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4 minute read

Deadpool & Wolverine Review: Marvel’s Desperate Hail Mary

Rating: 2.3/5

Let me get this out of the way: Deadpool & Wolverine is the cinematic equivalent of reheating yesterday’s fast food and trying to pass it off as gourmet. Marvel’s latest attempt to salvage its floundering cinematic universe is a laughably transparent cash grab, pairing everyone’s favorite wise-cracking mercenary with the ever-growling Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The result? A bloated, self-referential mess that thinks it’s clever but feels like watching a midlife crisis unfold on screen.

Marvel, We Need to Talk About Your Franchise Problem

Let’s start with the obvious: Marvel has a serious identity crisis. Gone are the days when every MCU release felt like an event. Now, we’re drowning in Disney+ filler and half-baked blockbusters desperately trying to recapture the magic of Avengers: Endgame. Enter Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel’s “Hail Mary” attempt to win back the fans who’ve jumped ship faster than Thor’s hammer in Love and Thunder.

The premise? Deadpool somehow convinces Wolverine to team up for a multiverse adventure, because apparently, that’s all Marvel knows how to do anymore—multiverse this, multiverse that. The movie is stuffed with meta-humor so repetitive it feels like Ryan Reynolds wrote the script during a Red Bull-fueled Twitch stream.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool looking smug

Ryan Reynolds: The One-Trick Pony

Listen, I get it. Ryan Reynolds is funny. He’s charming. But can we all agree that Deadpool’s shtick is officially on life support? The relentless “Look, I’m breaking the fourth wall!” jokes are starting to feel like a bad stand-up routine that refuses to end. In Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s painfully clear Reynolds has run out of fresh ideas, leaning heavily on recycled gags and tired meta-commentary that stopped being funny two movies ago.

At one point, Deadpool literally makes a joke about Marvel’s declining box office numbers. How self-aware, right? Except it’s hard to laugh when it’s true. The MCU is hemorrhaging goodwill faster than Tony Stark’s bank account post-Iron Man 3.

Hugh Jackman Deserves Better

Oh, Hugh Jackman. You carried the X-Men franchise on your adamantium shoulders for nearly two decades. You gave us Logan, a masterpiece that gave Wolverine the send-off he deserved. And now, you’re back… for this?

Wolverine’s inclusion feels less like a creative decision and more like Marvel frantically pressing the nostalgia button. Jackman does his best with the material, but even he can’t save the movie from its lazy writing and incoherent plot. Half the time, Wolverine looks like he’d rather be back on Broadway singing show tunes than slicing through multiverse nonsense with Deadpool.

Hugh Jackman looking annoyed as Wolverine

Fan Service Overload

If you thought Spider-Man: No Way Home had too much fan service, buckle up. Deadpool & Wolverine cranks it up to eleven, throwing in cameos and references so gratuitous it feels like a desperate attempt to distract you from the lackluster story. Remember that one obscure X-Men character you barely cared about? They’re here! And that random Marvel Easter egg from 2009? It’s back!

The problem with fan service is that it only works if the rest of the movie is solid—and this one isn’t. Instead, it feels like Marvel is trying to bribe you with nostalgia while hoping you won’t notice the lazy writing and bloated runtime.

The R-Rated Gamble

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the R-rating. Marvel is clearly banking on the idea that slapping an R-rating on Deadpool & Wolverine will make it edgy and exciting. Spoiler: It doesn’t. Sure, there’s more blood, more swearing, and a few raunchy jokes, but none of it feels earned. Instead, it comes off as Marvel trying way too hard to prove it can still be “cool.”

The violence is gratuitous but lacks impact, and the humor feels forced, like your dad trying to use TikTok slang at the dinner table. The R-rating doesn’t elevate the movie—it just highlights how far Marvel has fallen from its golden age.

Deadpool holding a katana in a ridiculous pose

Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Hugh Jackman, because let’s be honest, he’s always good—even when the material isn’t.
  • A couple of genuinely funny moments, though they’re few and far between.

Cons:

  • Ryan Reynolds doing the same Deadpool routine for the millionth time.
  • A bloated plot that tries to do too much and ends up accomplishing nothing.
  • Fan service so heavy-handed it feels like Marvel is just trolling us at this point.
  • An R-rating that adds shock value but no substance.

Final Verdict

Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine is a textbook example of how not to save a dying franchise. The meta-humor feels stale, the fan service is overkill, and the R-rating is a pointless gimmick. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman do their best, but even their charisma can’t save this sinking ship.

If you’re a die-hard Marvel fan or someone who loves Ryan Reynolds cracking jokes for two hours straight, you might find Deadpool & Wolverine tolerable. For everyone else? Save your money and rewatch Logan or the first Deadpool.

Rating: 2.3/5

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