3 Thoughts on Deadpool & Wolverine

****Major Spoiler Alert!! Like, ALL the spoilers!!****

1. Deadpool - I am a big fan of both previous Deadpool movies, but I do think that Deadpool as a character can get a bit...grating. And this is, by far, this film's biggest flaw. The good news is that I'm pretty sure the creators anticipated this, so they threw in a beloved Main Character (good ol' Wolvie!) and a BUNCH of wild cameos to distract from the irritating other Main Character. I think they just failed at finding that balance of annoying meta joke after joke, and actually being funny. I think I laughed a total of twice (even though I was entertained by it - it isn't nearly as funny as its predecessors). The two jokes that I laughed at (and even remember because again it was joke after joke - you barely have time to process the dialogue) is the Gossip Girl joke in the beginning and I DIED when he calls Matthew Macfadyen "baby girl" - but that's only funny if you watched Succession and kept up with the memes. I liked the beginning "Bye, Bye, Bye" sequence but I was disappointed that it wasn't actually Reynolds dancing in the Deadpool suit (the least he could do was learn some pretty simple choreography that every teenager, myself included, learned 24 years ago). And as much as I don't like the whole multi-verse thing, I think this is the first film that does it well. It's because it's its own contained story within this multi-verse, and because it allows for a whole lot of freedom. The Deadpool variants are a bit of a letdown, though, because we don't see their faces (Lively, McConaughey, etc.) - and the one we do see is still Ryan Reynolds (no thanks). 

2. Wolverine - First of all, I knew all of the spoilers beforehand, and it's my own fault - quite literally - because I looked them up. I initially looked up spoilers because I wanted to check if those pesky Taron Egerton/Wolverine rumors rang true (and crossed my fingers and hoped & prayed that they weren't true - he clearly does not want the role. He's been so clear on not wanting to do all these big blockbusters unless it's the right fit - he said no to multiple roles already - both Han Solo in Solo and Cyclops in X-Men: Apocalypse. I just hope he doesn't cave. I think he learned a big lesson with Robin Hood  - he admitted that it didn't feel right, but the money was his deciding factor and he regretted it.). So anyway, I saw the Henry Cavill "Cavillrine" spoiler (UGH), but then I got curious and KEPT READING!! And I couldn't stop and I have no-one else to blame but myself. But the one thing that I did like is that instead of fan service for the other wolverine variants casting, they just used Jackman for the most part (they definitely threw everyone off by showing Patch only from the back), so that was probably the only thing that surprised me. And this variant of Wolverine that they do use for the majority of the movie is a perfect fit for Deadpool's chaotic energy - he's our Wolverine but even angrier because he's a complete failure in his world. And let me tell you, Jackman has never been better. I loved him in Logan, but I think this might top that performance! There are a few scenes that he just nails with the perfect amount of grit and emotion all while nailing the comedic moments and timing. I honestly don't even know if this movie would have been tolerable if not for Jackman. 

3. All the rest -  As for all the rest of the cameos & surprises, I can't really say any of them wowed me. I'm actually glad I knew them all beforehand because I would have probably been anticipating bigger & definitely better. Some of it is funny - like Chris Evans not in the Captain America role, but as his role in that disastrous Fantastic Four movie. But it would have been better if I actually like Chris Evans and...I don't. I probably would have cheered (internally) at the sight of Wesley Snipes returning as Blade and Jennifer Garner returning as Electra - but both are severely underused and pretty much wasted. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON GAMBIT. Fucking Hell - no wonder that movie was shelved indefinitely. It's the dumbest character that I've ever seen on screen - he throws cards at people and is basically unintelligible. How is that going to entertain an audience for a feature length film? Also Channing Tatum is only good in comedic roles. Period. Also, the movie would have been a THOUSAND times better if instead of using the whole sibling plot with Professor X (casting someone who I personally think is a terrible actor), they just used a variant of Professor X and kept James McAvoy in the role. And the whole idea of the movie - basically saying goodbye to all these 20th Century Fox characters, is good in theory, but it's overdone. I did think the end credits with all the behind the scenes clips (with Greenday's "Good Riddance" playing) was really sweet. This is definitely a movie that I enjoyed while watching it, but the more I think about it, the more annoyed I am by it. Like, I read a lot of the bad reviews and I can't disagree. But, damn, I was entertained - and sometimes that counts for a lot.