Always Good Movies

Direction: Shawn Levy
Country: USA

Deadpool & Wolverine, a Marvel misfire directed by the uninspired Canadian filmmaker Shawn Levy (Free Guy, 2021; The Adam Project, 2022), falls flat despite the return of fan-favorite antihero Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds, who also co-wrote and co-produced) as Deadpool. This time, he asks for the help of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save his universe from extinction. These volatile superheroes can go from fighting each other until unconscious to forming a powerful alliance within minutes.

Everything about the movie is extreme as it takes an ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ approach, attacking from all sides in every department with an ‘I-don’t-give-a-damn’ posture. It even borrows from Mad Max while relying heavily on multiverse chaos and an eclectic array of Marvel characters. The result is an eccentric, flimsy parody with ferocious, often self-referential dialogue that mocks the film industry and other Marvel figures. However, the screenplay quickly gets bogged down in eye-rolling contrivances.

While the ridiculousness occasionally lands some laughs — thanks largely to Deadpool's irreverent charm — the movie's attempts at subversion can't mask its numerous plot incoherences. The narrative feels half-baked, dragging along in a bloated mess of confused and conflicted scenes. Ultimately, Deadpool & Wolverine offers nothing new, with Levy seemingly content to toss these characters together and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the result is a muddled and forgettable entry in the Marvel franchise.

Direction: Sam Raimi
Country: USA

Despite the relative success of his Spider-Man triplet (2002, 2004, 2007), director Sam Raimi seems more tailored to craft horror movies (The Evil Dead, 1981; Drag me to Hell, 2009) than superhero adventures. His Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is pelted with references to other Marvel flicks and looks like an animated movie on arrival. We realize it was a dream but then the parody keeps going with a visually overwhelming one-eyed octopus attack followed by a series of stone-heavy action scenes loaded with too many colors and overcrowded with special effects. It’s coarse in the texture and maladroit in the storytelling when it should have been stylish and creative, respectively. A grossly handled debauchery of computer-generated images makes it a throwaway feature with a lot of manic surface activity but no particular style.

The enigmatic sorcerer Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who was portrayed with much more craft in the latest Spider Man installment (directed by Jon Watts), feels compelled to protect the young America Sanchez (Xochitl Gomez), who has the uncontrollable power of moving from a universe to another. For that, she’s wanted by evil forces.

The multiverse is packed with uninteresting characters, strained parallel realities, a bunch of foolish situations, and long action sequences that fail to thrill… There is only the mess, without the fun. And we are bored!