Deadpool and Wolverine
I loved it. But I have to acknowledge that a lot of my love for it is due to my taste for bad movies, because objectively speaking there are some problems with this film.
Firstly, yeah, a lot of Nick's criticisms ring true. The story was rudimentary and at times nonsensical, some of the gags and "dramatic shots" went on far too long, and sooo much of the film was basically metaphorically nudging the audience in the ribs and going, "Eh, remember these guys? Remember? Remember? Eh?"
However, having said that, I have to sheepishly admit that I rather enjoyed a lot of that metaphorical nudging, and basically mentally going, "YES! I REMEMBER THESE GUYS! I LOVE SEEING THEM ON SCREEN AGAIN! MY INNER CHILD IS SOOOO SATISFIED RIGHT NOW!!!!"
The way I see it, there are two types of "lots of characters/cameos/references show up" movies, which I will categorize as the "Ready Player One" type, hereinafter referred to as the Bad Type, and the "Infinity War / Endgame" type, hereinafter referred to as the Good Type. Bad Type movies basically have these characters and references shoehorned in without, for lack of a better descriptor, earning them. Ready Player One didn't earn the right, creatively speaking, to use stuff like the Iron Giant, or Back to the Future, or Mechagodzilla etc and have them have a strong emotional impact. Instead, they just showed up as nostalgia bait and the hey-that's-cool factor.
Whereas for the Good Type, the use of these returning characters and references feels earned because they are a culmination or continuation of the stories we've seen these characters in. Watching the Guardians team up with the Avengers feels earned because we've seen their struggles and learned of their stories over the course of multiple movies. Watching the Hulk fiddle around with Ant-Man's technology feels compelling because we've watched enough movies to know what Bruce Banner is intellectually capable of as well as what Ant-Man's tech can do. And, of course, watching pretty much every MCU hero come in all at once for the climactic battle feels like the natural and logical culmination of these characters' stories.
For me, Deadpool and Wolverine feels more like the Good Type, because again, these are characters we've seen through multiple movies. We've watched them struggle and lose, just to stand up again because that's what heroes do. We've laughed and cried with them, cheered them on in their triumphs and had our hearts break for them in their lowest moments. We've seen them live, die, and live again. Sure, the filmmakers who made DP&W didn't make those earlier movies, but nonetheless I felt the same emotional impact. I loved seeing so many returning characters for one last hurrah, stepping back into their old shoes and bringing those characters seamlessly back to life, as if they'd never left. This movie felt like a love letter to all the Marvel films that came before, and I really appreciated that.
But of course, I would understand completely if anyone would consider this movie the Bad Type. I get it, I really do.
Anyway, this is "Marvel Movie Cameos: The Movie", and I love it for that.
A few minor thoughts, to be placed in spoilers just in case:
I loved it. But I have to acknowledge that a lot of my love for it is due to my taste for bad movies, because objectively speaking there are some problems with this film.
Firstly, yeah, a lot of Nick's criticisms ring true. The story was rudimentary and at times nonsensical, some of the gags and "dramatic shots" went on far too long, and sooo much of the film was basically metaphorically nudging the audience in the ribs and going, "Eh, remember these guys? Remember? Remember? Eh?"
However, having said that, I have to sheepishly admit that I rather enjoyed a lot of that metaphorical nudging, and basically mentally going, "YES! I REMEMBER THESE GUYS! I LOVE SEEING THEM ON SCREEN AGAIN! MY INNER CHILD IS SOOOO SATISFIED RIGHT NOW!!!!"
The way I see it, there are two types of "lots of characters/cameos/references show up" movies, which I will categorize as the "Ready Player One" type, hereinafter referred to as the Bad Type, and the "Infinity War / Endgame" type, hereinafter referred to as the Good Type. Bad Type movies basically have these characters and references shoehorned in without, for lack of a better descriptor, earning them. Ready Player One didn't earn the right, creatively speaking, to use stuff like the Iron Giant, or Back to the Future, or Mechagodzilla etc and have them have a strong emotional impact. Instead, they just showed up as nostalgia bait and the hey-that's-cool factor.
Whereas for the Good Type, the use of these returning characters and references feels earned because they are a culmination or continuation of the stories we've seen these characters in. Watching the Guardians team up with the Avengers feels earned because we've seen their struggles and learned of their stories over the course of multiple movies. Watching the Hulk fiddle around with Ant-Man's technology feels compelling because we've watched enough movies to know what Bruce Banner is intellectually capable of as well as what Ant-Man's tech can do. And, of course, watching pretty much every MCU hero come in all at once for the climactic battle feels like the natural and logical culmination of these characters' stories.
For me, Deadpool and Wolverine feels more like the Good Type, because again, these are characters we've seen through multiple movies. We've watched them struggle and lose, just to stand up again because that's what heroes do. We've laughed and cried with them, cheered them on in their triumphs and had our hearts break for them in their lowest moments. We've seen them live, die, and live again. Sure, the filmmakers who made DP&W didn't make those earlier movies, but nonetheless I felt the same emotional impact. I loved seeing so many returning characters for one last hurrah, stepping back into their old shoes and bringing those characters seamlessly back to life, as if they'd never left. This movie felt like a love letter to all the Marvel films that came before, and I really appreciated that.
But of course, I would understand completely if anyone would consider this movie the Bad Type. I get it, I really do.
Anyway, this is "Marvel Movie Cameos: The Movie", and I love it for that.
A few minor thoughts, to be placed in spoilers just in case:
Emma Corrin is perfectly cast as Cassandra Nova, pretty much exactly how I pictured Cassandra Nova would be when I read the comics. I would rank this casting all the way up with Patrick Stewart as Professor X, RDJ as Tony Stark, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and JK Simmons as JJ Jameson among Marvel movie castings. Corrin is appropriately terrifying yet oddly charming when needed. I don't know if Cassandra Nova is going to return in the MCU, but if so, I would wholeheartedly support Emma Corrin returning to the character.
Did they tone down the disfigurement makeup for Deadpool? I might need to go back to the first movie to compare, but it sometimes felt like it wasn't all that bad in this film. Wade just looked like a bald Ryan Reynolds with severe acne.
I know there was a lot of pre-release speculation about how Wolverine's costume only showed his arms because Jackman's getting older so it might be harder for him to get his torso into shape now, but damn he still looked good at the end. Was that really him? Body double maybe?
I assume Shatterstar was the only member of X-Force to show up (aside from Peter) because all the other actors are far too expensive. (Terry Crews, Bill Skarsgard, Brad Pitt etc)
This movie is possibly the best advert for the Honda Odyssey ever. Man that car went through a lot yet kept on ticking.
Finally, Lady Deadpool walking toward the camera made me feel all sorts of things Ryan Reynolds would get angry at me for.
Did they tone down the disfigurement makeup for Deadpool? I might need to go back to the first movie to compare, but it sometimes felt like it wasn't all that bad in this film. Wade just looked like a bald Ryan Reynolds with severe acne.
I know there was a lot of pre-release speculation about how Wolverine's costume only showed his arms because Jackman's getting older so it might be harder for him to get his torso into shape now, but damn he still looked good at the end. Was that really him? Body double maybe?
I assume Shatterstar was the only member of X-Force to show up (aside from Peter) because all the other actors are far too expensive. (Terry Crews, Bill Skarsgard, Brad Pitt etc)
This movie is possibly the best advert for the Honda Odyssey ever. Man that car went through a lot yet kept on ticking.
Finally, Lady Deadpool walking toward the camera made me feel all sorts of things Ryan Reynolds would get angry at me for.
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