This third entry into the Deadpool franchise is easily the best of the three in my opinion, but it does suffer from some very confusing continuity and perhaps a bit too much fan service.
This movie is basically one long fever dream, with Deadpool as a very snarky, foul mouthed narrator. He comes across as a bit unreliable too, so from one moment to the next there is a sense that the events unfolding have been dramatized in Deadpool’s addled mind, and that plays up to the film's strengths. In a way it's better to look at this film as slightly off and unhinged, because it absolutely was both of those things.
Deadpool's frequent raunchy jokes and fourth wall breaks are trademarks for the character and most of them land well, although it isn’t all jokes per minute and sight gags. While some of the best moments are associated with jaw dropping cameos and call outs to Marvel Phase 4 and the dying Fox X-Men franchise, there is a surprising amount of heart and real pathos at the core of this movie. Both of the main characters have affecting personal dilemmas that define their initial behavior and motivations and form their arcs throughout the film.
As for the leads, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool is very consistent both in performance and likability from previous entries. Which is good, because Deadpool could easily be one of those characters that grates and irritates instead of inspiring the audience to root for him. He quips and comments at an extremely fast pace, but never so quickly that it is hard to follow. Unfortunately almost half of his jokes are somewhat pointed and require an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the MCU, the Fox Marvel franchise and comic books in general. While most of the bigger and stranger elements are explained, a lot of the moment-to-moment stuff can fly right past someone who is less versed in the lore.
There are some very, very deep cuts, and some ties to movies that are nearly twenty-five years old. This is none the more evident with the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, who does a great job reinterpreting the Wolverine to fit in this movie, and has a really satisfying arc that ends up in rather unexpected places. While a highlight of the movie, the legacy of Wolverine as a character and the actor who plays him is fully explored throughout. That character exploration manages to pay homage to all the X-men and Wolverine films, especially the most relevant film of that series: Logan (2017), with some of the plot actually hingeing on events from that movie. Including the entire opening of the film which is one of the goriest fight scenes I’ve ever seen (and I’m a Quentin Tarantino fan).
I also have to mention the main villain who may be one of the best MCU villains to date. Maybe not Thanos level, but in the upper tier. Also, like most MCU movies they committed to comics accurate costumes. I never thought in a million years the yellow and blue of Wolverine’s iconic outfit would work, but it absolutely does. There were also a couple of more incredible costumes in this, which I will not discuss due to spoilers, that were page to screen and just fabulous. The rest of the actors featured also bring their a-game and most steal the show in whatever scene they are in, but I cannot name them because again, spoilers.
I had somewhat specific expectations when I went into this, and while most if not all of them were met, this film ended in a place I truly did not anticipate. I can say that the average movie-goer will enjoy this, if they can stomach the blood and crude humor, but they may not get all of it. Thankfully the only real prerequisite to watch is a passing knowledge of both the Fox Marvel Franchise and the MCU; you might not get everything but that’s not the point.
What this film does very well is bridge the old with the new, successfully transitioning both Deadpool and the X-men that have existed for a quarter of a century into the MCU. I won’t spoil the hows and whys, but suffice it to say it is a must watch going into the final films of the Multiverse Saga (Phase Six starts off next year and will wrap up with two final Avengers movies in 2026 and 2027). Oh and stay until the end of the credits to pay off one of the best running jokes.
3 out of 4 Versions of Marvel Heroes
Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.
I liked it a lot, but I don't think that I loved it. I was disappointed that basically all of our reoccurring characters from the previous movies were nothing more than cameos. (Especially with Vanessa and everything involving that relationship.)
ReplyDeleteBut at the same time, this wasn't a movie about Deadpool as much as it was a movie about 20th century Fox and the non-MCU, non-Sony Spiderman movies. And in that respect, it was pretty freaking cool. I loved seeing who came back and in what capacities. I was very entertained. It was fun. Most of the jokes landed, or at least weren't annoying. (A very low bar, sure, but a lot don't make it.)
Definitely an upper tier villain, but she sadly suffers the same fate of all MCU villains where I just wanted more to her. Her motivation at the end was really way too muddled and definitely felt more plot-demanded than anything naturally occurring.
I disagree that this is the end of the Multiverse Saga, though. Casting news makes it pretty clear that we're definitely still getting Multiverse shenanigans.
I knew that sentence would come to haunt me, I need to re-phrase it. I meant this is a must see going into the final arc of the Multiverse Saga, that's not ending until Avengers: Secret Wars.
DeleteI corrected the line so that it is more clear what I meant.
ReplyDeleteSamantha - thank you for the review! I enjoy coming here and seeing different perspectives than my own.
ReplyDeleteSaw this with my daughter and we were in sync with our thoughts on it. For us it was really an objective vs subjective perception. Objectively, we did not care for this installment. The plot was fragmented, the characters lacked heart to the point of just being cruel at times, and the humor just didn’t land most of the time (we were in a mostly full theatre and there was little reaction much of the time). I do like the idea that it’s a reflection of Deadpool’s current state of mind and that helps me see it in a better perspective.
Subjectively, it’s a comic fan’s wildest dream. The cameos were brilliant, and the in jokes that I did get were top notch. Still, it just didn’t do much to overcome the extremely gratuitous violence and lack of heart the first two films had. I wanted to like it more, but like many recent MCU films, it just didn’t occur.
My wife and I saw this a couple weeks ago. In that one scene near the end, I told my wife "I bet that's [specific actress] as the female Deadpool", because it seemed like the most obvious hidden joke under the circumstances. My wife said maybe, but more likely it was just a random stunt woman. I checked the credits, and it was in fact [specific actress]. I'm fully qualified to be a Hollywood producer!
ReplyDelete