It’s no secret that cinema (and especially the MCU) is undergoing several forms of fatigue; sequel fatigue, superhero fatigue, and multiverse fatigue to name a few. But, despite being all three, I’m here to argue that Deadpool & Wolverine is a bright spark showing one route for positive filmmaking during this fatigue-ridden era. And who better to show Hollywood the way than a Canadian owner of a British football club?
Now of course Deadpool isn’t for everyone. His quippy, fourth-wall breaking, and highly crass attitude can be quite divisive – no matter how comic-accurate it is. So if silly, rude, gorey, meta comedy isn’t for you it will be difficult to look past the thick veneer of humour which surrounds Deadpool & Wolverine to see the potential art it represents.
Disclaimer out of the way, I have three main points as to why Deadpool & Wolverine is a great example of the future potential of cinema:
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1. It doesn’t beat around the bush
We’ve all seen superhero movies at this point. Hell, even this movie is the third Deadpool movie. The audience doesn’t need every character introduced, every MacGuffin explained, and every backstory regurgitated. Yes, being a sequel helps (it’s fair to assume the audience has a working memory of the previous 2 films), but when exposition is required Deadpool keeps it quick and light. It respects the audience’s time by trusting us to know the main character beats so it can just point out the core of the character (evil/sad/misunderstood/etc) and not need to fill in every minor detail. Why spend 30 minutes building a character’s motivations when you can instead give them one decent opportunity to be a bleeding heart and be done with it? Being a superhero movie also helps, the tropes are well established and if you wanted an emotional roller coaster you’ve picked the wrong genre.
And don’t tell me the speed at which it gives exposition is an attention span “kids and their Tiktoks” problem. We’ve seen enough movies to know how this goes, let’s just get it done and get back to the action you came here for.
2. This is a good comedy film
I’m the first to admit that no one comedic style appeals to everyone. But Ryan Reynolds knows the character of Deadpool well and is self-aware enough to make jokes which work and, despite being borderline in places, never punch down. And there are a LOT of jokes in this film. Enough so that I’m not sure whether this counts as a superhero movie or a comedy film first.
I believe there has been a dearth of great comedy films recently. Not that comedies aren’t being made, but they aren’t getting the budget (and audience) of many other genres – with the exception of Ryan Reynolds films.
Many movies can work humour into their scenes, but few make it a core part of the film. I think the main point of Deadpool & Wolverine, whilst technically about saving the world, is the humour. It’s a great example of how comedy can work with a plot to make a genuinely enjoyable experience. You don’t need to sacrifice one to enable the other.
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3. The fourth-wall breaks are actually brilliant
In most movies “addressing the camera” is seen as a faux pas, or worse a mistake. A few movies have bought into this format break, but even fewer (if any) as much as the Deadpool trilogy. But Deadpool’s fourth-wall breaks aren’t just playing to the camera, he also references his own movies, studios, executives, actors, plots, real world events, and even audience when he isn’t addressing the camera. There are even nods to his fourth-wall-breaking powers!
This can be jarring, but it has a major advantage of clueing you in to information you might have missed. From the Disney acquisition of Fox, to who certain characters are (they were in that Disney+ series you didn’t watch), Deadpool will tell you. And throw some shade for a quick quip whilst he’s doing it.
This has real potential in spaces which are rapidly becoming oversaturated. Marvel is arguably the first company which has too much IP for its own good, and instead of having to spend 5 minutes explaining a character for those of us who missed that series (and boring those of us who didn’t) why not have Deadpool just straight up tell you where they’re from?
Obviously this is far from a perfect solution (and not every film can afford Deadpool). But if this ham-fisted approach is helpful for audiences then at least we have a starting point.
In summary, Deadpool & Wolverine is a fun movie. It won’t be for everyone (what is?) but it’s a good comedy/superhero flick which has fun with itself (*winky face*) and is doing interesting things with the format. This is what the biggest companies on the planet are capable of if they’re willing to take one hand off the reins and let the horse have a bit more freedom.
Can Deadpool save the multiverse? I don’t know dude, try it.
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