Deadpool & Wolverine

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. Hugh Jackman once again as Wolverine, despite claims that he was done with the character. Together on screen, finally... In correct costumed form!

While it was every Marvel fans dream to see comic book accurate versions of the Merc With a Mouth and Logan together on the silver screen, this wasn't my favorite Deadpool movie. That's because with Disney finally in charge of the two mutant properties, the reigns on Reynolds and Jackman were removed and they went into full berserker mode. 

Parents and guardians, you really shouldn't take a young child to a rated R movie. That being said, this is one R rated superhero film that no children under the age of 17 should be escorted to. The blood and violence was set to 11. There were so many F-words, I didn't know if Quentin Tarantino wrote the script or would have blushed at the shear volume. Lots of sexually graphic talk, especially from Deadpool. Though of the 3 movies in the franchise thus far, no nudity. 

'The material to be expected from a Deadpool movie,' is something you might say in regards to my alarm. However, I read a lot of Deadpool and a fair amount of X-Men stuff. No matter how many Explicit Material warnings Marvel might put on their edgier books, I've only encountered Wade Wilson or Wolverine using the F-bomb once each in comics and both were graphic novels and not monthly issues.  The level of violence; okay, I'll grant you that. But the sexual innuendo is way tamer even in comics rated Mature 

A lot has been made saying that Deadpool & Wolverine is a farewell letter to the FOX Universe of Marvel movies. I can agree to this and with the level of cameos surprises hidden in this roughly 2 hour film, I don't want to give away too much. Seeing the film just 5 days after the premiere, I am happy to say that there still were a few cameos and Easter eggs left that hadn't been ruined by social media. Be on the look out for a great sight gag that lambastes Rob Liefeld's inability to draw feet! Also, I will say that I wouldn't be surprised if you see some characters from FOX's ownership of movie rights return to the big screen because if anything, this movie basically ushered those films of the last 30 years into the Disney fold.

The TVA, Time Variance Authority, from Disney+'s Loki series plays a huge role in the movie. It's another one of those situations where you don't have to watch the 2 seasons of Loki to understand what's going on; but it helps. And I can definitively say without giving too much away: if you don't like the multiverse, then you will hate this movie. 

I don't mind the multiverse. In fact, I really enjoy Marvel's What If series. Deadpool & Wolverine doesn't just pay respect to the FOX Cinematic Universe of Marvel Movies; it also pays great tribute to the comics. Don't worry- the Wolverine who died in 2017's Logan is still dead. Though his body isn't resting peacefully, I can tell you that. Still, if you are the fan who's having trouble sleeping at night because Robert Downey Jr. is going to be playing a version of Tony Stark as Doctor Doom, it's probably best for you to watch something else.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

In the not too distant future, the fate of all sentient life on earth rests in the hands of the X-Men. The sentinels, a group of robotic mutant hunters designed by Bolivar Trask have become the de facto rulers of the planet. Originally design to seek and eradicate all mutant kind, the androids turned on humanity when they finally became sympathetic to the mutant plight.

    Professor X, teamed with former foe Magneto has a plan. He will transfer his consciousness back in time into his younger self in order to prevent Mystique from killing Trask and initiating the Sentinel Program. However, Kitty Pryde has never sent anyone back into time more than a few days and she doesn't believe that Xavier's highly developed brain can stand a 40 year trip through time. Thus, the rapid healing Wolverine is sent back to 1973 in order to reteam Xavier with Magneto in a combined effort to stop the shape-shifting mutant.

 Days of Future Past is based on the 1981 Uncanny X-Men storyline of the same name developed by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Except for possibly the Dark Phoenix Sage, that time traveling adventure is perhaps the most iconic X-Men tale of all time. I know the cover for Uncanny X-Men #141 surely is the most copied and tributed cover to feature Marvel mutants. Quite a bit of that seminal work is used in this film. But since when has Kitty Pryde had the ability to send people back in time? I've never seen this occur in any X-Men title and I've read my fair share!

  The film is heavy on action and adventure. I saw this film on DVD and unlike Amazing Spider-Man 2, I didn't feel like any of the CGI special effects looked fake. Even it's choreography was quite good. Especially, the character Blink and her ability to create portals in order for mutants to evade the sentinels. It was like watching poetry in motion.

   One aspect that this film got a lot of grief was over some of the casting. While we get the best of both X-Men series in this movie, including the younger and older versions of Professor X and Magneto, along with fan-favorite Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus, many hated the character of Quicksilver. The character, played by Evan Peters was criticized for being too young and immature. But, that kinda was the point of the character and his super-speed abilities were really needed to help speed up a very stagnant part of the movie. Plus, I liked that it's alluded to the Magneto might be Quicksilver's dad as in the comics.

   While I overlooked the casting choices, I did have some issues with plotting. The futuristic parts of Days of Future Past are set some time after the events of X-Men 3. We know this because, in one scene, Wolverine has flashbacks to having killed Jean Grey at that movie's end. So, how come Professor X is alive and in his Patrick Stewart body?  Didn't Jean vaporize him into a billion atoms in X3? I know that it's hinted in X3 that the Professor X took over someone else's body during the chaser scene, But wouldn't he then look different? To the film's fault, it's never explained how he got his new body back.


   There is supposed to be a director's cut of this movie, called the ' Rogue Cut' as a good 20 minutes of the character Rogue played by Anna Paquin was cut out due to time constraints. (The film is almost 2 and a half hours long.) So, maybe Xavier's return along with Magneto regaining his magnetic powers are going to be revealed in that edition on the film. I look forward to it when it drops sometime this summer.

    The ending of this film takes the X-Men franchise into two different directions. The New Class cast is due to appear in a third film, rounding out that trilogy. But I feel that the story of the original X-Men film trilogy's cast isn't over. Since Wolverine was essentially the main character link between both film franchises, hopefully, Hugh Jackman's swan song as Logan will explore just how the timeline has changed. (I hope not to spoil too much but I will say that if like me, you were angered by a certain character's death in X3, then you're going to love the end to this film.)

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.