Time to get wild & weird with Wade and Wolverine.

In the movie business, much like life, persistence is everything. If it weren’t for persistence, it’s unlikely any film would ever get made. There’s just something so fundamentally bonkers about the filmmaking process that, to get anything done, tenacity is a must. And no one is better placed to appreciate this than Ryan Reynolds.

It’s been fifteen years since X-Men Origins: Wolverine and that awful first attempt at a big screen Deadpool. You only get one chance to make a first impression and that ill-informed initial interpretation of the “Merc With A Mouth” would tarnish opinion on the character for years to come. Yet, Reynolds’ one-man mission to atone for the mistake was as commendable as it was bull-headed.

While at first all looked lost for Wade Wilson after this poorly conceived Wolverine appearance, cut to seven years, a suspiciously well-timed test footage leak, and $800 million in box office receipts later and we had ourselves a full-blown Deadpenaissance on our hands.

However, as time and tastes move on, so too do perceptions, and with 20th Century Fox’s long running X-Men franchise now all but dead and a new Disney dawn approaching, is there really any room for Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in this post-Fox world?

A listless Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) toils away in civilian life with his days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, far behind him. But when the Time Variance Authority comes calling and his home world faces an existential threat, Wade must suit-up once again and join forces with an even more reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save the multiverse from collapsing altogether.

After everything the X-Men franchise has been through over the past twenty-four years, it’s bizarre to think that such a freakishly unconventional character as Deadpool has ended it as the alpha mutant, the series’ box office poster boy, and the one character Marvel Studios went out of their way to keep after the Disney/Fox merger was complete.

With the success of the first Deadpool taking everyone by surprise, and then the second film further solidifying that success, it’d be silly not to expect the trilogy finale to rely heavily on what worked well before. When you also consider the rough ride the MCU has had post-Endgame, a solid win was desperately needed, and while Deadpool & Wolverine certainly has something new to offer, it largely sticks to the winning formula set out by its predecessors.

Yes, this is very much a new dawn for Wade Wilson, and his folding into the MCU certainly offers a fresh spin on things, however, you’d be well advised not to approach Deadpool & Wolverine expecting anything too far removed from what’s gone before. Honestly, if Deadpool and/or Deadpool 2’s unique brand of fourth wall breaking, self-aware, pop culture referencing, unashamedly crass humour weren’t you're thing, you’ll probably want to leave this one alone too, because we get all the above…and then some.

Having not moved on a whole lot since we were first introduced to the character in 2016, the humour on display in Deadpool & Wolverine is as lewd, crude, brash, and self-aware as it ever was, however, despite this brand of comedy losing a little of its sheen over the years, it’s hard to deny that Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy haven’t continued to nail who Deadpool/Wade Wilson is as a character and a “hero”.

The humour may be relentless, brash, and somewhat inconsistent, yet it remains spot on with how it encapsulates who Deadpool is and what makes him so special and so popular. The gags are fired at us like a malfunctioning machine gun and, despite some missing their target, the script’s hit rate is remarkably high, getting to the heart of who Wade Wilson is, while also knowing precisely when to step back and let the emotions breathe.

What works so well this time around, and what makes Deadpool & Wolverine stand out from its two predecessors is the man drafted in to co-headline the film. Twenty-four years after he first donned the adamantium claws and seven years on from the moment he (seemingly) retired them, Hugh Jackman returning to the X-Men fold and reprising perhaps the most iconic role of his career (albeit as a variant) is the master stroke that saves this third Deadpool ride from being a stale rehash.

In more ways than one, Jackman’s Wolverine is this film’s anchor. The character’s natural stoicism and gruffness works perfectly alongside the relentlessly quippy Deadpool and the odd couple comedy dynamic that comes from it is the perfect way to level up this franchise and offer a pleasingly different energy.

Just to prove this, the film’s opening half an hour is (largely) Wolverine free and, as such, feels broadly in line with the Deadpool show we’ve seen twice before. As it is, the writing and Shawn Levy’s direction is smart enough and sharp enough that Ryan Reynolds isn’t allowed to wander off too much into his own schtick, however, the arrival of Logan is the moment Deadpool & Wolverine truly takes off.

Of course, as with the first two films, Deadpool & Wolverine’s ultimate success relies heavily on Reynolds and without him having such a firm grasp on the character, none of this would work. Despite this, it cannot be denied that the injection of Jackman and his snazzy comic accurate costume goes an awful long way to taking the pressure off Reynolds, with both the comedy and drama elements of the story benefitting greatly from it.

Again, how much all this clicks with you will depend entirely on how much you can handle Reynolds as an actor and how much you got out of the first two Deadpool films. If they did nothing for you and if Reynolds isn’t your cup of tea, there will be very little for you here unfortunately.

Complete with winks, nods, slapstick, blood, self-deprecation, and plenty of gross out moments, the jokes come thick and fast and are roughly in line with what you’ll be expecting. True, not all this lands, but with the gags flying at you at a million miles an hour, it’s never long before one hits. And when the jokes hit, they really hit.

Much like the gags, the film’s cameos and Easter eggs come at you in an unrelenting wave of gratuitous fan service, and while this news will undoubtedly get some eyeballs rolling, it’s hard to know what else to expect really. From start to finish, the film never pretends to be anything other than an unrelenting fan service machine, and while there’s always a risk that a film like this finds itself sinking under its own cameo-laden weight, it keeps it all together just enough to work.

Finding success in much the same way Spider-Man: No Way Home did, Deadpool & Wolverine makes sure not to throw cameos in purely for cameo’s sake and, by and large, most of the films many guest appearances have their place in the wider story somewhere.

Wrapped around all these cameos, there are certainly new members of the extended cast that have far more purchase in the story. Of these, the use of the TVA (last seen in the Loki series) is quite the master stroke that adds a whole new aesthetic and energy to the Deadpool story, while playing a key part in the plot.

As the face of the TVA, Matthew Macfadyen is fantastically slimy as the weaselly suit, Mr Paradox, who plays secondary villain to Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova. As the primary antagonist, the Cassandra Nova character may be a little thin and cliched, yet she is undeniably cool, with Corrin offering a full-bodied performance that manages to elevate the rather limited material.

What the inclusion of Cassandra Nova (the twin sister of Professor Charles Xavier no less) also does is highlight the clear affection the film and its creators have for X-Men lore and lineage. Together with the inclusion of other elements, settings, and characters, Deadpool & Wolverine operates as an unabashed love letter to Fox’s now defunct X-Men franchise, one that’s also not afraid to poke fun at both itself and everything else that went before it.

Whether it’s all the old bit part mutants that have popped up over the years or having one of the franchise’s biggest names in the title, the inclusion and honouring of this not insignificant piece of comic book movie history is smart, fun, and even quite emotional at times. Where the world of mutants goes from here, who knows, but, as we move into a new Marvel chapter, it’s important to acknowledge the part they’ve played in bringing it all to this point.

Around all this cameo chaos, the film’s plot is a little on the flimsy side as it, despite definite moments of inspiration, often struggles to mould itself into a cohesive vehicle for the bromance buddy story at its heart. Although the stakes are potentially universe-ending, there’s often little sense of jeopardy to the narrative as the multiverse shenanigans gives some of the action and plot elements a tinge of weightlessness.

That said, let’s be honest, narrative heft isn’t necessarily a requirement for a Deadpool movie. While they have their moments - as this one certainly has - Deadpool films never take themselves that seriously. The stakes have never really been that momentous and the scope has always been relatively low-key, so it’s actually somewhat comforting that Deadpool & Wolverine follows suit.

The story is slight and, while spanning time and the multiverse, remains as personal for Wade Wilson as it ever was. As with both previous films, hidden deep beneath the irreverence, outlandish violence, and cheeky humour, Deadpool & Wolverine has a soft, surprisingly affecting centre.

Whether it’s Wade’s determination to save his universe for his friends or the digging into the pain and grief of this variant Wolverine’s past, this film has plenty of heart to it. It’s the kind of unexpected heart that made both Deadpool and Deadpool 2 tick and it stops Deadpool & Wolverine from disappearing up itself completely.

Regardless of the multiversal silliness that swirls around it, Wade’s character arc continues to be the true anchor being to this entire franchise, and whether it’s his relationship with Vanessa, his oddball friends, Logan, or even himself as a hero, it’s these personal moments that drive the story and the character forward, ensuring that we’re not left with a nihilistic, mass murdering, sociopath as a protagonist. At least, not a completely heartless one anyway.

While of course it’s pure, uncut fan service from start to finish, one that always feels at risk of sinking under its own cameo-laden weight, Deadpool & Wolverine uses all its nerdy pandering as a firm platform for the weirdest, wildest, most outright enjoyable Marvel ride this side of Endgame. Yes, it has its issues and yes, the joke has probably been pushed as far as it’ll go now, however, these problems are far outweighed by the silly, chaotic, geeky, meta, surprisingly sweet joy Ryan Reynolds, Wade Wilson, and Marvel Studios have in store for us.

Deadpool & Wolverine is in cinemas worldwide now.