Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Directed by Shawn Levy
Produced by Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, Lauren Shuler Donner
Written by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni & Matthew Macfadyen.
Cinematography: George Richmond
Edited by Shane Reid, Dean Zimmerman
Music by Rob Simonsen
Production companies: Marvel Studios, Maximum Effort, 21 Laps Entertainment
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The plot: Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy.
The Deadpool & Wolverine Movie was Amazing.
Pros: I like how it mange to integrate Deadpool and Wolverine somehow into the main universe. This film was hilarious. Ryan Reynolds & Hugh Jackman were incredible together. A lot of the fight scenes were well choreography. I like how the Time Variance Authority (TVA) was used in the main story. A lot of the cameos & guest characters made me smile so much and It became a big nice love letter to the FOX Marvel Universe and I came out of the cinema very appreciated.
Cons: It did red con somethings that didn’t need messing with. The storyline does get convoluted throughout its run time and I was disappointed with the post-credit-scene because I was expected a lot more than what we got.
The Casts:
- Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool:
A wisecracking mercenary from Earth-10005 with accelerated healing but severe scarring over his body after undergoing an experimental regenerative mutation to treat terminal cancer. The start of the film sees Wilson no longer operating as Deadpool, no longer dating Vanessa, and working as a used car salesman. Writer Rhett Reese described Deadpool as a fish-out-of water in the film, a lunatic dropped into the “sane world” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Reynolds said the audience did not have to take Deadpool seriously, particularly with his fourth wall breaking and unreliable narration, but he wanted them to be invested in the other characters. Reynolds also portrays Nicepool, a long-haired, non-scarred variant of Wilson who lacks his healing factor. - Hugh Jackman as James “Logan” Howlett / Wolverine:
A former member of the X-Men and a mutant with healing abilities, retractable claws, and an adamantium-infused skeleton. This version of the character is from an alternative universe where he let down the inhabitants. This, along with pairing Wolverine with Deadpool, allowed Jackman to explore new aspects of the character than in his prior appearances in 20th Century Fox‘s X-Men film series. Jackman said Logan and Wilson were opposites and had a “quarreling dynamic”, while director Shawn Levy said their relationship is impacted by both characters being “haunted with regret”. To prepare for the role, Jackman began a vigorous workout routine that included eating up to 8,000 calories a day. Jackman also portrays various variants of Wolverine, including: one with the character’s comics-accurate height of 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm); Wolverine’s gambling alter-ego Patch, who wears an eyepatch and a white tuxedo; an Old Man Logan variant; a variant being crucified on a giant X, reminiscent of the cover of Uncanny X-Men (1981) #251; a variant wearing the original brown and tan costume from the comics; and a variant with “glam rock-like” hair, one hand, and a black costume similar to the Age of Apocalypse comics. - Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova:
A mutant in the Void with telekinetic and telepathic powers, who is the twin sister of Charles Xavier with other-worldly origins. Corrin was excited to play a villain in the film as they had not played many villainous roles before. Corrin took inspiration from Christoph Waltz‘s character Hans Landa in the film Inglourious Basterds (2009), while Reynolds highlighted Corrin’s humanization and the motivation of the character, comparing Nova’s “mischief, danger, [and] unpredictability” to the energy of actor Gene Wilder. Reynolds and Levy explained Nova to Corrin as someone who would endear and charm you to the point that “you are going to be best friends for life” only to realize she could easily kill you. Corrin was interested in having a physical transformation for the role but was told by the studio that this was not required for the character. Corrin also wanted to pay homage to Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy‘s performances as Xavier in previous X-Men films, as well as be faithful to Nova’s relationship with him from the comics. - Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle: Wilson’s former fiancée, whose relationship with Wilson is further reinvented in the film according to Baccarin.
- Rob Delaney as Peter Wisdom: A car salesman alongside Wilson and a member of Wilson’s X-Force team.
- Leslie Uggams as Blind Al: Wilson’s blind elderly roommate.
- Aaron Stanford as John Allerdyce / Pyro:
A mutant in the Void working for Nova with the ability to manipulate fire. Stanford enjoyed having a more comics-accurate costume over the ones he had worn in the films X2 (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). - Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Paradox:
A Time Variance Authority (TVA) agent who oversees a project to speed up the death of Earth-10005 by using the “Time Ripper”, a machine which can mercy kill timelines. Paradox hopes to prove himself with this to become the leader of the TVA.
Reprising their roles from the previous Deadpool films are: Karan Soni as Dopinder, a taxi driver and admirer of Wilson who serves as his de facto chauffeur; Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, a teenage member of the X-Men with the mutant power to detonate atomic bursts from her body; Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus, a member of the X-Men with the mutant ability to transform his body into organic steel; Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Negasonic Teenage Warhead’s girlfriend and fellow X-Men member; Randal Reeder as Buck; and Lewis Tan as Shatterstar, a member of X-Force.
Inhabitants of the Void include members of the resistance nicknamed the “Others”, consisting of Dafne Keen as Laura / X-23 from Logan (2017); Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios from Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005); Wesley Snipes as Eric Brooks / Blade from the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004); Chris Evans (who portrayed Steve Rogers / Captain America in the MCU) as Johnny Storm / Human Torch from Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007); and Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau / Gambit, in reference to a solo Gambit film that was ultimately unproduced after years of development. Keen rewatched Logan to help her prepare and return to the character after seven years, and was eager to explore an older version of Laura, who now has a better understanding and appreciation of what Logan had experienced in that film. In addition to the character’s native Spanish, Laura now speaks English with a neutral accent since she has lived around more English-speaking people in the years since she first met Logan. Characters in the Void working for Nova include Tyler Mane as Sabretooth and Ray Park as Toad from X-Men (2000); Kelly Hu as Lady Deathstrike from X2; Dania Ramirez as Callisto from X-Men: The Last Stand; Jason Flemyng as Azazel from X-Men: First Class (2011); and Billy Clements as the Russian, as well as Bullseye, Juggernaut (resembling his appearance in The Last Stand), and Psylocke.
The film features several variants of Deadpool, including: Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively as Lady Deadpool; dog actor Peggy as Dogpool; Matthew McConaughey as Cowboy Deadpool; Nathan Fillion as the voice of Headpool; Nick Pauley as Dancepool; Wrexham A.F.C. player Paul Mullin as Welshpool; and Reynolds and Lively’s children Inez and Olin Reynolds as Kidpool and Babypool, respectively. Other Deadpool variants include Watari / The Fool, Deadpool 2099, Golden Age Deadpool, Zenpool, Canadapool, Piratepool, and a Scottish Knightpool.
Wunmi Mosaku reprises her role as Hunter B-15 from the MCU television series Loki (2021–2023), while Jon Favreau reprises his MCU role of Harold “Happy” Hogan. Chris Hemsworth appears as Thor through repurposed archival footage from Thor: The Dark World (2013). A version of the Hulk also appears fighting a variant of Wolverine. Cameo appearances include Greg Hemphill as a bartender, Wrexham A.F.C. player Ollie Palmer as a bar attendee, Henry Cavill as a Wolverine variant dubbed “Cavillrine”, and Rob McElhenney as a TVA soldier.
I highly recommend this film in cinemas to those who still cares about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Ryan Balkwill:
Resident film reviewer,
Level Best Art Cafe