‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ delivers comedy, action and fun cameos

Director Shawn Levy says he put forth “maximum effort” on “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the third installment of his “Deadpool” franchise, but could this be the last time we see our favorite merc with a mouth?

Honestly, I hope so.

I don’t say that to be vicious. Quite the opposite, actually.

The movie world is fraught with sequel after sequel, and in the end, they rarely hold a candle to the original. I’m not a franchise hater, but I do think restraint is something Marvel, and Disney especially, is not an expert in.

Enter “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which I believe to be a good, fun-filled movie truly made for the fans. But it should pack it up and call it a day now, rather than later.

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What happens in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is set six years after the events of 2018’s “Deadpool 2” and follows a retired Deadpool living a normal life as just Wade Wilson. That is until the Time Variance Authority, which is in charge of keeping all the various timelines in check, forces him into a new mission.

Marvel/Disney will never allow the time travel, alternate timelines, and variant superhero trope to die. And maybe they should because that was my biggest problem with this installment.

Look, I’m a die-hard Doctor Who fan, so all the “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” stuff is something I truly enjoy when handled properly.

What happens when handled improperly is the film now has no real stakes, which is how I felt during the entire movie not caring who lived and who died. It also doesn’t help that our two regenerating anti-heroes go at each other several times with zero consequence.

Fans are in for a lot of fun surprises, but even the copious number of incredible cameos, meta wisecracks and the return of Logan/Wolverine (a truly refreshing performance from Hugh Jackman, who clearly had a lot of fun) couldn’t distract from a bloated plot and fight scenes that felt very copy-and-paste.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ delivers the comedy and cameos, flops on plot

Out of all three “Deadpool” movies, the third installment ranks No. 2 behind the original, in my estimation. Meaning, I really did like it. Granted, the bar was nearly in hell.

I barely made it through “Deadpool 2” and went into this film tentative but hopeful.

It’s hard to hate something that begins with Ryan Reynolds’ sassy, sarcastic Deadpool murdering an entire horde of TVA agents with the adamantium-infused skeleton of Wolverine against a dreamy, snow-filled forest backdrop to the iconic ’90s boy band NSYNC’s hit “Bye Bye Bye.”

However, the beginning feels like a copy of previous installments: shots of Deadpool on some sort of mission, beating the crap out of people and then a flashback to what got him in this position before we catch back up to where we were.

It was fun the first time but loses its charm after a third go-around.

In general, all the fight scenes felt eerily similar and while really well done, a bit tired at this point. Well, except one.

The fight scene that takes place entirely inside a well-loved Honda Odyssey was impeccably done and incredibly funny.

The irony is not lost that Deadpool laments early in the film that he doesn’t want to spend his life as “an annoying one-trick pony.”

Despite the addition of Wolverine and a killer performance from Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”) as TVA agent Mr. Paradox, who hatches a crazy plan to become leader of the TVA, the whole film felt regurgitated and bogged down by its underwhelming time-bending plot.

However, superfans of the entire Marvel universe will find this film filled with top-notch comedy and action, Easter eggs, cameos that left the audience gasping and cheering, a lot of meta jokes and digs at 20th Century Fox.

It’s the perfect way to wrap up the “Deadpool” franchise for good.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ 3.5 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Shawn Levy.

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen.

Rating: R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references.

How to watch: In theaters Friday, July 26.

Read more of my movie opinions here:Mia Goth owns ‘MaXXXine’ but is our favorite final girl enough to save the movie?

Meredith G. White covers entertainment, art and culture for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. She writes the latest news about video games, television and best things to do in metro Phoenix.