA) agents using the adamantine skeleton of Wolverine's corpse, a Wolverine that died at the end of the movie "Logan." Moreover, he does this to the song "Bye Bye Bye" from N*Sync, throwing in a few moments of Deadpool doing the famous dance from the song between the action. 

Side note: The appearance of the song in the movie made it go viral again, prompting N*Sync to add "(Official Video from Deadpool and Wolverine)" in their YouTube title for the music video. 

The opening sequence sets the tone well and stays steady throughout. Deadpool movies are known for their foul-mouthed dark humor, and the third installment delivers that same feeling. The film is a dark comedy and even the lines Disney doesn't allow people to cross are joked about directly, such as cocaine usage. In fact, you'll find that Disney's forced shortcomings within the film are often targeted for jokes by the film itself. 

For instance, some Marvel fans (emphasis on "some") may remember the TVA from the Disney+ show "Loki," an agency that polices the convoluted and already-tired Marvel multiverse. Watching Deadpool violently kill a bunch of them is oddly satisfying, as they're one of the worst aspects of Marvel's direction. Over the course of the film, Reynolds (who was heavily involved in the writing) makes it clear that he's no fan of the multiverse either. In fact, during a monologue, Deadpool flat out makes the case that it has to go. 

But the film doesn't just attack the multiverse. "Deadpool and Wolverine" goes after Marvel itself on multiple occasions, making jokes at its expense and acknowledging its failure to create anything of quality. As Deadpool tells Wolverine near the beginning of the film, he's joining the MCU at a "low point." 

As the Deadpool character is known for his fourth wall breaking, the film is full of meta commentary about the superhero film genre, but it's not all negative. A lot of the film is dedicated to giving some of the superheroes of the past a much-deserved final bow. This means cameos on cameos. Without spoiling who shows up, I can tell you that if you were around for the superhero movies of the 90s and early-aughts when Fox ruled the superhero roost, then you're going to get a kick out of who makes an appearance. 

I will spoil one figure, however. For X-Men fans, you finally get a comic-accurate "Gambit" played masterfully by Channing Tatum, Cajun accent and all. Gambit is my favorite X-Men character, and I have to say that Tatum has been the man to play him all along, in my opinion. 

I’m going to disagree with the assessment of some of my fellow cinephiles. I thought @channingtatum as Gambit was one of the biggest highlights of #DeadpoolAndWolverine and I would LOVE to see a well-written solo movie. Spectacular performance. pic.twitter.com/kVIPcYzv5m

— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) August 2, 2024

The film has multiple antagonists, all of whom are actually a pleasure to watch on screen, but chief among them is Cassandra Nova, played by Emma Corrin. Nova is the long-lost twin sister of X-Men leader Charles Xavier, and she plays the role with a mixture of psychotic glee and petulant angsty teen that actually works well. You can tell that Corrin had fun in the role, and it's fun watching her have fun. Her character is unforgiving and overpowered, giving her a sense of hubris and nonchalance that balances out her violent tendencies. 

But obviously, the main draw of the film is the long-awaited team-up of Reynold's and Jackman's Deadpool and Wolverine. The two are best friends in real life, and the relationship shines on screen. 

It helps that the two characters complement each other. Deadpool is the "merc with the mouth," constantly firing off jokes and one-liners, while Wolverine is the serious grouch who barely tolerates anyone. This creates the classic buddy comedy that allows for moments of friction between moments of severity that are allowed to linger. They engage in two fight scenes together, and watching people who can't die and heal instantly have it out might not have any stakes, but it sure is fun to watch. The second fight scene is particularly good, as it's a moment where the two finally allow their emotions to get the best of them, and they have a creative violent battle in the confines of a Honda Odyssey. 

Jackman picks up the Wolverine character like he never left, and this time, he gets to don his comic-accurate suit to boot. However, this Wolverine is haunted by a number of huge mistakes he made in his reality, marking him as the "worst Wolverine." He's impatient, angry, and hungover, but he comprises the majority of the heart of this film, and that's saying something, as the film is filled to the brim with heart. 

But I could say that for all the characters that reprise their roles from the Fox superhero era. There's a lot of "last hurrah" feeling throughout it, and they make it a point to deliver that, not just for the audience but for the actors playing them as well. It's satisfying watching them get the send-off they deserved. 

The one downside of this film is that if you think too hard about the plot, you'll start to really notice the glaring holes in it. The Disney rules for the Marvel Universe don't seem to matter anymore, and the rules they came up with in this film to make the plot work don't make any sense at all. The film gets away with this only because it's a Deadpool movie. If this was any other superhero film that had even a teaspoon more seriousness at its core, this likely would have been an unforgivable problem with the writing. However, because this is meta-comedy, the rules don't actually matter. In fact, if you just let it go and enjoy it for the popcorn flick it is, you won't care all that much. 

Even the moments where you can tell Disney forced itself into the script can be more or less overlooked, thanks to Reynolds' hand. I agree with some of my fellow critics that this film could have used a bit more polish, and that these "Disney moments" could have been better handled, but even without them, the film really does something Marvel desperately needed: It entertains. 

Not only that, it scratches an itch that I think Marvel fans and moviegoers have needed to be scratched for some time. It's the acknowledgment that Disney/Marvel is now garbage from within the company, and it joins audiences in pointing and laughing at it. The film clowns the current state of the MCU while existing in it, and I think that deserves praise on its own. 

I'll talk more about whether I think this movie signals a turn in the MCU in a later article, but for now, I'll just say that "Deadpool and Wolverine" is a must-see.