Deadpool & Wolverine: 'comic-book equivalent of the Super Bowl'

The titular leads are on 'top form' in box office hit for Marvel

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine
(Image credit: Alamy / FlixPix)

"Deadpool & Wolverine" has taken a "record-shattering" $211 million at the US box office, making it the best-ever opening weekend for an R-rated movie.

It's also the sixth-biggest opening of all time for any film, said The Hollywood Reporter.

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Directed by Shawn Levy (best known for the "Night at the Museum" franchise), the action follows Deadpool (Reynolds) who finds out his world's timeline is on the verge of collapse and recruits Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to help him save it.

If you're a "deep-cut Marvel fan", said Olly Richards in Empire, you may want to bring "several changes of underwear" and "pre-book an ambulance", because "Deadpool & Wolverine" goes "hard on the in-jokes and wish fulfilment". 

"It's a relentless onslaught of surprises designed to get audiences screaming and throwing popcorn in the air." Even if you're not one of the "franchise faithful", the "delightful" thing about the film is its ability to "bring everyone along for the ride" – including those who "don't know their Professor X from their X-23".

After a "slightly clunky set-up", things take a dangerous turn and the pair end up in a "wasteland full of banished superbeings" helmed by a "very bald, very bad" Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin). Narratively, it's a bit "bumpy" to begin with, but as soon as Reynolds and Jackman are united, the "plot smooths out" and their "bickering chemistry" steals the show.

The duo are on "top form", said Mark Hughes in Forbes. Reynolds was "born to play Deadpool" and it's testament to Jackman's talent that he manages to craft a new version of Wolverine all over again. It's no insult to say that the movie "smartly" doesn't let the plot get in the way of telling a "fun story" carried by the magnetism of its stars.

But the action scenes are a "slog" and feel somewhat repetitive, said Caryn James on BBC Culture. The fights lean heavily on slow motion and feel about "as sophisticated as watching kids in the playground".

All in all, "Deadpool & Wolverine" is "laser-focused" on its titular characters, said Empire. "There's no eye on the next chapter. It's all about right now and making sure the audience has the best time possible."

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Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.