Nearly 15 years after Ryan Reynolds debuted as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the Merc with the Mouth finds himself at a new point in his franchise and a low point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the few missteps Marvel Studios has had in the past trying to convince us that the currently disappointing Multiverse Saga is the next superhero epic, something like a Deadpool & Wolverine could be the hilariously merciful and bloody wake-up call that could reinvigorate fans’ enthusiasm for these films. And the highly anticipated sequel gets some help from Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine.

And so, because the highly anticipated film relies so much on the unlikely but ever-so-lovable pair working together, Mike Manalo and I have decided to come up with reviews for Deadpool & Wolverine from the perspective of the assigned hero. He’s taking Deadpool duties, while I have Wolverine. This is the multiverse film we’ve been waiting for. Packed with meta-comedy, bloody action, a gratuitous amount of cameos, and a fun headbanging soundtrack perfect for any buddy road trip flick.

Though the descriptives are just the nature of any Deadpool movie, a few emotional nuances make Deadpool & Wolverine more complex than the trailers would like to have us believe. At the heart of this film is a friendship that should have been explored when these two started to share the screen. The two carry an unseen burden that weighs down on them. For Wade, the existential crisis decisions he’s made in his life lead him to his current depressing existence. For the Wolverine, it’s the fact that he failed to be there for his team when they needed him the most.

To say that the titular heroes have seen better days would be a vast understatement. While one is drunk on sadness, the other is just drunk. Both have their heads hanging down and lack emotional connectivity. If anything, they are just running away from their problems. It starkly contrasts what we expect them to be when they are in action.

After facing off against the creator that turned him inside out in Deadpool and the time-traveling soldier in Deadpool 2, the unpredictable Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has put down his swords and guns to live the quiet life as a used car salesman. This unexpected turnaround from a confident foul-mouth merc with the mouth with sass to a man moving aimlessly through life searching for meaning didn’t necessarily come out of nowhere. However, it has brought him to a point where his friends barely recognize him — though he still breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges the limitations Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has set, like no cocaine use.

When the TVA plucks Wade from Earth-10005, Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), presents our hero with the opportunity to be a hero once more. The merc with the mouth is more than excited by the offer, as noted by him telling Fox to eff off because he’s going to Disneyland. However, the offer is too good to be true because Mr. Paradox oversees the quick pruning of Earth-10005. The middle management TVA agent explains that Deadpool’s current earth lacks an anchor being and will die a slow 1000-year death.

However, Mr. Paradox isn’t interested in watching Earth-10005 die slowly of natural causes. He would rather speed up the process with a MacGuffin called a Time Ripper – a device best described as a swift and compassionate mercy killer. Wade sees it as an Old Yeller approach.

Unable to accept what’s about to happen, Deadpool snatches a temporal loom to search for a replacement Wolverine. The Merc with the Mouth’s travels takes him to various multiverses where an Age of Apocalypse Wolverine, one where Wolverine wears the John Byrne yellow and brown suit, a height-appropriate, and another featuring an actor that shall not be named. Eventually, Wade finds a Wolverine that suits (quite literally) his needs. The only problem is that this Wolverine is reluctant to join him.

Upon his return, a frustrated Mr. Paradox drops the truth about the Wolverine that Wade delivered and tells him that he is not only the worst Wolverine but has disappointed his team by getting them killed. As such, he punished both of them by banishing them to the Void, a desolate wasteland where discarded 20th Century Studios Marvel heroes go to die. There, the two are captured by Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), the villainous twin sister of Dr. Charles Xaiver. While she doesn’t intend to leave the Void at first, she sees Deadpool & Wolverine as a means to escape her imprisonment and carry out her revenge against those who wronged her.

It’s been more than a minute since Deadpool & Wolverine shared the screen together, so director Shawn Levy, using a script written by himself and Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells, makes up for lost time by reminding us of Wade’s penchant for violence and knack for meta-humor, that Disney acquired Fox, and that it’s taken over 20 years to finally get the yellow and blue suit onto Logan with the first 30 minutes. The script also moves from comic book jokes to industrial jokes. Wade often provides a gift of comedically chiding Fox for its inability to move swiftly on their Marvel IP slate, and Disney eventually acquires them.

Though a sequel of this size would typically require knowledge of the films that came before Deadpool & Wolverine and how the Hollywood industry works, the script makes it easy to understand the rules and systems through humor. The insider jokes are essential for the story, given that Deadpool is fully aware that he lives in a comic book movie world and is the only one who can talk to the audience. In a way, Wade continues to be our guide in the film and jokingly informs us how Hollywood studios treat their IPs and competitors. He jabs at how he gets to go to Disneyland now that Disney bought Fox and slams all of the creative decisions that prevented Logan from wearing the yellow and blue suit. He does all of that by looking directly into the camera.

And the script has no qualms about the dispensability of all the heroes that show up. In fact, it goes all in on the jokes and doesn’t hold back. Though most cameos would be used just for the sake of it, in Deadpool & Wolverine, they serve a purpose to help move the story forward and be a commentary on the current state of how studios process entertainment for our consumption. So it’s surprising to see how much the film gets away with, especially when roasting Marvel Studios.

As the title suggests, Deadpool & Wolverine is an irreverent love letter to the long and windy history of the X-Men and Deadpool film franchises before Disney acquired Fox. Levy weaves together the complicated mythologies of those franchises with a buddy road trip vibe to create a blend of 48 Hours, Midnight Run, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles as seen through the MCU lens. It’s a dynamic that works at a comedic level and provides some drama given the hostile but friendly nature of Deadpool and Wolverine’s relationship.

In any other film, Deadpool & Wolverine could wipe out their enemies with the greatest of ease. The former would have so much more fun with it, though, seeing that he desecrates his Earth’s Logan’s remains and uses the adamantium skeleton to cut through TVA agents to the tune of N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.” As an added note, the Logan that Wade dug up is dead, and no healing factor could bring him back. So, the film justifies his quasi-resurrection by anchoring Logan with a tragically charged story. It’s something that will allow the two to connect despite their rivalry.

Logan would rather not have anything to do with anyone, even if it means having a shot at redemption. The shifty Mr. Paradox doesn’t hold back on how the Logan Wade brought in is a complete failure. And Logan only shows interest in saving worlds or seeking redemption if it can be found at the bottom of a bottle. Jackman’s performance also explores new emotional depths for Logan. Someone like Cassandra can use her fingers to dig even deeper into Logan’s head and play twisted mind games on him. Such a sadistic act reveals the survivor’s guilt that the hero has been carrying with him. Though the villains are one-dimensional and lack an engaging motivation, Corrin and Macfadyen are having a ball playing their respective characters.

The relationship between Deadpool & Wolverine is the crux of the film, so it is crucial that the latter not only has a story to tell but Deadpool can justify his existence. The film does an excellent job of that through mythology and humor. As Wade points out, the sequel wouldn’t have happened if Disney hadn’t offered Jackman a ton of cash to reprise the role. The meta-ness of it all creates genuine laughs that could only work because it is a Deadpool movie. It is then balanced out with the film constantly reminding the audience of how miserable Wolverine is and the tragedies he’s encountered in his two hundred years on earth.

What makes something like Deadpool & Wolverine work isn’t just the obligatory action and comedy with the added overabundance of cameos from Marvel characters across studio ownership, but how all of that is used in service of the story. They aren’t fan service because they help push Deadpool & Wolverine toward their goal of escape. The two give their cameo supporting cast the closure they didn’t get when they had their theatrical runs – at least some of them. Such an approach pays tribute to the lower-tier characters that deserved more screen time than they originally got. It is refreshing to see how Levy respects them rather than treating the cameos as a vapid blink and you’ll miss its appearance.

As far as the action goes, the larger, more crowded epic fights are a bit of a convoluted mess. It can feel like there’s no coordination. The chaotic nature of it all is more of an excuse to show how violent some characters can be. However, when the fights are between Deadpool and Wolverine, they are more intimate, and there is so much more of a comedic and emotional payoff. An example is when Wolverine pulls out and spits the bullets Wade shot into him. And then there’s the bantering between the two. Both deliver searing jokes about their appearances, flaws, mutant powers, and limitations, and we can laugh at their expense because we know they can take it. So, for them to trade roasting jokes is such a joy and makes us wish we had gotten these films earlier.

Then there are the needle drops. It wouldn’t be much of a road trip without a great playlist. Deadpool & Wolverine’s soundtrack is a wacky mix of nostalgia and contemporary hits. Suppose Huey Lewis and the News’ “The Power of Love” is too on the nose as Wade travels between multiverses. In that case, you might find yourself rolling your eyes at the number of relationship songs that play. It’s not necessarily a detriment, but it plays more to the film’s themes of friendship. Then there’s Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” ironically used during the film’s climatic scenes.

Deadpool & Wolverine is so much more than a love letter that celebrates everything 20th Century Studios had to offer when they owned X-Men and Fantastic Four; it’s Marvel Studios’ wake-up call to get back to doing what they do best. While the novelty of a Deadpool film waned immediately after the first, Levy’s refreshing approach allows us to explore the emotional depths of the two heroes in ways that have never been done before. Not one to waste the opportunities it’s given, the film utilizes its cameos in ways that service the story while also paying tribute to the characters. It is precisely what the MCU needed and an exciting preview of what’s to come if subsequent films can embrace Deadpool and Wolverine‘s tonality.

B+