It’s been a minute.
The last time I reviewed a movie — that was showing in the theater — was “Top Gun: Maverick”… all the way back in 2022 (read my review).
Yikes!
Over the course of the past 24 months (gulp!), I’ve had family and friends (like Greg Smith) say things like, “I would love it if you would do a Jon Crunch review again.”
Our friend Randa DM’d last summer hoping I’d share my thoughts on the latest “Indiana Jones” release (which I failed to do).
For those of you who are new here, movie reviews sort of became my “bread and butter” on this blog.
I love movies, own hundreds of movies in various video formats, have a large movie poster collection, and have spent a considerable amount of my life obsessing over all the nitty gritty details surrounding the medium.
In sum, movies have been a big part of my life. Sign posts to look forward to each and every year.
But for some reason, I just got tired of writing about them.
Honestly, I just got tired of writing in general.
And, to put it mildly, there has been a relative “dearth” of movies that have been compelling the past few years (although, a handful that would be worth revisiting on this blog).
That said, at some point you have to get back on the horse. So saddle up, dear readers…
Leave it to the creative mind of Ryan Reynolds to remind us why we like going to the movies.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” follows the irreverent path that the first two “Deadpool” releases brought to the cinematic superhero world.
This time out, Deadpool’s alter-ego Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is facing an existential crisis.
Despite traveling to an alternate universe known as the “Sacred Timeline” to see if he could join the Avengers, and ultimately failing in that attempt (playing on the multi-verse theme that has permeated seemingly every superhero movie of late), our hero realizes there might not be a place for him.
He has traded in his spandex suit for a stapled-on toupee and collared shirt as he pursues a career selling cars with his friend (and fellow X-Force member) Peter Wisdom (Rob Delaney).
He has also parted ways with fiancée Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), after bringing her back from the dead in “Deadpool 2” using Cable’s time-travel device.
The way Reynolds and director Shawn Levy handle the setup is pitch perfect. It transcends the narrative that you see on screen.
As fans of the “Deadpool” franchise know, the character regularly breaks the fourth wall and tosses in funny quips and snark from real life.
At play is the fact that when Disney purchased 20th Century Fox — the studio that produced the first two “Deadpool” movies, along with the “X-Men,” “Wolverine,” “Daredevil,” and “Fantastic Four” franchises — it left the future of the “Fox Marvel superheroes” in limbo.
Those characters have lived as an “Island of Misfit Toys” as it regards the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No attempt was ever made to integrate the Fox characters into Disney’s powerful MCU.
Disney certainly didn’t strike any sort of production deal with Fox (prior to purchase) the way they did with Sony to be able to integrate Spider-Man into the MCU.
This fact provides a healthy (and humorous) subtext to the plot of “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
“Fox killed him. Disney brought him back.
They’re gonna make him do this ’til he’s 90.”
As Wade celebrates his birthday with his friends, the Time Variance Authority captures him and takes him to meet a man named Mr. Paradox (Matthew Mcfayden).
Paradox tells Deadpool that his timeline is crumbling because of the death of its “anchor being” Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)…something that happened during the events of 2017’s “Logan.”
This sets up the events in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
What ensues is an entertaining romp as our hero attempts to save his timeline, his friends, and himself.
It was a lot of fun watching Deadpool and Wolverine play off each other during the course of the movie. Reynolds’ “wink-wink, nudge-nudge” style contrasted perfectly with Jackman’s gruff and cynical character.
I should note here that Reynolds played a version of Wade Wilson in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” something a number of movie-goers likely didn’t realize (Wilson’s transformation into Weapon XI was a very different version of Deadpool than we have today).
It was also fun to see Wolverine finally don the blue-and-yellow suit the character wore in the comic books (something they tried to tease in a deleted scene featured on my Blu-ray copy of 2013’s “The Wolverine”).
In an age of reboots, it is amazing that Jackman has played the character this long. It was really perfect casting all those many years ago.
There are also some terrific cameos in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” I won’t spoil them here, but they provide some fun “fan service” moments in the movie (and I was totally there for it).
One would imagine that there is a considerable amount of improvising as the cameras roll on these “Deadpool” movies. Director Shawn Levy deserves a considerable amount of credit for holding it all together.
Levy has an eclectic and extensive background.
He got his start in television and helmed light comedies during the early stages of his career, working on family-friendly fare like Steve Martin’s “Cheaper by the Dozen” and the first three “Night at the Museum” movies.
In addition, Levy served as executive producer on the sitcom “Last Man Standing” (a personal favorite of mine) and Netflix’s “Stranger Things” (also a favorite).
In recent years, he has collaborated with Reynolds on the movies “Free Guy” and “The Adam Project.”
In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Levy helps find the right recipe that mixes the franchise’s well-worn “raunch” with a narrative that should appeal to a much broader audience. The overall effect is something that feels less “niche” in nature.
The movie uses pop music to great effect — so much so that each song manages to strike home key plot points. While this trait was on display in the previous “Deadpool” movies, it was even better this time out.
And if you’d told me that a Honda Odyssey minivan would serve as a key plot point in film (and sort of become a character of its own) I would have thought you were nuts.
But here we are…
The overall result is one of the more creative theatrical films we’ve seen in the past five years. Thank goodness!
“I didn’t lie. I made an educated wish.”
In recent years, superhero movies have felt like they were treading water. It seemed that these sorts of franchise films had hit their zenith with 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” (read my review), and that the current trajectory seemed to be a long, slow descent into box office oblivion.
I’m kind of disappointed that I didn’t write a review of 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” so I could remind myself what a dumpster fire that movie was, and what a low-point it was for the genre (and don’t even get me started on “Thor: Love and Thunder”).
The genre still has a long way to go…
I’m not suggesting that Deadpool is “Marvel Jesus” (as the character refers to himself in the film), but considering how things have been going recently, he comes pretty damn close.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” gives us hope that Hollywood can still make crowd-pleasing superhero movies — films that demand to be viewed in a theater with other fans.
Rated R. Runtime: 2 hr 7 min (Be sure to watch through the credits!)
>> If you enjoyed my review of “Deadpool & Wolverine” and would like to experience more great content, please follow me on Twitter/X: @TheJonCrunch
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