Deadpool & Wolverine

Well the "Deadpool" concept is now well and truly immersed in the Marvel multi-verse and I really did fear for good old "Dead". More of the same? Well, no actually. Ryan Reynolds has reverted more to the occasionally quite vulgar humour of the first film (2016) and allowed this trequel to focus more on the personality of this irreverent, immortal, superhero as he tries to resurrect the recently departed "Wolverine/Logan" (Hugh Jackman) so he can save his timeline from erasure. To do that, and thwart the comically menacing "Paradox" (Matthew Macfadyen), he has to face down "Cassandra Nova" (Emma Corrin) - who happens to be the long estranged twin sister of "Xavier" who presides over the void. That's a "Mad Max" style desert style territory where all the undesirables have been put by "Paradox" and his organisation over the years. Initially, there's no love lost between our two heroes. The cocky man in red lycra does not impress his new, booze-soaked and guilt-ridden buddy, but quickly they manage to align their priorities and then - well yes, you can guess the rest. Indeed, there's nothing remotely unpredictable about any of this, but what it does do is shout loudly and proudly that it knows it. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel, it's succeeding in pointing out that all of these multi-verse films that simply adjust the space/time continuum to provide a new setting for the same old stories ad characters has to stop before we (the audience) bore further of their repetitive combat cycles and nondescript plot lines. Maybe Reynolds does over-egg the smuttiness a little but there are still plenty of wry comments about the industry, product placement and the plethora of films (and actors) that have preceded it delivering same old same old. It's not forgotten to entertain us too - there are loads of action scenes and there's an amiable chemistry between two actors who are clearly on the same, suitably sarcastic, page throughout a two hours that also features a some fun cameos from the likes of Messrs. Evans, Snipes, Cavill, Favreau and Tatum to keep it moving along with an effervescence of spirit. It's a big screen essential, there's a lot of effort gone into the production that won't work so well on the telly, and I enjoyed it.