One of the year’s most highly anticipated movies, Deadpool & Wolverine, has finally arrived, and dreadfully as expected, it is a bit of a misfire but not a complete one. From failures by the writing team to frustrating cinematography and a complete lack of direction, Marvel Studios’ latest is one of its weaker entries.
Director Shawn Levy makes his MCU debut as both a writer and director, and it’s far from his worst work but many scenes are left unpolished, shot poorly and leading to nowhere with no clear direction. Actors and actresses could have done better under more clear and concise direction, with Hugh Jackman sadly giving one of his weaker performances in his tenure as The Wolverine. Ryan Reynolds continues to perform well as Wade Wilson but his shtick is getting tiresome and grating. The cameo actors involved in the plot of the film are mostly good, with two of them phoning in performances.
The comedy in the film is pretty hit or miss as expected, and is actually one of the better things in the film. In a movie where jokes are thrown at the audience every other second there will inevitably be some hits and I of course found some funny, but for every laugh, another joke would not hit. The meta-humour is minimized here thankfully and some of the jokes that fall into this category do actually hit, which is about the only improvement from its predecessors.
The visual style of this film is definitely the weakest factor, with murky CGI, bland colour grading, shaky cam clouding fights and a whole lot more. If the movie looked good, it could have elevated the film’s weak plot so that it was at least enjoyable to look at. At times, the film looks like a spiritual successor to Levy’s Free Guy, having the same visual signature in the most derogatory ways possible.
It’s not all bad though. There are some seriously good needle drops and some badass scenes with characters facing off against one another. The action is pretty well choreographed most of the time, with about half of them being exciting to watch, and the other half too poorly shot to be even seen correctly. TVA agent Paradox is a treat to watch too due to a sharp performance from Succession alum Matthew Macfadyen.
Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t a movie to watch for the plot. If you’re expecting a complex and well-written story then you will be sorely disappointed, but for those who are excited to watch an alright comedy, some cool legacy cameos and an insanely evil villain, then this is the movie for you.
Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Dafne Keen, Aaron Stanford, Jennifer Garner, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney and Leslie Uggams. The film is produced by 20th Century Studios and Marvel Studios, and is due for release worldwide beginning July 26th, 2024.
Thanks for reading this article. For more reviews, please check out our review tab here.
