- Release Date: 26/07/2024
- Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Dafne Keen, Matthew Macfadyen
- Director: Shawn Levy
Finally, A Standalone Marvel Triumph: Uproarious Comedy, Intense Action, and Stellar Performances
The Wolverine inhabiting the timeline of Deadpool sacrifices himself to save the life of Laura AKA X-23 (Dafne Keen) in “Logan,” becoming the greatest Wolverine of all time and making the film the best Marvel superhero film ever. The Deadpool of the same timeline first tries to join the Avengers and then resorts to a life as a salesman to prove to his love, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) that he can be normal too and that nothing matters to him more than her. However, things do not work out for him as he envisioned as Vanessa drifts further away from him. On his birthday, Deadpool learns that the Time Variance Authority (TVA) plans to destroy his timeline, saving only him and placing him with the Avengers, as he is the only person from the timeline worth saving. This means that Deadpool would finally get his place among the Avengers and accomplish his dream, but it also means that everyone he ever cared for would be dead and gone. Faced with these two options, he decides to try and save his timeline somehow, which involves finding another Wolverine to take the place of the dead Wolverine and serve as the anchor being of the timeline. His search takes him to numerous timelines, finally crash-landing on one Wolverine who proves to be the worst of all time. What happens next is what the film is all about.
Those who read comics know that comics generally come in issues of 32 pages. Over time, larger collections and story arcs were developed that spanned greater page numbers, but even today, the standard issue size is about 32 pages. In its initial years, comics aimed to tell a contained and complete story within these 32 pages. These stories generally didn’t have anything to do with the previous issue in terms of the plot, the antagonist, or the stakes. They only took the recurring characters, built on some of their basic characteristics and relationships, and developed them further as characters. The stories, however, always proved to be unique. They would neither have connections to previous stories nor impact any upcoming stories. Hence, a kid could virtually pick up any issue of the superhero comics and still read and enjoy them as standalone stories without having much idea of the events that occurred before or how they would impact the next issues. This was one of the major contributors to making comics so popular and readable.
That is exactly how I felt about Shawn Levy’s approach in this film. Apart from the idea of the TVA, which is explained by the characters themselves in the film and doesn’t require viewers to delve deeper, the story doesn’t include anything that necessitates watching previous Marvel content (series or films). This has been a significant complaint about Marvel—that they are forcing people to watch 10 hours of OTT content to enjoy a 2-hour film that often isn’t that good and is overloaded with woke propaganda. Levy noted those complaints and created a film that is more or less independent and contained, revealing and tying up everything about its story and characters within its runtime, leaving no room for complaints or questions.
This was one of the rare Marvel films where the end credit scene was not about some upcoming story but about a hilarious portion of the same film, giving us a different perspective on that portion and underlining how clever and quirky the writing of the film was. Having said that, the film does have a truckload of cameos and Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the narrative, but they are not key to the story. If you recognize those cameos and have associations with the characters from the past, your experience will be elevated. However, if you don’t, you will be told all that you need to know about the characters in the film itself, and you will miss nothing when it comes to their portions or actions.
That said, I feel that anyone who has been watching even minor amounts of superhero films will know about these characters and must have seen them in action. They were the ones who established the superhero genre in the world. This approach to storytelling was easily one of the best things about the film.
Regarding the comedy and writing of the film, the dialogues of Deadpool and every other character are dialled up to 100, resulting in things being said that one cannot even imagine in their wildest dreams. The hard R rating here is much more about the things that are said in this film than the grotesque violence that is shown. We all know how Deadpool thinks and what he says, but his approach to life and what he can and cannot say to other people is taken to a whole new level here. This made me laugh throughout the film without taking any breaks.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is generally at the receiving end of Deadpool’s verbal diarrhoea and often answers his insults with his claws. There are some scenes in the film that are elevated primarily because of the dialogue and how Ryan Reynolds delivers them. He has made the approach to the character and his dialogue delivery so much his own that now when I read a Deadpool comic, I can practically hear Reynolds’ voice in my head delivering the dialogue written in the dialogue bubbles in the comic.
Other characters have just enough good lines to keep up with the Merc with a Mouth and keep things interesting. My screening was with subtitles, and I suggest you all find a show with subtitles, or else you might miss a lot in terms of the fun that is laced in the dialogue.
The action in the film is prolonged, beautifully choreographed, and laced with a lot of physicality and style. There are at least two action sequences between Wolverine and Deadpool that will satisfy anyone and everyone who was hoping for a fight between the two. There is another action sequence towards the end of the film where all the different superheroes come together in an Avengers Endgame-style large-scale action set piece. Each of the heroes gets his or her own time to shine, not just with the action but also with their presence and style. Just before the climax, there is a portion involving every conceivable Deadpool and Deadpool-Wolverine pair of the current timeline. This was as hilarious as it was rewarding in terms of the violence and gore. This sequence also gives us something in terms of Wolverine that fans around the world have been hoping and begging for but have not been given until now. There is another bit of action in the middle of the film in a landscape that Deadpool calls “Mad Maxy,” which I found extremely fun.
One cannot review this film without addressing the numerous cameos. Each of these cameos has its own place in the narrative and is used to extract comedy or dread wherever required in the story. There are many unanswered questions linked to these cameos, but in the context of the film and its storytelling approach, it becomes pointless and unnecessary to talk about causality, reason, and realism, or even ensure suspension of disbelief. Hence, even though there were many things about these characters that didn’t feel right, I didn’t refrain from having the same kind of fun with their presence as the rest of the audience in my theatre seemed to be having.
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Shawn Levy’s film delivers an enjoyable blend of comedy, action, and clever writing that stands out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s offerings of late. The performances by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are top-notch, bringing their characters to life with wit, style and swagger that would ensure cheer-worthy moments for the fans throughout. The film’s ability to function independently of previous Marvel content makes it accessible and enjoyable for both long-time fans and newcomers. Despite some narrative shortcomings and unanswered questions, the film’s humour, action sequences, and creative storytelling make it a must-watch. It’s a refreshing addition to the superhero genre, balancing fan service with a self-contained story that leaves a satisfactory aftertaste. The complete absence of wokeism was a welcome break from what we have come to expect from Marvel and made the film better than what was expected of it. On the contrary, the subtle digs taken at this wokeism and trademark Marvel approach extracted many laughs throughout the film.
Rating: 3.5/5 (3.5 out of 5 Stars)
The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.
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