Deadpool and Wolverine officially releases this weekend, and has the interesting dual distinction of being the onlyMarvel Studios movieto be released in 2024, and the first ever to receive an “R” rating. With non-stop promotion and plenty of hype from Marvel fans, the stakes are pretty high for this release, and with some wondering if this could be the title toturn around the MCUafter several lackluster performances. Our own Anthony Marcusa called the film “nostalgic comfort food covered in blood and packed full of profanity,” in hisreview, adding that the film “does a lot more for the memory of 20th Century Fox than it does for the current MCU.” And it seems that he’s not the only one with mixed feelings on Marvel’s newest release.
Stream it or skip it: Deadpool and Wolverine
The first R-rated MCU film says goodbye to Fox with familiar plot beats and clever allusions.
More of the same from Marvel
Critics praise performances, but don’t seem as impressed by this third entry in the Deadpool series
Currently Deadpool and Wolverine has an 81% “Fresh” rating onRotten Tomatoes, with the website’s critic’c consensus reading, “Ryan Reynolds makes himself at home in the MCU with acerbic wit while Hugh Jackman provides an Adamantium backbone to proceedings in Deadpool & Wolverine, an irreverent romp with a surprising soft spot for a bygone era of superhero movies.” However, many of the individual reviews listed criticize the film’s formulaic plot and lack of new ideas, and it is worth noting that the “top critics” Tomatometer score is much lower for the film, sitting at 64%. Still, reception seems to be mostly positive on the whole, even if there are several caveats.
So how does this new Deadpool compare to the rest of the series?
What to watch before Deadpool & Wolverine
Two iconic superheroes that have appeared in over 10 films are joining a sprawling MCU with decades of history. So what do you need to know?
Deadpool and Wolverine has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of any other Deadpool movie
While it is still in the same range, Deadpool and Wolverine hasn’t hit the highs of its predecessors
Deadpool & Wolverine
When the first Deadpool movie was released in 2016, critics praised the film’s irreverent tone and fresh take on superhero movies, earning the original film an 85% “Fresh” rating onRotten Tomatoes, the highest of the entire series. The critic’s consensus for this film describes it as “fast, funny, and gleefully profane,” adding that it “subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining – and decidedly non-family-friendly – results.”
With such a high bar set by the first film, anticipation was high for Deadpool 2 when it was released in 2018. Fortunately, the follow-up deftly recaptured the same charm as Deadpool’s debut effort, nearly matching the first film with an 84% on theTomatometerwith a critic’s consensus that calls the film “a gory, gleeful lampoon of the superhero genre buoyed by Ryan Reynolds' undeniable charm.”
While Deadpool and Wolverine’s 81% “Fresh” rating is mostly in line with the critical reception to previous films, it is clear that Deadpool’s first effort under the Marvel Studios banner hasn’t resulted in any meaningful improvement for the series, as some may have been hoping. Of course, it remains to be seen if these critical reactions will have much (if any) effect on Deadpool and Wolverine’s box office performance, as the film is on track for a big win this weekend: pre-release projections are currently anticipating a record-shattering $160 - $170 million opening for Marvel’s latest, which would make it the biggest R-rated opening weekend in history (perVariety).
Stream it or skip it: Twisters
Twisters is a fun disaster movie with exciting action setpieces, some great acting, and an interesting enough story.
