'Deadpool & Wolverine' Was a Slopfest, but a Fun Slopfest.

Old Man Yaoi

Outside of TV shows, I typically watch movies with my older brother and younger sister at home. As much as I love my sister, she never wants to venture too far from her comfort zone, represented by reality TV shows and true-crime documentaries. Any attempt by either my brother or me to get off that beaten path is met with snide comments and passive-aggressive complaining throughout the entire thing.

Whenever she's out of the house, my brother and I like to take the opportunity to watch something we both know we wouldn't be able to do with her around. Hell, my brother and I had to watch both parts of Dune independently because we knew there would be no way she would sit down and watch it without complaining.

a movie scientifically designed to annoy sisters, girlfriends, and wives everywhere. 

In all honesty, I'm not the biggest superhero media enjoyer around, but I do like some more than others: I was recently blown away by how amazing and well-written the X-Men '97 animated series from just a few months ago was; I've been enjoying what Todd Philips has been doing with the Joker, and the Jon Watts Spiderman trilogy was always a good time. I was aware of Deadpool, but I wasn't interested in his character. I knew him as the Funny Haha Red Guy with Guns—who makes smartass quips, dirty jokes, and breaks the fourth wall at seemingly every opportunity. In fact, I avoided seeing the Deadpool movies because of just how much everyone was in love with the guy. I’m sad to report that I’m one of those people who gets repelled by something if too many people are gushing over it.

About a month ago, my brother and I (sans our sister) were bored and looking for something new and exciting to watch—something to tide us over—and we came across the two Deadpool movies on Disney+. Neither of us had watched either film, and we knew the third one was coming out this July. Figuring that our sister wouldn't be interested, we seized the opportunity to catch up and see what all the hype was about. I didn't have high expectations. Marvel's batting average hasn’t been good for a long while now.

But Deadpool was different. I enjoyed both movies; they were funny and fun. 

I know that everyone is, rightly, tired of all the fucking Buffy Speak in Marvel outings. Still, self-awareness and meta-humor are incredibly fitting for a series like Deadpool. Deadpool is supposed to be super annoying—or at least that's the impression I get about his character, having not read any of the source material—and you're supposed not to expect a film that takes itself too seriously whenever you watch one of his movies. What you see is what you get with Deadpool.

This is why I find myself confused reading some of the reviews of Deadpool & Wolverine as I sit down to write my own. Deadpool & Wolverine is the fun, action-packed, broad-appeal spectacle this summer's overheated moviegoers have been waiting for. One of the main points of contention with some other critics is that Disney uses Deadpool and Wolverine to show off and wink at the audience too much. What exactly is the issue with that? Using Deadpool as a vehicle to show off their newly acquired IPs and laugh at themselves is the most appropriate choice. 

Without getting further into spoiler territory, the movie's basic plot outline is Deadpool on Earth-616, the “sacred timeline.” On Earth-10005, Wade Wilson works with his friend Peter (Rob Delaney) at a used car dealership. He struggles with his feelings for Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) because he can't seem to fight for anything beyond his interests. After being snubbed by the Avengers, Deadpool wants to feel like he matters. He gets such an opportunity when agents from the Time Variance Authority, the organization overseeing the multiverse, bring him to their headquarters.

At the TVA, Deadpool encounters Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), who explains that his timeline is collapsing due to the death of its crucial “anchor being,” the version of Wolverine who died in 2017's Logan. Mr. Paradox offers Deadpool a choice: die along with his world or embrace a new purpose on the sacred timeline.

Make no mistake—the movie is completely self-aware that it's all part of this larger corporate machine now. There are so many cameos. Much of the humor of the movie centers around Hollywood Reporter-esque factoids like studio mergers, actors' personal lives, and Disney+ marketing. I know that all sounds really annoying and dumb—and any other time, I would agree with you—but it just works here. I had plenty of genuine laughs. 

Reynold’s incessant yapping as Deadpool works well with Hugh Jackman's gruff Wolverine, making his performance feel fresh despite having seen him in the role before. He is Wolverine and it’s nice to see him back. The playful banter between the two is hilarious. Hugh Jackman, a man in his mid-50s, looks fucking amazing; he is ripped as hell. The action was incredibly well done and I enjoyed the fight scenes between him and Reynolds.

I don't know, again; as much as I'm tired of all the cameo/multiverse MCU shtick as the next guy, I didn't hate it in Deadpool and Wolverine. I knew exactly what I was walking into when I entered the theater. I've long since stopped expecting anything good from Marvel—Madam Web (2024) saw to that—and started approaching them more as an unhealthy treat that I get to have occasionally; like eating an entire bag of Cheetos. I left the theater feeling pretty satisfied.

I'm happy to report that I've gotten into the regular weekly tradition of inviting my siblings, including my sister, to the movies with me. Instead of complaining about her unwillingness to try new things, even the latest MCU slopfest, I would be better served just bribing her with nachos and the promise of quality time together.

Unlike last week's fucking chore, this movie knew exactly what it wanted to be: a ridiculous ride through the MCU. Deadpool & Wolverine is just plain fun. If you like Deadpool's style of humor, you'll have a great time. The constant jokes, meta-references, and cameos might be a bit much for some people, but for those who are willing to look past that, it's a fine movie. As stated earlier; I learned my lesson about setting my expectations too high for the latest Marvel movie. For me, it’s about enjoying the ride, laughing at the sheer absurdity that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and sharing that with others.