In many ways this is like an extended SNL skit that deliberately subverts the Marvel Cinematic Universe and essentially smashes the fourth wall to get its in-jokes across in rapid fast time. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the title roles are a madcap double act in this action/superhero bromance that is really funny, occasionally excruciatingly so and Reynolds can be periodically a bit unbearable. What is good here is the premise where the MCU tradition of a multiverse narrative where characters can be resurrected with ease is very roundly laughed at and in that sense you do have to be fairly familiar with past Marvel 'heroes' to get all the jokes. The fight scenes, and there are lots and some are very long, are fast and very bloody intermixed with comic asides that those who love the first two Deadpool films will love. This isn't as good as the first one but it's fun if a little exhausting and in it's mocking of the MCU it works brilliantly. The story is fairly irrelevant but basically Deadpool, having been rejected for the Avengers, has to find Wolverine in another universe in order to save his own universe. There's a great support cast that includes Matthew Macfadyen, Emma Corrin, Lorena Baccarin and cameos from Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Garner, Channing Tatum and others who resurrect various characters that you'll either know or be baffled by. Overall this is fun but a little tiring.
The original Deadpool was clichéd but at least tried to be different from the usual Marvel fodder. This just scrapes the barrel from Frame 1, with lots of in-jokes for fanboys played to a score of awful pop songs. The dialogue shoots for laughs and misses cringingly in just about every scene, and as for the cgi action… well, did you really expect anything interesting? Why can’t we award films zero stars?
I enjoyed the first two deadpool films (2 less so) but just hated this one.
Just another Marvel film (there's a threat to the whole universe of course) and all of the Deadpool irreverence and wit seems to be missing.
I was really looking forward to this, so am hugely disappointed.
Consider this rati.ng as zero stars...