The Time Variance Authority (TVA), a bureaucratic organization that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline, pulls Wade Wilson / Deadpool from his quiet life and set him on a mission that will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) alongside Wolverine.

Marvel Studios fans have been waiting with bated breath to see what would become of the completely outlandish and over-the-top mercenary anti-hero Deadpool and whether or not he would ever find a home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadpool took pride in being a Rated-R character, and we were often left wondering if we would ever see him in the MCU. Well, after much patience and a whole lot of wish fulfilment, fans the world over now have their wish as Wade Wilson/Deadpool completely gatecrashes the MCU as only he can, and he’s bringing along the X-Men’s gruff loner Logan/Wolverine with him. And the whole experience makes Deadpool & Wolverine an utterly epic cinematic event!

Hollywood megastar Ryan Reynolds has made it his life’s mission to bring Deadpool’s story to the big screen, and so far, he’s succeeded in being a total double shot of Deadpool in 2016’s Deadpool and 2018’s Deadpool 2 to cinemas. Now he’s aiming for a triple winner with Deadpool & Wolverine, and this is the ultimate fanboy/fangirl, wish-fulfilment, comic book movie experience that we’ve been longing for. And it’s AWESOME. Helping Reynolds to shape this crazy feature together is Shawn Levy, a frequent collaborator and long-time friend of the star, and the two bring a boundless sense of energy and totally unfiltered creativity to the picture that ramps up the excitement minute-by-minute. Levy’s working relationship with both Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, two former collaborators, allows him to let each actor play to their strengths, both dramatically and comedically, and the result leads to a very special watch.

The prospect of seeing Ryan Reynolds return for a third Deadpool movie is incredibly exciting, and being teamed up with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine only adds to his energetic sense of fun. Bringing Deadpool into the MCU is a big step for Reynolds, and he has a lot of fun playing around with the literal concept of Marvel as a brand, while his ad-libs will leave you in hysterics. And there are many of them. Clad in his form-fitting red costume and spinning his swords with glee, Deadpool goes for it this time. And it’s a literal universe-saving mission for this character. While he’s a completely anarchic and wild character, Deadpool & Wolverine leaves him with a ‘literal’ world-saving mission, and for the first time, we see him get serious as a character. Deadpool & Wolverine gives Reynolds a real about-face turn to play as the Merc with the Mouth, and there’s a whole heap of dramatic tension and character development movements that make his third outing as the character that much more memorable.

We never thought we’d see it, but Hugh Jackman has decided to bring out the claws for another outing as the X-Men’s resident berserker, Wolverine. And it’s a performance unlike you’ve ever seen him give before. After the heart-wrenching performance of Logan, we thought that was the final curtain call for Jackman’s Wolverine. But leave it to Deadpool to find a new way to gift us with the ultimate superhero buddy-comedy and Jackman’s back in a completely new direction with his career-defining character. This version of Logan is a washed-up, burnt-out, and totally fucked-up former X-Men, whose the world’s biggest loser and is content just to drink his immortality away. But cue an encounter with Deadpool, and the claws come out, and these two get into a hell of scrap that eventually forms a partnership that might just be able to save Wade’s world after all. Jackman gives audiences his most comic book-accurate performance of Wolverine to date, and you’ll cheer in amazement when he pulls out the quintessential 1990s yellow and blue suit and goes to town in a pure berserker rage. Jackman goes for it one last time as Wolverine (or is it?) and finds a new dimension to the character that will leave audiences whooping and hollering.

Both Deadpool and Wolverine get put through the wringer in Deadpool & Wolverine, and they face off with one of the creepiest MCU villains yet in the form of totally unhinged telepath Cassandra Nova. Bringing Cassandra, the twin sister and dark shadow to Professor Charles Xavier, is Emma Corrin, and they totally bring it as this psychotic and petulant villain. Filled with deranged narcissism and deviously manipulative, Cassandra is a villain who seers her presence into the audience’s minds, and she puts Wade and Logan through a grinder of pain. Corrin’s performance reminds us of characters similar to Hans Landa and Angelica Pickles, and this gleeful sadism that they inject into the role of Cassandra will keep audiences on edge and give Deadpool & Wolverine a different set of world-ending stakes than audiences are used to.

Deadpool & Wolverine is an MCU event unlike anything we’ve seen before, and it completely stands out as an original and highly creative piece of entertainment. From its hard R rating, sensational comedy and fourth wall breaks, and self-referential narrative musings, it’s an utterly wild ride that builds minute by minute, and this is a cinematic experience that needs to be seen on a big screen as part of the movie-going collective. Watching this with others in a cinema leaves you filled with the collective energy and excitement that only a Marvel Studios film can bring, and with all of its twists, turns and surprises, Deadpool & Wolverine is a picture of superhero action-comedy overlord.

While not wanting to fall into SPOILER territory, I will say that Deadpool & Wolverine is pure Marvel Comics fan service with everything you could want. Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy present a film that is a tribute to and a celebration of the superhero movie and the world of Marvel Comics. There are so many incredible surprises in this one that will leave you wide-eyed with amazement. While staying away from narrative-specific lot points, I will say that mutants have made their debut in the MCU, and they’re here to stay!

Deadpool & Wolverine is everything you could want and more, and thanks to its creative narrative, ultraviolent action, whimsical humour and crazy energy, it’s a cinematic experience that MCU-mutant-fan joy that only these two characters can bring.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary Wade Wilson (AKA. Deadpool), brings together a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy of supernatural abilities from the brutal, time-travelling mutant, Cable.

Ever since I walked out of Deadpool in 2016 I was obsessing over a Deadpool sequel. I wanted it. Badly. And well now we’ve got it. Canada’s favourite son Ryan Reynolds has now returned to he big screen as the fast-talking merc mutie and he’s got plenty of hijinks ready this time around. Teaming up with director David Leitch (one of the guys who killed the dog in John Wick), the two really push the envelope with a film that is bigger, funnier and an all-around ballsier watch (both figuratively and literally). Reynolds and Leitch have really upped the ante this time around and have taken what works and added a whole heap more fireworks which results in an explosion of fun!

Reynolds again shines in the role of Wade Wilson/Deadpool, a former good looking anti-hero with a heart of gold, who is now a radioactive Shar Pei-looking anti-hero with a heart of gold. Continuing in his story to make some kind of normal life for himself while also “travelling the world and meeting new and interesting people….and then killing them”, Wade finds his life thrown into a crisis and begins a dramatic search for new meaning. Reynolds once again crushes it with both the action and the comedy and what results is just pure genius.

His spot on comedic timing is just flat out perfect and he continually one ups himself with his joke line-up. While there are too many solid jokes to choose from I think my favourite this time around would have to be his comments made about Deadpool/Cable creator Rob Liefeld’s inability to draw feet. It was a line that had me in stitches, and I seriously haven’t laughed this hard in a long, long time.

But while Deadpool might be the lighthearted soul of the party, he gets a serious dose of a dark, metal future in the form of Josh Brolin’s time-traveling super soldier Cable! As soon as I heard Cable would be along for the sequel I was excited, and then when I heard that he’d be played by Brolin I was really excited. And yes there was a reason I was this excited and it all played up on screen. Shredded to the bone and packing some very big guns, Brolin is one badass bruiser as Cable and he doesn’t have any time for Deadpool’s comedy routine. Instead, he’s got a job to do and he tears through anyone who gets in his way. Brolin’s performance is absolutely bad to the bone and if you remember the 90s well you’ll be very impressed with this performance.

I also have to talk about the arrival of X-Force as well! Yep, that’s right, the most 90s of 1990s superhero teams make their way up onto the big screen and it will really leave you in hysterics! We’re talking about the arrival of Domino (the astounding Zazie Beetz), Bedlum (Terry Crews), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgard), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) and Peter (Rob Delaney). This is an A-Team for a brand new generation, and their appearance in the film doesn’t disappoint. Beetz really holds her own up on screen and all I can say is that I want to see a lot more Domino in the future.

In talking about Deadpool 2 you also can’t overlook the huge contribution that fresh young talent Julian Dennison brings to the film. This rising Kiwi star made a big splash in Hunt for the Wilderpeople and here he makes a great addition to the film as a very angry kid called Russell. While I can’t go into who Russell is or why his appearance in this film is so significant, but what I will say is that Dennison really gives Reynolds a run for his money with his comedy. He’s just a one-liner king and with his extremely volatile superpowers and propensity to cause trouble (he’s still a very bad egg), Dennison is the cherry on the top of Deadpool 2.

Deadpool 2 has twice the action of Deadpool and this makes it a feast for your optic nerve. Big, bold and extremely explosive is how I’d describe the action here. Not only do we have Deadpool’s acrobatic swordplay, but Cable brings the firepower which is mixed alongside a highly combustible combination of unchecked superpowers which really make the big screen go BOOM! It’s a very fun rollercoaster…and you’ll want to ride it multiple times.

And while I know Marvel might own the realm of post-credit sequences, well all I’ll say is that Deadpool 2 really gives them a run for their money. Please do stick around.

So should you go and see Deadpool 2 at the movies??? UM YESSS!!! It’s an absolute riot from beginning to end, packed out with a good dose of ultra-violence, some quality raunchy comedy, plenty of over-the-top superpowers and Peter! Yep, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Image: 20th Century Fox

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10. The Legend of Tarzan

The sheer epic-ness of the world’s original pulp hero was brought back to the big screen with immense scope and scale thanks to the grand vision of director David Yates. The Legend of Tarzan was fierce and uncompromising, and took audiences back to a long forgotten time and a mythical jungle landscape. Alexander Skarsgard was in full hero mode as the legendary Tarzan, and carried a physique of god-like proportions, while Margot Robbie was no damsel as his beloved wife Jane. The chemistry between these two was sizzling and not for one moment did my adrenaline stop pumping in this all-action adventure.

9. The Magnificent Seven

The west sure got wild thanks to this high-octane gunslinging adventure from director Antoine Fuqua that took one of cinema’s greatest ever films and re-imagined it for a whole new generation. Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke and Chris Pratt were all quick on the draw and steadfast in their actions, while Haley Bennett proved that she could wrangle the bad guys just as much as the boys, and was a crack shot with a long rifle. The Magnificent Seven was a thumping ride from beginning to end and was a terrific ode to the grand old westerns of the past.

8. Allied

Heart-wrenching love and terrible secrets kept me guessing every second in this ticking time bomb of a movie that delivered big bangs and even bigger shocks. The tension never eased for a moment in Allied, and director Robert Zemeckis sure knows how to keep his audience on edge. Stars Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard had undeniable chemistry together and brought incredible focus to this tightly wound thriller. Allied’s production design and costuming also brought back memories of Hollywood’s golden era, and I certainly did not anticipate that shocking ending.

7. The Light Between Oceans

Love is the most powerful force of all, and director Derek Cianfrance explored its ecstatic highs and heartbreaking lows in this emotionally evocative piece of drama. Michael Fassbender was at the top of his game, but it was Alicia Vikander who stole every scene as a woman and a mother who could not bear to let her child go. The tears certainly flowed while watching The Light Between Oceans, and Cianfrance also gifted us with the beautiful cinematography of Adam Arkapew, which made this film even more emotionally heartfelt.

6. Doctor Strange

The Marvel Universe’s greatest ever magician finally found his way to the big screen this year thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch, and man-o-man was Doctor Strange a mind trip! Director Scott Derrickson brought the hallucinogenic images of Steve Ditko’s art to life in all their vivid detail, and threw his audience head first into the astral plain. And as for Cumberbatch, the British thespian was all we could have wanted and more as the snarky, pretentious know-it-all who falls to historic lows before finally rising up and becoming the Master of the Mystic Arts. Wild, entertaining and very, very cool, Doctor Strange proved that Marvel certainly has plenty more surprises in store for its legions of fans.

5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The force was indeed strong with Gareth Edwards’ standalone galactic adventure Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which told the hard-won battle of the Rebel Alliance’s fight to steal the Death Star plans, and turn the tide of the war against The Empire. A stunning ensemble cast lead by Felicity Jones provided plenty of terrific new characters, along with lots of heroic actions. But the real power of Rogue One came from Edwards’ ability to put his audience deep into the heart of the film’s climatic battle scenes, as the Rebel Alliance stormed the beaches of Scariff to put an end to The Empire’s super weapon in a desperate do-or-die mission.

4. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

This instant Kiwi classic was sheer laugh-out-loud hilarity thanks to the combined talents of Hollywood veteran Sam Neill and the charm of hell raising teenager and ‘bad egg’ Ricky Baker, who was played to perfection by newcomer Julian Dennison. This good’ol tramping movie struck out deep into the untamed bush of New Zealand, and followed the misadventures of these totally unique characters as they rebelled against a society that had given up on them, before eventually finding strength and a sense of family with one another. Once again director Taika Waititi’s comedic timing was incredible, and his surprise cameo appearance had me in stitches. You simply couldn’t find a better comedy this year.

3. The Nice Guys

There was no better team up this year than Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling as mismatched hoodlum Jackson Healy and inept private investigator Holland March, who find themselves way over their heads in this laugh-out-loud black comedy from Shane Black. Packed with cracking dialogue, and tough guy swagger, The Nice Guys was a classic noir tale that sucked you into Hollywood’s seedy underbelly of the 1970s as these two ‘amateurs’ did everything they could to right a terrible wrong, along with turning a tidy profit in the process. The Nice Guys was a thoroughly entertaining watch and one of the best films I saw all year.

2. La La Land

The cinematic experience didn’t get more magnificent than Damien Chazelle’s lavish musical sensation La La Land. This throwback to the grand musicals of Hollywood’s golden era was packed with a terrific jazz-infused score and was bursting at the edges with pop energy. While Ryan Gosling channelled Fred Astaire’s dance moves and Frank Sinatra’s laid back cool, Emma Stone brought a great deal of heart and soul to this thumping movie. If ever there was a film to champion the magic of those who dream then it most definitely was La La Land. 

1. Deadpool

But it all it comes down to this. My favourite film of the year was undoubtedly the ultra-violent and incredibly crazy superhero action adventure love tale that was Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds knocked it out of the park as the Merc with a Mouth and proved that his snazzy one-liners were just as lethal as his sword skills. Reynolds, along with director Tim Miller held nothing back in this love letter to the cult comic book character, and it really showed on screen. Deadpool was pure, crazy, cinematic fun at its best.

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