Deadpool and Wolverine.....Jesus, Judas or the Truth about the MCU?
Joseph Watkins Da Watcha
On Monday night, July 22, 2024, some amazing content creators watched the red-carpet premiere of Deadpool and Wolverine (DnW) staring Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. Once the movie ended, they provided fans their review and their words were mostly positive. Additional creatives chimed in saying that the movie was pretty solid. But the real words of joy came from the GOAT himself, co-creator of Deadpool, Rob Liefeld.
However, between the words of these amazing critics and reviewers, laid a commonality among the good and the bad... “The Plot, where was it?!” and in the midst of that, GameSpot gave Ryan Reynolds lovechild character and best bro the harshest rating for a Deadpool movie .... a 4.
Excerpt from GameSpot
At first, I dismissed it, then I started reading......
“This is an MCU movie through and through, and that means there's an excessive amount of time spent explaining stuff to set up a third act where that stuff doesn't actually matter much.”
“....the production is pretty much Marvel-standard assembly-line stuff. Everything by the book, standard camera angles, standard editing pace, standard CGI environments.
“ But that's what you get when you hire a filmmaker like Shawn Levy, who is exceptionally talented at delivering movies that earn a 6/10 audience rating from IMDb users with stuff like Cheaper by the Dozen, Date Night, and Night at the Museum. Levy has never been a filmmaker who elevates his material, and that hasn't changed with Deadpool & Wolverine.”
“Deadpool & Wolverine doesn't change the MCU or affect any other ongoing stories, and the MCU's actual presence in the film is minimal.”
“This is the MCU in a nutshell these days: giving off the impression that things are happening, without actually doing anything. Sure, some of the jokes were very funny, and some of the action was very good, but Deadpool & Wolverine is the worst Deadpool movie.”
To some, Phil Owen’s words did cut, deep for some, hurting the love they have for the 'merc with a mouth.' However, I believe he has exposed something far greater and far dangerous... the cinematic formula for the MCU.
Marvel’s track record for successful movies/TV series has been in decline. Some label the decline as “Marvel Fatigue,” whereas others call it, “too much homework.”
SideNote: Marvel Fatigue is a sense of exhaustion or waning interest among audiences due to the overabundance of Marvel-related content, including movies, TV shows, and other media. This phenomenon occurs when the volume and frequency of releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and related properties make it difficult for viewers to maintain enthusiasm and engagement. Symptoms of Marvel fatigue might include decreased excitement for new releases, a feeling of repetitiveness in storylines, and a general sense of burnout from consuming similar types of content over a prolonged period.
Could Owen’s analysis of Marvel, especially in his review of DnW bring, what, I might deem the coming of the “Marvel Apocalypse.” The end of the MCU?
THE MCU now has a reputation for its approach to filmmaking: standard camera angles, editing pacing, CGI environments, Easter Eggs, MacGuffins, the list goes on.
Almost every Marvel movie has them, with some bringing excitement to audiences and others asking simply, ‘why do we need this?’ This style of filmmaking is consistent across the franchise allowing for a possible easy setup budget for filmmaking. Staying in the Black? Yes, but now you lose the innovation and creativity movies are supposed to have for the masses, inspiring others to create films for the future. This is also why many social media outlets are asking for the original squad back (Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans....you get the idea)
As for Shawn Levy, I believe his approach to the Deadpool and Wolverine stems from two places: Love and Brotherhood. In a few of his movies, This is Where I leave You, Cheaper by the Dozen, Date Night, and the Night at the Museum his approach to family is chaotic, dysfunctional, and full of laughs with love as the healing factor (A trait even DnW couldn’t be denied by both Owen himself and other film critics). As for the brotherhood, across his own directed universes, especially with Stranger Things, in times of chaos and turmoil, the power of love conquers all making the characters come together to vanquish some great evil threat with many hugging, high-fiving, and crying for each other by the end of the film with an amazing soundtrack to match the energy.
SideNote: As for the DnW: Van Jamz soundtrack, “You’re All I Need to Get By” by Aretha Franklin and the Royal Philharmonis Orchestra is both an amazing song and a possible perfect visual of the brotherhood between the two Iconic Marvel Legends. It doesn’t make sense, but Deadpool rarely does and teamed up with Wolverine, he’s just a “Ramblin’ Man” or a “Careless Whisperer.” Go to Spotify for the references.
Now, for Marvel, they’re slowly becoming an assembly line, creating the same widget for the same audience, hoping it transcends to younger audiences. For an added parallel, its similar to eating a Big-Mac for the last 57 years. And most people have eaten a Big-Mac.
Welcome to the Cinematic Economy.
Marvel’s storytelling, however, is resulting in predictable and overly structured narratives where setups are common to keep us interested in the next “Marvel Big Thing” and while some Marvel characters have hit success, others have been cancelled by hate mobs and trolls, resulting in DOAs that could have been prevented with enough marketing and positive reinforcement. Remember The Marvels? X (formerly Twitter) was not kind.
Although DnW, has received mostly positive reviews, with humorous moments and great action sequences, Marvel’s approach to filmmaking needs a serious revival or many viewers of the next generation will be asking older generations about the Marvel Cinematic Universe instead of viewing it, resulting in an extinction level event, with many, “snapping away” the MCU as a whole. Thanos pun intended.
As for the DnW movie, many loved it. As for me, I watch it on Thursday, I might review it.
