You know despite FOX's reluctance towards not even wanting to make a Deadpool movie despite strong test footage leaking getting everyone's attention that they kind of had to, the first DP was the shot in the arm it seemed like was a big step in trying to revamp the FOX Marvel Universe. Yeah Fan4stic failed and then later Apocalypse sizzled out but it seemed like you could have gotten to an end with the prequel universe on still a fairly solid note, and of course Logan was suppose to be Hugh Jackman's swan song towards the character, but it did seem like Wade Wilson's adventure was in a position to lead a new run of unique kind of X-Films that the MCU couldn't do that would give this franchise the edge to still be relevant. However before Deadpool 2 could come out, FOX officially sold out to Disney leading to all movies under Fox's umbrella now eventually leading back to the MCU. And even the few folks like me who didn't straight up hate the final movies under Fox's reign technically with Dark Phoenix and New Mutants, didn't feel they warranted continuing on with this particular universe and welcomed the idea of a full on reboot. With ONE exception because yeah much as everyone agreed how much FOX mucked everything up or there was no point in keeping what else came before, there was still the question of what to do with Deadpool's corner. There was a lot of debate and worry that Marvel would sand off the edge of the character to fit the more sanitized MCU and not allow Ryan Reynolds to make the maximum effort necessary that made the first two films the hits they wound up being.
But we were proven wrong with the reveal of this movie that it would still be this major R release and not only that but it would be this sort of final FOX celebration by for the first time properly uniting both Deadpool and Wolverine in a movie together not just as obnoxious cameos but as full on co-stars. Which got a lot of early hype obviously even if the overall product is... well it's certainly not bad there are a lot of good points in this movie but I get why it does seem to be seen as the weaker of the DP Trilogy because I do feel there are a lot of elements that drag this one down and sort of ruin the potential grand slam this idea seemingly had.
For starters I know the focus of this one is supposed to be on Deadpool and Wolverine but they really short sell the supporting cast of these movies quite a lot. I get Weasel not being around (don't know why they couldn't make a TJ Miller joke though feels like something this movie SHOULD have done) but the rest of this cast feel disappointingly sidelined. Not like Yukio and Negasonic Teenage Warhead were ever that major characters but shouldn't they and Colossus have shown up in the end to help take on the Deadpool Corps and like helped fight for their universe? Instead the biggest contribution was Peter which I guess that is sort of a cute joke that every Deadpool has a super soft spot for Peter but like if the entire point is that we're fighting to save this universe and we saw other characters get a chance to make an important last stand, why not these guys? I get Blind Al's useage as she at least had some funny jokes like annoyance just knowing all the Deadpool were coming but then we get to Vanessa who yeah the team keep finding ways of saying she's important but not really doing anything with her. First movie she was a damsel, then she got fridged (And you know even though it was brought and joked about in Once Upon a Deadpool I still don't think the writers know why that was too much a problem) and now she and Wade broke up because he got in a middle age crisis slump and are like now more just friends which yeah still care about one another but still feels like it was done to side line her and have her not matter. It would have been so cool if there was a small arc maybe of Vanessa wanting to make a difference and we hear here in the beginning want to talk to Wade but not getting a chance to before he's dumped and when Nova's looking through his mind later DP remembers she wanted to tell him something and wants to make sure he lives to hear that and then we see her pop in the final battle as Copycat like using these new powers and helping out rushing through some quick origin story and making a difference. Would give more a reason for us to have a connection to the world DP is fighting so hard to protect. I know we should get that from the other movies but the focus here is on DP wanting to save all his friends so those friends here should feel like they matter if this is a focus more on character journey then you know on a narrative. Like in Infinity War you don't need that as much with all the various characters going around on different quests but this is strictly focused on Deadpool and Wolverine. Speaking of Logan... in more ways then one ironically enough I remember not caring that we didn't really get to see in that movie Xavier even in a quick flashback accidentially taking out the other X-Men and that feeling like a cheat. I'm going to say double here for this Wolverine's take especially if he keeps being referred to as the worst Wolverine. Like even when Nova goes into his mind it's just Wolverine talking about "oh I was out drinking and by the time I got back they were all dead so I slaughtered all of them and made everyone hate mutants" which yeah that's something that really should have been SEEN. Like Nova is all about messing and screwing with people's mind and torturing them why isn't she really throwing actually showing us those deaths (even if they didn't happen she would still make them appear happen) to really get at Wolverine. You could then have an Adventures With Superman moment with Wolverine going "that didn't happen" but then we see the images of him slaughtering soliders even starting to slaughter innocents and her going "and was that fake as well" and him admitting it wasn't. Again if this is supposed to be the worst Wolverine who wants nothing to do with these missions anymore you really have to show him sinking to that level. They show the Logan death to really hit at powerful that sacrifice was but if this is with a different Wolverine then that really needs to be emphasized more and it wasn't and that is a major missed opportunity.
I do feel the biggest missed issue in this movie though is the comedy. There are plenty of funny bits and I'll get to some of the better ones later but sadly I do feel they did really over lean into the crudeness of the character and a lot of those sex or d*ck jokes went on too long. Or sometimes they would just overplay a bit like the whole Dogpool thing of Wade overly fawning over it every time it appeared. I get the first time but then having it pop up later even when Logan was holding it wasn't really that funny and honestly just felt more "awwww isn't it funny Wade would like something that cute and be endeared by it?" when yeah it wasn't really working but I guess it at least feels like it's trying to be more clever. This may be unpopular but I honestly felt The Marvels in at least the banter between the characters though at some points a bit overly giddy MCU was funnier because it was just trying to be silly and didn't need to be profane or rely on crudeness which you know this movie has a lot of. And though I get Deadpool is supposed to be annoying to most people I think having so much of the movie have him with Wolverine as the one he's punching off of hurts it some. This wasn't an issue in the first movie as a lot of it was with Vanessa who was endeared by him or Dopinder who looked up to him and yeah how had characters like Negasonic who were annoyed and yeah the villains hated him but there was a balance. Even in DP 2 there was the whole journey with Firefist who got to have a lot of unique different kinds of interplay and Cable was part of the group being the more grounded serious one. Most of this one though was just with Wolverine and honestly when they fought it was funny and yeah Logan generally in antagonistic and jerky to most everyone he meets and that would especially include someone like Wade, but I feel there needed to be someone else to really play off these guys being so pig headed off one another. I mean when you saw Nice Pool or obviously the Outsider team you got a good feel of how banter would be with different people but yeah most of this is just with the two leads. Who honestly to me worked better in those ads as themselves and interviews when they could just be nice and ribbing on one another. As this motor mouth and snarky jerk wad though there was only so much of that dynamic I felt really ran out a lot of comedic material and sadly again as the two focus points that is who the story bleeds into the most and by the end it doesn't hit as much as I feel it should.
That said this movie certainly isn't bad and there is a lot to like about it. For starters though it did take a bit to grow on me, I actually do like the set up of the new TVA. Granted I kind of thought a core part of them was about trying to get Kang but I get not wanting to do that here (even though if Kang is supposed to be the big bad of this part of the MCU before they were unsure of where they wanted to go with it he should be in more but that's a larger issue problem not this one) and honestly the idea of now that there are different timelines and different universes then the sacred one it'd make sense expanding on how they viewed that. Granted the whole "oh without Wolverine this universe withers and dies as it needs an anchor" does feel a bit too meta for like the story which yeah Deadpool as a character is supposed to be meta but not the regular world outside of him, but I do feel the idea is that in time an anchor would lead to another character giving purpose and so long as you had those purposes you'd be fine but it's rather this jerkweed Paradox not wanting to give the universe any time and just be rid of it that's the problem. And honestly the idea of this being a love letter to the FOX Universe especially with the end credits actually makes this a good plot because even though we're going to see Reynolds and Jackman at least again for like another Avengers this being the last major focus on this universe and it's interplay with the main MCU universe you'd need some sort of meta story and I do like the idea of this guy just wanting to be rid of the universe and having to keep around Deadpool for the higher ups sake. It's not that great a villain but works for what it is. I actually do like Cassandra Nova though especially when she grabs people and reads into their mind or blasts them like there's a creepiness yet sadistic glee she gets where you get where she's about. Plus it is nice to have a villain who was perfectly fine just doing whatever they were doing and would have just stayed in the Void (which yeah is different then Loki but that was BEFORE Loki expanded the multi verse so it makes sense now the Void has obviously different groups in it that manage to find a way to thrive) but then finds out Paradox wanted to take her out just to make sure Deadpool and Logan couldn't get back and that's where she goes "you know what i'm going to kill all of you to bring you to the void where I rule and you will all be at my mercy." Like that is a very solid villain plan and though her defeat with Wade and Logan working together wasn't that good I do like how this is a case of a villain whose so much higher powered the heroes couldn't directly defeat thus had to go about a different way of taking her out. Plus it is nice that yeah technically though not part of the main universe there is still the Fox Universe in a sense around allowed to exist even if we won't see much of it and you know I will say I did love the whole outsiders group. You know I think I remember coming up with the idea of like a Kang movie over a year ago that would have revolved like around a crossover with some of the various other universes like the Eric Bana Hulk and Wesley Snipes Blade and the 2005 Fantastic Four and seeing that universe and feeling that was wishful thinking that they wouldn't do that in a non avengers movie. But hey we did get Chris Evans Fantastic Four (the reveal he was Johnny Storm and so easily over powered by Pyro was great), Jennifer Garner Elektra (okay that one was leaked awhile back but still) Wesley Snipes Blade, Laura X-23 (which was leaked not quite as long ago but still leaked) AND Channing Tatum Gambit was really cool. And I love how most of them were just around for the ride to have a chance and be remembered and make a distance not wanting to go out like chumps. Granted I guess Human Torch went out with a whimper (which was at least funny even the reveal that he was cursing out Nova and DP wasn't just making that up) but it's cool seeing these other characters come back and have some pretty epic action scenes. Especially for fans like me whose first Marvel movie was Blade 2 and I did actually see Elektra in cinemas and remember the buzz around Tatum for so long so seeing that all back on the big screen was cool. Plus one of the legit earned dramatic moments I'm glad they didn't waste was a joke was Laura trying to encourage Wolverine who kept telling her he was a different sort of Logan and Laura saying "yeah every Wolverine thinks that" worked really well. This does make me feel bad we never got a Dafne Keen X-23 movie cause she can certainly carry a film if this is any indication.
Plus again though this isn't the funniest Wolverine movie there are still a lot of great bits; Deadpool humming the credits and admitting "yeah you know the title you know we weren't going to do this without wrecking the ending of Logan" and him literally digging the grave and getting Wolverine's skeleton was funny enough, but then him using it to take out TVA agents as Nysnc's "Bye Bye Bye" was playing was an awesome way to start the movie. Like THIS to me is how Deadpool works being meta and edgy and referencial; being witty about it and crass in ways that is him being a jerk but is in just such an out there way you wouldn't totally expect that do sort of shock you. And there are some other really good bits too; Wade meeting up with Happy Hogan and calling him a supporting Avenger level, Wade confusing the TVA agents for strippers, him pointing out how tight his new costume is and the Adamentum swords, the montage of all the various other logans especially the comic accurate actually dwarf Logan or the one that was crucified (missed opportunity though which I'm sure they couldn't do probably because of schedules and animation time but man wouldn't it have been awesome seeing one of the worlds Wade quickly pop in was the X-Men 97 universe to get Wolverine but DP not wanting one that wasn't Hugh Jackman or something again probalby wouldn't match up but still been funny), again the actual fights Wolverine and Deadpool had especially anytime DP pulled out his small knife, Human Torch whimpering that he wasn't insulting Cassandra Nova (I do wish we did get more from the various other related x-men characters under her. Like seriously they have Juggernaut here but don't even make reference to the Juggernaut b*tch gag even Wade proclaiming how old a meme that is), Wade pointing out how Mad Max is copyrighted and his hatred of the Hundayi car they had to use, Wade not understanding Gambit's accent at all and wondering if he should be dubbed, Blade getting to say his classic "some mother fers always trying to skate uphill" when he's literally on a hill this time, the comments on the accurate Wolverine mask and pointing out how stupid the Deadpool Corps were even the one saying "I thought things were getting better after Endgame" (I felt there could have been a few more mocks against the MCU like it's Deadpool if anyone was going to do it's him), DP pointing out how he'll and logan will likely be doing this till they're 90 (I am glad they didn't wait long for that fake out of them not being dead but like did they really need to have any sort of fake out considering we already had a death fake out in the second movie this one didn't need it), and Logan and Laura being invited to meet the other friends of Wade.
Honestly I do wish Deadpool and Wolverine had less... DP and Wolverine interacting like I know that's the title and focus but other bits felt more interesting or needed more fleshing out then they did honestly but still solid enough movie though not as great as I thought it'd be felt other MCU movies last year were better but I have a feeling I may be a minority on that one.
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