Review: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Is the Most Cynical Movie of the Year

Judging from the trailers, Deadpool & Wolverine seems like another cheeky, fun Marvel Cinematic Universe movie centering on Ryan Reynolds’ unforgettable performance as Deadpool . That’s what it should have been. Instead, it’s the most cynical film of the year so far. It’s the sort of movie that only could have been made by filmmakers who hold their audience in contempt.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ reviews itself and seems to know that it’s bad

After Wolverine died in Logan , Deadpool is tasked with saving another version of Wolverine in a different universe to set things right. This kicks off a chase through different parts of the multiverse. The whole multiverse idea has been so played out in popular culture that even casual fans know that it’s stale. In fact, Deadpool himself points out that the concept is stale in Deadpool & Wolverine .

Does this self-awareness make the film any better? No. Is it funny? No. But one lousy joke isn’t enough to ruin a film. The problem with Deadpool and Wolverine is the constant use of meta-humor to distract from poor writing. We get gags about Hugh Jackman’s Broadway career, Reynold’s romantic turn in The Proposal , and all the companies behind the movie. There’s nothing inherently clever about making nods to real life, but director Shawn Levy and company seem to think it’s their job to reward the audience for knowing a bunch of nerdy (and, frankly, useless) trivia. Is this a superhero movie or an extended Jeopardy! episode?

The movie tries to trick reviewers with good music

After a certain point, Deadpool & Wolverine feels painfully formulaic. The two heroes do something cliche, Deadpool acknowledges that it’s a cliche or swears or makes a pop culture reference (frequently all three), and then there’s an action scene set to a pop song. For a movie that’s supposed to shake things up, Deadpool & Wolverine is just as predicatble as Marvel’s more serious outings, it just has a sense of smug self-awareness that makes the filmmakers seem lazy and cynical. They don’t need to make a good movie, they just need to dazzle the audience with nostalgia, dance beats, and scatological humor.

There’s nothing wrong with pop music. In fact, a lot of pop music is great. However, the creators of Deadpool & Wolverine seem to think that action scenes don’t need to be well-made. If you just slap a hit by Madonna or Avril Lavigne or the Goo Goo Dolls or Huey Lewis and the News or NSYNC over a fight or a car chase, the scene will automatically be good.

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‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ finds a toxic centrism

Perhaps some of the most cynical jokes in the film surround its noncommittal relationship with masculinity. Superhero movies are hypermasculine, even when they star women. Of course, that’s not going to play well with everyone these days. How do you balance machismo with modern feminism?

Deadpool & Wolverine tries to deflate its own masculinity with constant one-liners about gay sex and homoeroticism. Of course, this is all a ploy. Review after review will laud Deadpool & Wolverine for its “inclusive masculinity” while fans the world over will laugh at any reference to gay sex with derision. The film swindles both sides. In trying to please everyone, Deadpool & Wolverine becomes blatantly insincere.