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The prevailing opinion is that the MCU peaked with Endgame and every other movie from Marvel is pretty much "universal". Then again it isn't a fair comparison for Deadpool movies are less about canon and more about entertainment with a hint of continuity.
With that in mind let's get to the delightful cluster-mess of movie that is Deadpool & Wolverine and why you need to watch it!
The Plot of Deadpool & Wolverine
The whole movie is just one big joke with pockets of seriousness that is probably how most movies should be made according to me. The plot of the movie is basically the title - Deadpool & Wolverine.
To expand it all the way would be to say Deadpool & Wolverine go on a quest to save the universe by meddling with time and space while fighting a lot with each other and a little with the "bad guys." To say anything more would just ruin a few jokes but never the plot, as I said before it's the title!
The starting sequence sees Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson/Deadpool battling a huge horde of TVA soldiers while nailing the Nsync number Bye Bye Bye perfectly. There's so much to unwrap in that scene sentence alone!
Firstly the song was my jam along with many Backstreet Boys hits when it came out, I still listen to it regularly, and unlike most ex-Backstreet, not too ashamed of it.
Secondly, it is (nearly) a shot-by-shot recreation of one of the fight scenes in the first Deadpool movie. Thirdly it has an Edgar Wright vibe as the fight is synced to the wonderful boy band song that is criminally underrated today.
This leads to one of my all-time fav jokes in this movie where Deadpool yells "Death by Dayplayer." Thanks to one of the funniest and most talented actors I interviewed, Mrs. Harmeet Bhatti, I got the joke without Googling.
After that things keep getting more Deadpool-y with each passing scene. Also before this, there is a hilarious scene where Wade "auditions" for The Avengers. They build up your expectations with something wonderful and crash them with catastrophic comedy that somehow makes up for the subversion.
Just like Deadpool's mind that's full of personalities, this movie has too many compartments in its plot to explain it blow-by-blow. Therefore anything in this review won't serve as a significant spoiler!
Wolverine's Shadow on Deadpool is so iconic! But it is immediately undercut by Wade Wilson's "Don't just stand there, you big ape!"
This movie reminds me of a McDonald's menu, you know what you're going to get and have very little chance of getting disappointed.
The Cast
This is a massive potluck of (mostly) non-gratuitous cameos, but the lion's share of the screen time is, you guessed it, the title - Deadpool & Wolverine-based. But to keep things consistent I will cover the long, long list of people who play a role in this movie.
Most of Deadpool's friends make a comeback from the previous movies from Leslie Uggams'
Blind Al and Morena Baccarin's Vanessa Carlysle to Rob Delaney's Peter and Brianna Hildebrand's Negasonic Teenage Warhead. It's good to see Peter get the recognition he deserves in the Deadpool franchise
You are THE X-Man - Deadpool to Wolverine
But Matthew Macfadyen plays Paradox from the TVA and does a great job with his gravitas-laden voice contrasting with the nonsensical silly stuff that he has to spout from time to time. Another meaningful cameo is Aaron Stanford's Pyro who is the fire-powered mutant from all the X-Men movies who's great at acting but whose character has terrible teeth in this one.
Emma Corrin plays Cassandra Nova, Charles Xavier's evil sister who plans something sinister enough to serve as Deadpool & Wolverine's Big Bad.
"My boy's wicked strong" - Deadpool to Cassandra Nova
Gambit is a big joke, and not in a good way. Everything from the accent to the body language and the way he carries himself is so exquisitely and unentertainingly unintelligent that it's just bad. Another terrific cameo was Dafne Keen's X-23 also known as Laura who kicks a LOT of a$$. I was totally surprised at how good Keen's acting was and equally disappointed when her screen time ended up being so limited.
Music - Background and Playlist
While Deadpool movies are more about quips than the music, they do use the most unusual and unexpected songs to weave into the storyline. There are many songs in this that I absolutely love on their own, but some of the songs you will fall in love with just due to the way they have used to tell a tale while setting the tone.
( This list is only a sample, nowhere near exhaustive and highly subjective, so hardcore music pros, be gentle )
Avril Lavigne - I'm with You when Deadpool is traveling with Wolverine
Madonna - Life Is a Mystery when Deadpool & Wolverine gear up for a massive fight
Eric Carmen - Make Me Lose Control when Deadpool meets Dogpool right before the fight.
Beyond these, I love the fact that they use "The Power of Love" (1985) single by Huey Lewis and the News which is the anthem of Back to the Future, one of my all-time favorites and my favorite time travel movie. Also as mentioned before Nsync's Bye Bye Bye is simply amazing with and without context.
The background music especially during one major ensemble moment is simply awesome with one of my all-time fav superheroes being the only one worth joining the team. As for Madonna's number - it works on many levels in the movie and is used twice for its versatility.
Action and Special Effects
That's all there is to this movie - relentless action sequences with a lot of comedic violence. As for the special effects they are mostly done well except for when Wolverine finally puts on his iconic mask. That one scene looks quite bad, neither good on the realistic side nor the animated side. Apart from that most of the other fight scenes have good CGI and practical effects
Why You Should Watch This!
The background score and playlist, great running gags, amazing team-ups, unlimited cameos, lots of comedic fights, a few serious ones, and a lot of fan service all served on a platter of awesome.
Just go watch it and have a great time!