tromafiend’s review published on Letterboxd:
Three-quels are often difficult, even when the Merc with a Mouth ropes Baby Hugh-ey in for the ride. It's a wonder he got this far since the first Deadpool was stuck in development hell until the leaked test footage fueled audience demand, and then even after two successful movies, the "forgotten" properties coming back under the Marvel corporate earnings statement threatened to leave foul-mouthed DP in dust. Nevertheless, Pool persisted but left a lot to live up to after two flicks.
DP/Wolvie Go Scorched Earth on Fox has some issues, not the least of which is pacing; after another brutal, satisfying opening, it shifts into DepressedPool gear for a bit too long. And several first act jokes just try too hard and fall flat; even in a packed house there were few snickers early on. The ensuing heavy exposition dump finally gets us to the Wolverine pursuit montage where things finally start to SNIKT. Even Wilson says "that only took 20 years." You're a producer, jackass; do something about it!
Once we are well into the void, this truly finds its stride when the dam bursts on endless cameos and in-jokes. Unless you're in the same boat as my wife and don't remember the Deadpool movies, recognize characters from other franchises, or know about aborted film projects from over a decade ago. Then you might just shrug.
I tried to keep as spoiler-free as possible going in, so there were some genuine, satisfying surprises that really sunk their teeth in me. Even a few that I knew about worked or had a twist that still ignited.
There's too much slomo throughout and the climax goes a little too long, but there is a lot to admire here in how they got such a mess to work. The standard final battle against drones gets a nice tweak and the third act cowl reveal got a good reaction from me. The single best moment was the Odyssey fight; a beautiful ballet of close quarters combat. Magnifique!
Oh, and the final image being the "Distributed By Walt Disney Pictures" card may be the best stinger in cinema history.
