In Deadpool vs Wolverine, the former declares, in character, that he is, “Marvel Jesus” – saving the MCU with his dual katanas and his seemingly bottomless bag of quips. Critically, it’s a classic case of critics vs audience. For anyone in the “Marvel movies are the death of narrative cinema” brigade – this will be exhibit ‘A’ in the prosecution – judging by fan reactions and the office box office though: the cinema-going public is loving it. Personally, it got me onside – I found it hugely entertaining: a hilarious riot of snark, over-the-top action, and ridiculous costumes. In terms of style and approach it’s amazing to think that The Eternals and Deadpool vs Wolverine, occupy the same cinematic universe – though only technically, thanks to the get-out-of-any-jail-free card that is the multiverse.
Just as the multiverse allows characters from different universes to interact, it also seems to enable Deadpool to know about our world: the plot, such as it is, is mainly about movie IP: as in intellectual property rather than internet packets: though if Ryan Reynolds wants to do a Deadpool version of that movie, I’d probably watch it. Either way, it’s safe to say that Martin Scorsese isn’t going to sing its praises.
I saw it at an early IMAX showing and as I went in, I was surprised to be handed a pair of 3D glasses. As I complained back in 2021, when I saw Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a 3D presentation was absent, so seeing it on offer once again was a surprise: especially as the first two Deadpool movies did not have 3D versions created.
Deadpool vs Wolverine was not filmed natively in 3D and has been post-converted and is available in both 3D IMAX and RealD 3D. While filmed with the IMAX-certified Arri Alexa LF, the film is a 2:39:1 aspect ratio in all theaters, with no scenes using the IMAX Digital 1.90:1 format: there’s also no 48fps or Truecut Motion magic going on, it’s all 24fps.
3D is considered by many people to be silly irreverent and unnecessary – and when done properly: a huge amount of fun – which sounds like it should be a perfect match for Deadpool: and so, it proved.
While many people only think about 3D as stuff coming at you out of the screen, what I love about it is also how it gives depth and beauty to landscapes – especially when there are large vistas – it certainly did that for the scenes set in the Void. However, that’s not to say that there wasn’t a heck of a lot of flying pointy scimitars in-your-face stuff going on as well – there certainly was. The opening credits have a frankly silly amount of body parts and credits flying around the screen and 3D is the way it should be seen. At one point a katana comes out of the screen so effectively that you’ll feel you’re in danger of getting an unwanted haircut if you are leaning forward. My favourite 3D moment though comes towards the end, when the heroes burst out of the back of a bus with glass shattering in slow motion – not just forward but breaking the 2.:39:1 frame of the movie – it’s very effective stuff.
Sadly, theaters only seem to offer the IMAX 3D version for early showings, and. Like Deadpool joining the MCU, I’m a little late to the party, so if you fancy 3D for this, RealD is likely your only option. If you do, it’s worth seeking out a screen that you know has a good, bright digital projector. The only downside of the 3D IMAX is that it was a tad dimmer than I would have liked. I saw it in a local theatre with single-laser projection and I feel it would have benefited greatly from a bright dual-laser projection.
Alternatively, you can also see it in 3D in 4DX showings. Having seen Twisters in that format recently, I’m sure Deadpool vs Wolverine would work well for that too. So while unexpected, I was glad to have caught this one in 3D. It seems that the industry is getting the balance right and having lurched from offering 3D for everything where it was wanted or needed, to banishing it seemingly altogether, it understands that for the right movie, and done the right way, 3D has its place.
