For the first two entries in the series, I am going to track what Matt Waters and I wrote about the films over the year.
Other previous X-Men Articles:
Top 10 Performances in the X-Men Films
5 Takeaways from Re-Watching X-Men [2000]
8 Takeaways from the “The X-Men Adventure” in Spider-man and his Amazing Friends
7 Takeaways from the Juggernaut Episode of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
11 Takeaways from the Pryde of the X-Men Pilot
7 Takeaways from The New Mutants
Top 7 Villainous Sidekicks in the X-Men Cinematic Universe
3. Deadpool & Wolverine [2024]
Mike Thomas (now): Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most deeply cynical films that I have ever seen. There are a handful moments of actual fun (Wesley Snipes being head and shoulders above everyone else in particular), but the whole exercise was just vile. It was the worst of Ryan Reynolds and the worst of the Marvel Cinematic Universe combined into one film. As for the Wolverine component, Hugh Jackman felt like such a minimal part of this film despite the fact that he is on screen for the majority of the movie. I was already over Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool when I walked into the theater, and now I never want to see them ever again. Everyone involved in the creation of this film needs to take a hard look in the mirror. It barely even feels like a movie.
I (Mike Thomas) wrote the following about this film in 2020:
This sequel essentially was a remake of the first one.
It took out a lot of the boring stuff, inserted some problematic shit, cribbed from better films (Logan and Hunt for the Wilderpeople), and left everything in not too different of a place than the first one did. And that is okay!
It in no way felt fresh or new, but it was genuinely actually quite fun and a much more successful version of what the first one was attempting to do.
I (Mike Thomas) am going to add the following now.
This movie is fucking horrid. It is somehow this evil combination of the worst of Ryan Reynolds, the worst of (director) David Leitch, and somehow the worst of the presumably uninvolved, Taka Waititi. There were SOME good ideas here as necessary changeups after the first one. It was more of an ensemble to water down the Reynolds element. It definitely felt more busy in a necessary way. They had a bit more fun with the world they existed in (Juggernaut was a genuinely fun idea). But beyond that, this was just miserable to experience. I am not sure what was going on in my brain that I at all had positive feelings about these first two films when they came out, but it does not say anything good about my mental health at the time.
Matt Waters wrote the following for this website in 2017:
What a breath of fresh air this film was. Few people love comic book movies more than me, but even I’ve got superhero fatigue at this point. Deadpool is the perfect medicine though, not-so-gently poking fun at the entire genre while functioning as a self-contained comedy action flick that literally anyone can sit down and enjoy. It’s funny, it’s stylish, it’s brutal and… admittedly the villain is awful. But who cares? Ryan Reynolds’ entire career has been building toward playing the role he was born to play, charismatically catapulting Deadpool into the white hot centre of the sun of pop culture. Happy International Women’s Day.
Matt Waters wrote the following for this website in 2020:
When we reviewed Deadpool 2 for the podcast I threw my hat in the ring for the sequel being better. But about a year ago I gave Deadpool a full rewatch and cannot help but walk that opinion back. This really is the lil’ superhero movie that could, both in terms of how long it took to get made, and how much it does with so little.
There are so few characters, no marquee villains and the love interest gets damseled in the third act. And yet! A CGI Colossus and the relatively obscure Nega-Sonic Teenage Warhead are break-out stars. Few comic book movie villains earn as much disdain as Ajax with his brutal torture and taunting of Wade, bolstered by Ed Skrein’s inherently punchable face. Gina Carano crushes it as his heavy despite minimal screen time and dialogue. And the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin is electric, with their unorthodox meet-cute and year of holiday-themed banging being perhaps my favourite stretch of the film. Like Deadpool says right at the start: This is a love story. And for as much as I like the sequel I don’t think it can match it for heart.
Ryan Reynolds was born to play this role, blending his cocky comedic Van Wilder persona with a propensity to “Jim the camera”, with his so-so foray into the realm of having an 8-pack in movies. Like Hannibal King but better, basically. I also think he grounds it with some legitimately good acting as Wade’s body breaks down from cancer.
I (Mike Thomas) am going to add the following now. This film is like fucking nails on the goddamn fucking chalkboard. I do not know what it says about me or society that this film was such a goddamn big deal when it came out, but it cannot mean anything good. It looks like shit, most of the action is uninspired, and this fully unleashed Ryan Reynolds star persona is just…well…no good. I actually think he is talented, but very few films have been able to effectively capitalize on it. Or it could just be that Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool are for teenagers and mentally unwell adults who have yet to fully grow up.
The Reel World 