Deadpool brings Marvel back with Wolverine’s help

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you are probably aware how the newest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken the world by storm, breaking records in its first weekend. When first announced, Deadpool fans worried how the former 20th Century Fox franchise would fit under the family-friendly Disney umbrella. The fears were unfounded, as “the merc with the mouth” well-earns a hard R rating with a constant stream of both curse words and gore.

For those initiated, Deadpool is a bit of an anti-hero with a penchant for breaking the fourth wall, talking to the audience almost as often as the other characters in the film (and often referencing real-world events and people in his constant stream of dialogue; he’ll refer to himself as Ryan (Reynolds), the actor portraying Deadpool, as well as Hugh Jackman, the actor playing Wolverine). In the film, Deadpool is happy to kiss Fox goodbye and welcomes his triumphant foray into the Marvel Universe, but unfortunately the powers-at-be don’t welcome him into the Avengers. With that door closed, he tries to be a used car salesman, but of course that doesn’t work out. He ends up kidnapped by the Time Variance Authority (the group that oversees the multiverse, as seen in Marvel’s Loki show) because they are about to wipe his universe. Deadpool doesn’t want to see his friends killed, so he sets out to save his home. Unfortunately for him, saving it involves bringing Logan (Wolverine) back. But everyone remember how he died in the film Logan, one of the last X-Men movies under Fox? Doesn’t deter Deadpool, who will comb through all the universes to find a Logan who still lives and can help him save his own world from destruction.

This film is fun and funny; the whole audience was laughing with me from start to finish. There’s almost too much, to the point that I feel like I need to rewatch it (and maybe twice more!) to catch all the little one-liners and references to pop culture, fourth-wall breaking, and the like. There’s also a ton of cameos, from actors/characters from Marvel’s Fox franchise, dating back decades. Some you’d expect, many you will not, and some I had forgotten! But surprisingly, the film has heart too, and it is easy to get emotional as the big climax (queue Deadpool joke) arrives. It really has it all. Much has been said about the average movie-goers fatigue with superhero films. This one is bucking the trend, but whether it is a true turning point for Marvel/Disney, with a return to films that broke records and wowed critics, or merely an outlier because of how different it is from the others, remains to be seen. On its own merits though, it is a rip-roaring good time, and has certainly brought crowds back. It ended up making $211 million in the USA on opening weekend (far-and-away the most ever by an R-rated film) and $438 worldwide. ★★★★½

• TV series recently watched: Halo (season 2), Star Trek Prodigy (season 2), Supacell (season 1)
• Book currently reading: Dragons of a Vanished Moon by Weis & Hickman