Deadpool & Wolverine

For anyone familiar with Marvel, it was clear this movie would be a game-changer. Marvel's future seemed to hang in the balance — either they'd rise or their glory days would fade. But pairing Deadpool with Wolverine? That’s a surefire bet. Especially with Hugh Jackman once claiming his Logan days were over after Logan. The writers would have to massively screw up to make this a flop, and they didn't. Quite the opposite. From the very first scene, it's clear this movie was worth making. It's brutally honest, sharply critical of modern times and Marvel's current status in Hollywood, and filled with references that true fans will appreciate. Ryan Reynolds brings his signature crude humor, swearing like a sailor, and you can't help but love it. Hugh Jackman, on the other hand, delivers a raw, torn performance that fits Logan perfectly. Marvel nailed it this time. Kevin Feige has effectively redeemed the franchise after the last couple of years. So, what's next? (08/05/2024)

Your crazy matches my crazy. I love Deadpool, but I love Wolverine even more, and if someone had told me a few years ago that they would meet in a movie, I wouldn't have believed it. Logan was the final chapter in every way, and even though I never literally accepted his canonical end, I didn't need any returns at the same time. Because it couldn't have been better. But it could have been different. The necessary events remain in their timelines and with further breaking the fourth wall, anything, anyone, and anytime can happen. In the first half of scenes, lines, and twists, it's unbridled fun that successfully makes my thirteen-year-old self laugh to tears, the second half throws references and characters from movies I still love, but to my huge surprise, also from directions that have long been forgotten. And just on the sidelines, it moves me to tears. It is a monument to one universe and one giant brand, it is an obligation for all who know Wolverine's comic history and didn't believe they would ever see some of his faces on screen, and it is an amazing film with breathtaking action full of ideas and literal low blows. But for me personally, it is also one of Jackman's peak performances, often played with facial muscles almost subconsciously. I wanted an entertaining movie, I got first-class entertainment that is hardly imitable - and you have to pay gold for it. (07/29/2024)

The ultimate Marvel porn, a desensitized hodgepodge of enticements designed to leave comic book fans with as many wet seats in the cinema as possible, packed with enough sensory stimuli to make most viewers simply turn off their brains and ride the wave of riveting entertainment. For once you start to think for a moment about the plot, the motivations of the characters, and the significance of their presence in the story, you find that they are virtually nil. Don't get me wrong, it's probably the coolest installment of Deadpool, and unlike most of the recent Marvel movies I've seen, this was at least really fun, but fun that was shallow, childishly simple, consumerist, and not as funny as the five writers apparently tried and wanted it to be. PS. I appreciate a bit the subversive homage to 20th Century Fox and the novel choice of cameo roles, since they are mandatory now, but I won't be lulled by it. (07/24/2024)

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And Deadpool, unlike the rest of the MCU, isn't broken, so he's doing what he did last time and audiences enjoy it. The combination of gleeful violence, juvenile slapstick and solid directorial craftsmanship is spiced-up with the return of Wolverine, the great chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman and a throwback to the days of Fox comics. But anyone expecting the third Deadpool to bring any major changes to the MCU will be disappointed. A proper Deadpool comic book movie with Logan as a bonus. Nothing more, nothing less. (07/24/2024)

A revival of the best that we have seen from the Marvel and X-Men movies. A nerdishly well-crafted pop-up book of sketches with bold references not only to the characters and relationships of the comic-book world, but also to the behind-the-scenes workings of Hollywood studios, and which are not afraid of being honest and poking fun at themselves. Superbly utilised buddy potential between Wolverine and the comical Deadpool, for whose wisecracking Ryan Reynolds could apply for a patent. The female villain is interesting and powerful, and old characters make surprising appearances. Hugh Jackman performs as if his life depended on it and pretty much everyone gives their all, as if it was a matter of saving a phenomenon. Which it also was. (07/29/2024)