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

"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.

"It's no secret that Marvel has been struggling recently," said Vicky Jessop in the London Evening Standard. Thankfully, though, Ryan Reynolds has "stepped in to save the day". "Deadpool & Wolverine" feels like the "comic-book equivalent of the Super Bowl: massive, glitzy, crammed to bursting with stars, blood-pumping action and an excellent soundtrack".

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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".

And "the baddies don't really matter", added the London Evening Standard, which unfortunately includes leading villain Cassandra Nova. Corrin "does the best with what they have" but the script is "flimsy".

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."