“Deadpool & Wolverine” took theaters by storm upon its release July 26, and the film’s overwhelming commercial success so far confirms it was definitely worth the wait.
After Marvel’s recent string of disappointments in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels,” they seem to have struck gold with “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The film has earned over $431 million domestically and $472 million worldwide to date. After just 10 days in theaters, the film dethroned “The Passion of the Christ” as the highest grossing R-rated movie domestically.
Numbers aside, this represents a huge turnaround for Marvel. Although “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” grossed $476 million worldwide on a budget of $326.6 million, it ended its run in cinemas as the lowest-ranked movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe according to Rotten Tomatoes, with a 46% Tomatometer score. Furthermore, “The Marvels” managed to perform even worse. With a total budget of $270 million, the film ended its run on the big screen as a box office failure due to it grossing only $206 million worldwide. All this continued criticism, however, may finally begin to fade, as this ray of hope in the form of “Deadpool & Wolverine” builds anticipation for phase six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This marks Disney’s first R-rated Marvel film and the first time that the foulmouth Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and hard-drinking Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) have been cast together on the big screen under Disney’s ownership.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” met all my expectations and made my opening night show well worth it. The film never has a dull moment, and it delivered phenomenally well on its promises of action-packed fight sequences and exuberantly witty character interactions.
The film follows Wade Wilson after retiring from his alter-ego as the masked mercenary Deadpool, who now works as a used car salesman with his friend Peter Wisdom (Rob Delaney.) Early on in the film, Wade runs into the Time Variance Authority, an interdimensional organization that monitors timelines and prevents the existence of those that are deemed detrimental to the multiverse.
When the TVA confronts Wade outside his apartment and whisks him away to their dimension, an agent named Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) informs him his timeline will soon be wiped out of existence due to the death of Wolverine, the “anchor being” of the timeline. Paradox describes an anchor being as “an entity of such vital importance that when they die their whole world slowly withers out of existence.”
Due to this, Wade is offered a choice: he can either join the Avengers in the MCU and abandon his timeline or find a Wolverine from an alternate timeline and prevent his death and the destruction of his timeline.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” also has an abundance of fourth wall breaks, something Deadpool has become famous for. In almost every scene, Deadpool explicitly keeps the audience engaged with the plot while Wolverine reluctantly tolerates his antics.
In one scene prior to a gory battle between Deadpool and Wolverine, Reynolds looks directly at the screen and says, “Nerds, it’s about to get good.”
Speaking of fights, one of my favorite fight sequences in the movie is the confrontation between our protagonists and the Deadpool Corps. The cinematography shifts between slow-motion standoffs and fast-paced fights, with Deadpool and Wolverine finally working in tandem. I loved seeing the variety of multiversal Deadpool variants in this scene, including Kidpool, Lady Deadpool, Nicepool and Dogpool. The duo hacks their way through the mob, with Wisdom stepping in to end the bloodshed by convincing the Deadpool Corps to relent.
Deadpool and Wolverine press forward in order to stop Cassandra Nova, the film’s primary antagonist, from activating the Time Ripper, a device that speeds up timelines to wipe them out of existence.
Nova (Emma Corrin) is the biological twin sister of the founder of the X-Men, Charles Xavier, and rules over an outpost in the barren wastelands of the Void, where Deadpool and Wolverine first encounter her. The Void is described in the film as an area beyond the multiversal timelines where the remnants of forgotten universes slowly wither away or are eaten by the guardian entity of the Void, Alioth.
The CGI of the Void specifically was brilliant, and I loved the parallels it drew with “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The unexpected cameo of Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) in the Void additionally created hilarious dialogue with our protagonists as well as Nova, a testament to the effort that went into crafting such a well-written script.
The conclusion of the film was satisfying and heartwarming — an all-around great ending in my eyes. Deadpool and Wolverine stop the Time Ripper and walk out unscathed, informing the TVA of their success. Just as Logan is about to leave, Wade invites him to meet his friends. After a wholesome gathering, Logan persuades Wade to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), concluding the film on a hopeful and exuberant note.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” has undoubtedly reignited Marvel’s spark and helped them find their footing in order to prepare for the future of films in the MCU.
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