Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Directed by Shawn Levy

Disney, out now

The merc with a mouth teams up with the leader of the X-Men to save the destruction of the prime timeline.

It’s seven years since Wolverine died in Logan (come on, that is not a spoiler!) and six since Deadpool entertained us in Deadpool 2, and now the two Marvel superheroes return in a movie that is so postmodern that it could be argued it’s set in the Marvel Cinematic Metaverse.

The recent output of the MCU has underperformed at the box office and failed to impress fans, and the studio has responded by not only addressing these shortcomings but by publicly admitting them and using them as ammo with which to shoot itself. And boy, what a lot of ammo is shot! From too many alternate universes, to forced cameos, to clumsy MacGuffins, Deadpool and Wolverine acknowledges overused tropes and then leans into them with a big wink to the audience.

Ryan Reynolds’ foul-mouthed (though frequently hilarious) Deadpool schtick is forever in danger of being a bit too smug, but there’s some killer lines, and he’s a great foil for Hugh Jackman’s grumpy and haunted Wolverine. What’s so enjoyable is that Logan can still exist as his final defining movie, with this more of a side mission, satisfying the avid fans by addressing stuff that we’ve wanted for years.

The duo are ably supported by a blustering Matthew McFayden as a bureaucratic boss with ambition, and Emma Corrin as the evil Cassandra. There are other people in it too… and let’s leave it there. You need to see this film before the internet has spoilt every Easter egg or surprise moment. A word of warning, it’s very sweary and violent, but you already guessed that, right?

Verdict: Marvel movies started long before the MCU’s Iron Man, and this is a love letter to those less-revered 20th Century Fox films. A surprisingly inventive couple of hours best enjoyed as cold as possible; cover your ears and eyes and get to the big screen ASAP. 9/10 

Nick Joy