Deadpool & Wolverine Is Already Tearing The /Film Team Apart

Shawn Levy's superhero film "Deadpool & Wolverine" marks yet another crossover between the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe and the previously Fox-owned "X-Men" universe(s). When Disney purchased Fox in 2017, it suddenly had direct access to all the Fox-owned Marvel characters, with superhero fans longing for the moment when the Fantastic Four and the X-Men would be able to, legally, meet the Avengers on the big screen. "Deadpool & Wolverine" fulfills that promise by including the titular characters (Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman) in a universe occupied by Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Captain America, and Thor. The film also includes a slew of cameos from other Fox-owned super-characters in what can only be considered a triumph of contractual finesse and legal wrangling.

Sadly, "Deadpool & Wolverine" can only be seen as a triumph when taken in the context of company ownership and copyright legality. Disney, Fox, mutants, Avengers, they're all kind of the same. The Levy and Reynolds knew that audiences entering "Deadpool & Wolverine" would likely have a working knowledge of all the insider baseball that went into its making, and toyed with that, highlighting certain characters as if they were significant, but moreso showing off that they could hire X actor.

In case it wasn't obvious, I personally was not fond of "Deadpool & Wolverine," which I described to my co-workers at /Film as "A soulless act of autofellatio, a prayer to corporate onanism." But I was perhaps on the darkest extreme of "D&W" opinions. Some of my co-workers also didn't like it, but not as hatefully as I. Others felt it was a fun romp and enjoyed the cameos as light distractions. Others had a whizzbang time with it (although there's no accounting for taste).

Below are our personal statements.

/Film's Bill Bria appreciated the energy levels, but wasn't fond of the script, nor of the digital blood splatter and uninspired action. In his own words:

"It's as funny as the first two 'Deadpools,' and some of its jabs at the superhero genre and its many foibles in front of and behind cameras are pretty sharp. Some neat surprises in terms of cameos, too. But as a story on its own, it's too generic and inert, too interested in 'having fun' then letting any compelling drama through. As an action movie, it's abysmal, with some of the most inept composition, editing, and choreography of recent years, with CGI blood and gore attempting to paper over the cracks. Overall, a disappointing experience."

The "Deadpool" movies previously garnered a lot of interest from critics with their self-awareness and embracing of irony. Deadpool frequently turned to the camera to comment on overused superhero tropes or missteps in Ryan Reynolds' acting career. With "Deadpool & Wolverine," the ironic humor is still present, but it punctuates a story that the filmmakers also expect us to take seriously. It's hard to get behind the drama when the film is so aggressively winking at its audience about its own artificiality. That, anyway, was Chris Evangelista's view:

"'Deadpool & Wolverine' is full of flat jokes and flat filmmaking, but Hugh Jackman is doing good work. Unfortunately, the movie constantly sabotages his dramatic performance with constant winking irony."

The "Deadpool" films can be ironic or they can be sincere. They cannot, however, be both at the same time. Evangelista's observation highlights Deadpool's propensity for earnest excitement and caring about the MCU. In an earlier film, he would have shot Captain America through the head. Now he luurrves him.

/Film's Ethan Anderton was fond of "Deadpool & Wolverine," seeing its constant references and endless fan service as a winking gesture of affection to the millions of people — now in their 40s and 50s — who have been paying attention to superhero cinema since at least 1998. Anderton felt that "D&W" was able to mock and embrace the absurdity of superhero movies simultaneously. He also noted that Jackman isn't sleepwalking through his tenth go-'round as Wolverine:

"'Deadpool & Wolverine' is the funniest film in the franchise, and it also serves as surprising love letter to Fox's Marvel universe while also taking the piss out of the highs and lows of its history before the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unexpected and hilarious cameos make for a lot of fun, but Hugh Jackman helps give the movie a beating heart, while Ryan Reynolds keeps the laughs coming with some clever meta commentary."

At the same time, Anderton noted that, just like many other MCU films, the actual plot of "Deadpool & Wolverine" is scattershot and "nonsensical," and that it had a "weak villain arc." Still, he wanted to assure me that "it's a blast to watch and packs an entertaining blockbuster punch of comedy and action."

Meanwhile, Jeremy Mathai was lukewarm on "Deadpool & Wolverine," say it was "the definition of 'Fine.'" He added:

"I found 'Deadpool & Wolverine' to be very funny and certainly entertaining, but too often resorts to constantly undercutting its emotional moments with insincere, flat jokes."

It seems Mathai and Evangelista are largely on the same page.

Mathai continued, saying that the stars are charismatic, but the direction was dull: 

"Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman go above and beyond to carry the movie on their backs, but that only takes it so far. Shawn Levy's flat and uninspired direction, the obsession with meaningless cameos, and the unmistakable whiff of corporate synergy combine to make this much less effective of a franchise revitalization than it was marketed to be." 

/Film's BJ Colangelo, meanwhile, recognized that it was a flawed picture, but still enjoyable to watch, playfully writing on Twitter/X:

"'Deadpool & Wolverine' is the kick in the taint the MCU needs. It's a dumb s**t fun time and my favorite flavor of slop. Much like getting invited to a McDonald's birthday party as a kid — I know it's not 'good,' but it sure is a lot of fun, and I'll happily go again and again."

Which is a pragmatic statement that would put William James to shame.

So I may feel that "Deadpool & Wolverine" is not a film so much as it is a dramatization of a Reddit thread. I might think that a once-subversive hero is now dying repeatedly to assure the continuation of the blandest MCU status quo, but my fellow writers as /Film seem to be all over the map. There's no doubt that "Deadpool & Wolverine" will be a hit, although time will tell if audiences embrace it in the long term. Will "Deadpool & Wolverine" resurrect the ailing MCU, or will it be yet another reviled miss as the series sinks gently into the void? Only time will tell.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" opens in theaters on July 26, 2024.