DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE Review — Piercingly Meta to the Max

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Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Deadpool and Wolverine review says it feels like the entire Marvel Universe devoured itself and vomited all over the screen.

Deadpool and Wolverine reviewDeadpool and Wolverine starts out with one of the best opening credits scenes ever.

Basically, Deadpool (a salty Ryan Reynolds) dispatches with a violent band of baddies while sassily dancing to NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye. It’s hilarious.

It made me think I could really get into this movie.

But after about 20 minutes, it started to feel like the entire Marvel Universe had devoured itself and vomited all over the screen. The breaking the fourth wall schtick grew thin, the plot grew tedious, and the meta tropes grew overwhelming—and finally just annoying.

Deadpool and Wolverine review — Not the multiverse again!

Director Shawn Levy and Co. give us a  huge dose of the tired old multiverse in there, and lots of cracks about how it never really worked for Marvel except for Spiderman. I can’t decide whether it’s a tribute to the Webslinger or a mockery. Doesn’t really matter.

It didn’t take long for me to feel the last thing I expected: boredom.

Nerds and fanboys will love it, of course, with all of Reynold’s smug and steamy insider banter. Quite a bit of that really is funny. But unless you’ve watched every Marvel movie and most of the spins-offs, including the Loki series on Disney+, much of the humor will whiz right by you.

Heads up, that’s Channing Tatum as a character that never happened. I had to ask Derek, my co-host who self identifies as a nerd, about that.

I did smile a few times. I was amused by Mathew McFadden from Succession as a government wonk villain.

I was not amused by Emma Corrin, who played the waifish young Princess Diana on The Crown. Corrin being cast as the supreme super villian made no sense to me. I kept expecting her to break out in an interpretive dance. She lacked the necessary gravitas.

All in all, the movie is going to bring in gazillions in its first weekend, and millions of people will see it just because it’s making so much noise.

But I’m giving you permission to skip it. You don’t need to lap up all the superhero content that’s put out just because it’s got a lot of buzz. Deadpool and Wolverine is the reason why viewers have grown so weary of superhero sequels. Have at it, nerds. I’m sure you’ll feel well served.

Rated R

2 Hours 7 Minutes

If, after reading this Deadpool and Wolverine review, you still want to see it, get times and tickets at Fandango.com

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Deadpool and Wolverine review says it feels like the entire Marvel Universe devoured itself and vomited all over the screen.

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Lisa Johnson Mandell

Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award winning journalist, author and film/TV critic. She can be heard regularly on Cumulus radio stations throughout the US, and seen on Rotten Tomatoes. She is the author of three bestselling books, and spends as much of her free time as possible with her husband Jim and her jolly therapy Labradoodle Frankie Feldman.

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