But now that this is an M.C.U. film, there are mandates. The stakes have to be absurdly high, having to do with the destruction or salvation of whole universes. More important, there must be corporate synergy. Now “Deadpool” needs to not just jab at but explicitly tie into other M.C.U. properties, weaving itself into the tangled web of movies and shows that function as much as advertisements for one another as a coherent plot.
In this case, that means maximizing the multiverse, pulling in references to so many properties I wouldn’t dare to note them all. (You might want to re-familiarize yourself with the broad strokes of the TV show “Loki,” though.) As Marvel’s cinematic universe has grown ever larger, the role of fan service has ballooned, counting on the pleasure of cheering for a cameo or a dozen to give the people what they came for. But you wouldn’t want me to spoil your fun.
I could tell you all about what happens in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” its many twists and turns, its various themes and villains, but that would not really explain it. “Deadpool & Wolverine” is a “Deadpool” movie, which means it’s rude and irreverent, funny and disgusting, weird and a little sweet. Reynolds and Jackman are fun to watch, in part because their on-screen characters contrast so violently with their nice guy personas off screen. So much of what the M.C.U. offers feels churned out of the same factory, which makes anything with a distinct personality feel like a relief.
But in the end, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is a movie about corporate mergers, about intellectual property, about the ways that the business of Hollywood battles the creative process. It is a film about how anything that was ever successful in Hollywood is made to repeat that same song and dance endlessly, how a bloated and risk-averse industry can’t let well enough alone, how nobody is ever really dead anymore, how the world is always ending but the story is never allowed to finish.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” devilishly plays on this, of course. It is watchable because it’s self-reflective. But now that the jabs are coming from inside the house, it hits different. On the one hand, “Disney’s so stupid.” On the other hand, Disney paid for this movie, and we pay them to watch it. This business makes suckers of us all.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Rated R for more or less everything that gets you an R rating. Running time: 2 hours 7 minutes. In theaters.
