First Take: Deadpool and Wolverine - zero Fox given in the long-awaited threequel

 

Spoiler free as usual. Because the MCU is back.

SYNOPSIS: Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy.

Sometimes it takes a full on corporate acquisition - a corpacq, if you will - to speak things into existence. In 2014 the infamous ‘leak’ prompted Fox to greenlight a Deadpool film within the X-Men universe, one which didn’t have his mouth sewn shut. A sequel followed. Then… the void. Covid. The Disney buyout. The downfall of the MCU as the multiverse saga began. But now the self proclaimed Marvel Jesus is back with the happy ending - one which brings the curtain down on a 25 year legacy for certain properties.

Shawn Levy takes the helm of this threequel, following Tim Miller and David Leitch into the universe where breaking the 4th wall doesn’t get you fired for creative differences - and he’s a director who knows Ryan Reynolds’ mind incredibly well having directed The Adam Project and most notably Free Guy. What we get is a 2 hour 8 minute ride that brings the best of the Fox era into the MCU - albeit not as rudely as anticipated… even more rudely. Having co-written the script with Reynolds, veteran Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, along with Zeb Wells, Levy’s input on this film shows a classy understanding of what it takes to pull off a 15 certificate Marvel Studios film, and even with elements of the TVA plotline that viewers of Loki will be very familiar with, this is a film that makes it easier for those who don’t follow the Disney+ shows to understand everything, almost like a full reset of Marvel’s storytelling. It’s shot incredibly by George Richmond (of Kingsman fame - one particular sequence gave me ‘church scene’ vibes) and the score from Rob Simonsen just about does the job, with a cracker of a soundtrack album for good measure.

As for the cast, trying to stay spoiler free is easier said than done - so we’ll give it a damn good go. Reynolds provides the fun as ever with all the self-referential jokes you could potentially think of, Hugh Jackman returns, and boy is it fantastic to see him back with the claws in a way which respects the ending of THAT 2017 solo film, and supporting them is Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams and Karan Soni to represent the Deadpool franchise - with new additions Matthew Mcfadyen and Emma Corrin leading the charge from the old regime into the Feige world. It is worth staying back, as is protocol on these films, as there is a fantastic tribute to the journey which brought us to this major turning point for Marvel’s film output, and ultimately, what could be the last time we see the words 20th Century Fox on a cinema screen. This isn’t just a Deadpool movie, this is the powers that be acknowledging that some storylines backfired big time - and they have heard us. With Comic-Con this weekend, for the first time in a while… I’m excited to see where Marvel Studios will take us.

THE VERDICT

The mad lads did it. A proper Deadpool movie under the constraints of the MCU, and still a lovely 15 certificate. Obviously it does feel a smidge more corporate, but all things considered, it’s the film we all wanted, with a Wolverine we have begged to see on-screen since 2000.

RATING: 4/5