Deadpool and Wolverine

Scott Hardie: “It ruled.”

I laughed pretty much non-stop throughout this movie, which deflates the self-serious MCU and reminds it to be fun again, while also showing affection for the now-concluded Fox line of Marvel films. So many of its jokes land that you miss some just from laughing at what preceded them. You don't have to be a superhero expert to enjoy it, but more of its jokes will pay off if you are.

I was especially impressed at how well the team-up of the titular characters worked, after what could have been merely stunt-casting: As one critic pointed out (I wish I could find it now), Deadpool deals with his trauma by talking too much and Wolverine with his by talking as little as possible, so this pairing forces them into a weird kind of group therapy that helps each one learn from the other and heal a bit. Genre movies work best when they comment on our times, and in its own strange way, this feels to me like a salve for today's generation of angry young men who have been deprived of their elders' institutions and don't know where they belong in the world now. It has more to say than just some creative curse words.

− August 13, 2024 • more by Scott • log in or create an account to reply