Movie Review

Long-awaited summer flick Deadpool & Wolverine well worth the wait

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine.

The Deadpool series has been an antidote to the often self-serious or earnest offerings that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had to offer over the past 16 years. Even though technically not part of the MCU, the R-rated films have joyfully riffed on other comic book hero films while also delivering a level of violence that those films would never dare to show on screen.

The 2019 purchase of 20th Century Fox, which owned the rights to Deadpool and the X-Men, by Disney made it a lot easier to bring the Merc with the Mouth into the MCU, which is finally happening with Deadpool & Wolverine. Naturally, that integration is done with the trademark Deadpool flair via a veritable avalanche of jokes making fun of Marvel’s checkered movie history and Wade Wilson/Deadpool/Ryan Reynolds himself.

The film – directed by Shawn Levy and written by Levy, Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells – is such a jokefest that the story doesn’t really matter. Using the TVA (Time Variance Authority) from the Disney+ show Loki as a centering device, the film has Deadpool trying to save his own timeline from extinction. In order to do this, he needs to find an alternate timeline version of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to replace the one that died in Logan, a version that, according to the film, was crucial to that timeline’s survival.

That synopsis is really a bunch of nonsense to give the filmmakers an excuse to pair up Deadpool and Wolverine for two hours of mayhem. And, oh, is the chaos glorious. From the moment the two anti-superheroes meet, it is an almost never-ending series of profane insults, bloody fights that do little damage to the self-healers, and a litany of riotous cameos and sight gags that take fans down memory lane.

Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that the film brings in a bunch of other Marvel heroes to join in on the fun, but maybe not the ones you think they will. True fans will know that Marvel’s movie history did not start with 2008’s Iron Man, and many of those films are referenced in one way or another. Combined with the history of Deadpool’s first appearance in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, real-life media mergers, and other Hollywood blockbusters, there is a lot that the film can draw from to skewer and honor in equal measures.

Those who’ve seen the first two Deadpool films may think they know what to expect with this third outing, but they’d be wrong. There are the familiar elements like Deadpool breaking the fourth wall by talking directly to the camera or bouncing back from even the most heinous injuries, but the sheer number of targets for film’s comedy make it almost impossible to keep up. The opening scene sets the tone in a hilarious and grotesque manner, and the fun continues until after the credits end.

As he showed in the first two films, Reynolds is the perfect match for the character of Deadpool, as he knows exactly to deliver his trademark snark without becoming insufferable. Jackman, after years of playing Wolverine as a tortured soul (both physically and mentally), finally gets to let loose, and the result is as fantastic as fans might hope. That delight extends to all the supporting actors, especially Matthew Macfayden and Rob Delaney.

This may or may not be the last time the 47-year-old Reynolds stars as Deadpool, and if it is his final bow, he has given fans one of the most satisfying trilogies of all time. Each film, including this one, has defied expectations in its ability to take a one-note character and mine laughs from an amazing number of sources.

---

Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theaters on July 26.

movies film

Movie Review

Atypical movie musical Emilia Pérez upends expectations at every turn

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón in Emilia Pérez.

Musicals have been used as a medium to convey all sorts of different stories, from the Old West to cats to one of the Founding Fathers. But it takes a certain kind of imagination to think that the story of a cartel boss wanting to transition into being a woman as she quits the drug business is a prime candidate for an original movie musical, as is done in Emilia Pérez.

The person with that unusual thinking is French writer/director Jacques Audiard, who in addition to making the film a musical, decided to do it almost entirely in Spanish, a language he doesn’t even speak. Adding to all the other atypical aspects, the main character of the film is not the one after whom the film is named. Instead, it’s Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña), the lawyer hired by cartel boss Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) to help her achieve her dream of becoming a woman.

Of course, that dream comes with consequences, most importantly how to separate the soon-to-be Emilia Pérez from her wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez), and her kids without arousing suspicion. The solution, as well as the “death” of Manitas, is elegant, but after a period of time Emilia finds herself longing for her kids again. Rita re-enters to set up the arrangements, setting in motion a series of events that are both predictable and unpredictable.

The musical sequences of the film are fascinating, mostly because they don’t adhere to the rules typically used in musical films. More often than not they pop up out of nowhere, with a character speaking normally and then deciding that the next line needs to be the start of a song. This allows Audiard to utilize all sorts of locations as the settings for the sequences, as well as the incorporation of unorthodox elements, such as the loading of guns as musical beats.

Even though ninety percent of the film is in Spanish with English subtitles, none of the feeling of the story is lost in translation. Several of the songs are certified bangers, with the repetition of phrases giving them a great rhythm even if you have to keep glancing down to understand what they’re singing. Each of the main three characters get a chance to shine even though none of the songs require the actors to belt them out.

Audiard does a subtle job of commenting on the experience of being a transgender woman in the position that Emilia finds herself. Her desire to live her life as she’s always wanted is in conflict with still wanting to see her kids, as she doesn’t want to reveal the person she used to be. Her personal life is also in conflict with a newfound urge to help families that were victimized by Manitas. The ever-changing story keeps both the characters and the audience on their toes.

Saldaña, whose time in the worlds of Star Trek, Marvel, and Avatar the past 15 years has been her biggest exposure, digs deep into this character, putting on a compelling performance. So too does Gascón, a Spanish transgender actor who embodies every aspect of her role in a manner only someone like her could. Gomez seems slightly miscast, but she has enough solid scenes to justify her presence in the film.

Emilia Pérez is a film that upends expectations at almost every turn. While it might have also worked as a non-musical, the music side of it supports the story in unconventional ways, drawing the audience deeper into a story that itself is out of the ordinary.

---

Emilia Pérez is now streaming on Netflix.

movies film