We never made it to the movies this summer, due to a combination of life being hectic, and the fact that most of the theaters that were closest to us have closed over the past year.  (There's also the issue that we've lost a lot of interest in sitting in a crowd ever since the pandemic.)  For the most part, that was fine.  There weren't too many films that made us think, "Oh, we need to see that on a big screen."  However, one of the only exceptions was the global blockbuster, Deadpool & Wolverine.

It was disappointing not to see these two mercenaries team up when the film came out in July.  However, considering the movie has taken in a global box office of $1.326 billion (and counting), it seemed to do just fine without us.  With that, we jumped at the chance to finally see Deadpool & Wolverine, because it is now available to rent for $25 on Amazon Prime Video.  Was it worth the price of two movie tickets?  Let's discuss.

(Miracle of miracles, we actually managed to avoid most of the spoilers ahead of time, so we'll do our best to keep them out of this discussion as much as possible.)

The film immediately makes clear that Deadpool hasn't been cleaned up, just because he's finally moved from Fox to Disney.  The opening sequence of the movie is as sarcastic, foul-mouthed, and violent as the mercenary's fans would expect.  Deadpool also first breaks the fourth wall inside of about 90 seconds.  If that kind of approach isn't your thing, bail on the movie right now, because it does not stop.

For everyone who remains, the basic plot is this:  We see Wade Wilson on a couple of different Earths (this being the MCU multiverse and all.)  At this point, Wilson has given up the comic book life in search of a greater purpose.  A Mr. Paradox from the Time Variance Authority (TVA), which was introduced in the TV series Loki, presents him with such a job.  The only problem is that Wilson's universe is going to be destroyed, and all of his loved ones with it. 

(Mr. Paradox is played by Succession's Matthew Macfadyen, who does a good job of making the character appropriately menacing in the beginning of the movie, while showing another side by the end.)

As you might guess, this proposition doesn't work for Wilson.  He needs a Wolverine to help him stop Mr. Paradox.  However, the one in his universe died a monumental death back in 2017, so Wade/Deadpool has to go universe-jumping until he finds a live one who can help.  With that, we're off.

Of course he eventually finds another Logan, although this variant is an incredible loser.  As the two men fight to make their way back to the TVA office, the audience is given all sorts of commentary about the search for self-worth, jokes about the MCU, attacks on Fox, homoerotic cracks, and more fourth wall-defying comments.  There are also a number of major cameos.  We won't name names, in case you also managed to skip these headlines, but each of them handles their role well.

Oh, and the violence.  There's so much explicit and cartoonish killing, you might eventually forget that you're technically watching a Disney movie.  At some point we started wondering if the body count in this body count was actually higher than a John Wick movie.

(We also have to mention that the use of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" is brilliant.)

The more we think about it, the less the movie's ending makes sense.  However, that's okay, because Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman still manage to make it work.  These two characters may love/hate each other, but the actors clearly enjoy working together, so points for vibes, despite the logic gap.

The movie is two hours and nine minutes long, and it easily could have been about 20 minutes shorter.  In fact, Deadpool makes several comments during the movie about its running time.  There were five listed writers (including Ryan Reynolds), and it's possible there were a few too many cooks in this kitchen.

Your level of enjoyment for Deadpool & Wolverine will be directly tied to how well you know the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  For the hardcore fans who will devour every last Easter egg and ask for more, this is probably an A/A-.  If you are more on the casual side of the spectrum, it's likely closer to a B+/B. 

We generally enjoy fan service projects, but they have to be rare, because the fun of the gimmick wears off quickly.  Deadpool & Wolverine allows Marvel to clean up a lot of loose ends from their Fox days and reset for the next phase to come at Disney. This was fun, but let's not do it again anytime soon.

$25 is a high price for one person to pay to see this movie, but if you won't be mad if you split it with some friends.

These two go together like ketchup and mustard. (pic via deadline.com)