Deadpool & Wolverine was more than what I had hoped for, complete with cameos and surprises. I successfully went into the film completely unspoiled, although I had a few hunches about who might make an appearance. Ryan Reynolds has the emotional range of a Starbucks umbrella and gets on my nerves faster than any actor, but you got to hand it to the guy, he knows his audience. Unfortunately he's in almost every scene; thankfully, Hugh Jackman is there to level the teeter-totter.
I'm not even going to try and do a write-up without spoilers:
Spoiler!
I was genuinely surprised to see Chris Evans appear in the Void, and chuckled when it dawned on me he had to be playing Johnny Storm. He clearly had as much fun reprising the role, right down to his deliberately sharp contrast to Steve Rogers. I did hope we would also get to see Michael B. Jordan's Johnny Storm (or anyone from the Fox FF reboot). The timelines and multiverses are already so screwed up, confusing things any more is long past being an issue.
Didn't at all expect to see Wesley Snipes return as Blade. I legit laughed out loud when Blade said we’d never see the character again, and Deadpool slowly turned and looked into the camera. Gambit’s silly inclusion (with that deliberately dumb outfit) was amusing, but nothing special. Thank god (pick a god, any god!) we never got a Channing Tatum Gambit movie. The best returnee was X-23, and while I was grateful she was more than just a glorified cameo, I wish she had a bit more to work with.
The film provided poignant stories for not just Deadpool, but also this version of Wolverine. I liked the journey Wade went on to save his friends, proving once and for all, against his own desires, he truly became a hero. The movie had a ton of heart, which is sorta Shawn Levy’s thing.
While we didn't get much more than a sample of this flawed Wolverine, I still greatly enjoyed seeing him begrudgingly conquer his demons. I’m still not sure if he’s our Wolverine, or some other version in the multiverse—I honestly gave up caring a few years ago—but I still loved how this film honoured his conclusion in Logan.
Emma Corrin as the whatsherface villain didn’t particularly strike a chord with me. She's not at the same calibre as Jackman and Reynolds, but she was still fun to watch with what little she was given to work with.
The antagonist was definitely one of the most glaring weaknesses of the movie. That's been a trend since the end of Infinity War.
"Metapool" might be my favourite part of Deadpool & Wolverine. Thanks to Deadpool's complete disregard to the fourth wall, he's aware that he's in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that it desperately needs saving.