The people here in the comments getting touchy over anyone who doesn't fawn over Deadpool/Wolverine are using the same defense people used to use whilst defending the musical merits of ABBA.
Well,they must be good.They sell a lot of records.Right?
They're using box office sales as proof of this films quality which is ridiculous and proves nothing other than that many people are easily amused.
It was such a strange feeling, seeing this in theatres. I’m of the age demographic that grew up with the X-Men and other Fox-helmed films, so my expectations were a little higher than they’ve been for the MCU as of late.
But… I don’t know, I couldn’t shake my cynicism either, even if quite a few of the smaller flourishes landed (seeing Jackman in the classic suit, most of the cameos, some dialogue deep cuts, etc).
Was I expecting high art, was anybody? Of course not. I mean, it is a Deadpool movie. At this point, there shouldn’t be any confusion about what you’re walking into.
But multiverse stories are an inherently tricky thing, especially with unclear or subpar stakes and I agree completely that, when all was said and done, this one just wasn’t up to it (to-be-counted billions of dollars aside - I’m in the minority on this one and that’s okay).
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts Ryan! It really feels like the superhero genre is a snake eating its own tail right now. I'm curious to see how much longer it can survive at the center of culture (all popular genres have eventually fallen out of fashion).
That's a good point! We're definitely in something of a transitional period for the genre as a whole and it'll be interesting to see just how long it lasts (from biblical epics to Westerns, you're right, everything loses its footing).
No... "service the hardcore fans” is definitely NOT on the MCU's list of priorities at all, much less in the top five. This movie had mountains of fan service because Reynolds and his team wrote, directed, and edited it; if Reynolds hadn't gone to Chapek to demand control and the rehiring of his team, it would have been written by the pair of sisters Feige hired to write it, whose only experience was making a cartoon about farts and queefs, who don't know or care about the source material and would have pushed the post-Marvel Creative Committee agenda of subverting everything that the hardcore fans love and want under the guise of "attracing new fans" who criticize them on X but never buy tickets no matter how much you pander to them; would have been directed by a first timer that Feige could puppeteer; and would have been edited by the studio's clowns who say that all of the hardcore fans are bigots.
And yet somehow Deadpool &Wolverine not only has a 79%Percent RT score. The Audience score is 97% Positive Reviews from critics (excluding you). And is breaking box office records left and right. And we can both agree that D&W will be the second R Rated movie to hit $1 Billion. The other of course is Joker. So I guess lots of people DO LOVE Amusement Park Theme movies! And the notion of Superhero Fatigue is clearly a exaggeration. Sorry to break it to you Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Craig.
I know it's an unpopular opinion! If a lot of people love it or disagree with me I have zero problem with that. Have you seen it yet? What did you think?
It's not an "unpopular opinion". That's a modern defense against data that says "you are wrong". You're just grumpy. And this is a business.
Culture has changed. Cinema has changed from the art you love to the spreadsheet you hate. D&W is a masterful class in breaking the fourth wall on both. I feel bad for people that see a GIANT win in cinema business for both production and fans that can't see how this is good for everything, comparable to where it's been.
I am convinced most people are in the social media era, like you, of just making money off of hating cinema and film in any form possible. Longlegs, D&W. It's so depressing.
I'm a hotel guy that went to film school in the mid 90s. It started with Freddy vs Jason, the first time fan hopes / service got fulfilled. It's been a wild ride of Hollywood trying to fulfill the expectations, ever since. Alien vs Predator, etc. Then the Marvel Universe exploded post Blade (why let it be a black dude that started all this?), and the timeline bullshit made everything get out of control.
I am so disappointed and tired with people that stylize themselves as critics just hating on cinema every chance they can, just to be heard. It's depressing and boring.
Deadpool Wolverine is a high water mark for studios understanding modern audiences. If you don't get that, it's on you. It's a white swan event of about 25 different reasons it will pack a theatre, and if you don't get that, it's on you. Pro superhero, anti-superhero, pro X-Men, anti-Marvel, etc.
It feels like you're coming from a film theory class you took in 2003, or maybe 2014. It's quaint, but it's dated, and it's weird to read someone younger than me that doesn't get the whole picture about the art form vs the business form.
The film was fine as cinema. It was HILARIOUS as a send-up. It was pretty masterful at capturing modern sensibility of the overlay of production vs art crossed with pop culture.
But that it used the whole vehicle to LAUNCH ANOTHER DECADE OF STORYTELLING I AM PRETTY OKAY WITH THAT... because it did it masterfully. We'll see where X-Men goes, but basically...
Audiences are more sophisticated than you appear to think they are. It's rude. They aren't all mouth breathing idiots throwing money away. It's just so bizarre and elitist a commentary (and I am an SF progressive). X-Men was horribly handled by Rothman or whomever at Fox (and Rothman did good work outside of killing superhero shit), and now we're seeing an era of Disney allowing hard R stuff that eviscerates their brand, other brands, their wholesome notions (the pegging joke and wink was top notch).
Now, as a kid who never understood Thor, or Iron Man or the Avengers or Fantastic Four, and grew up with Claremont's X-Men about marginalized and subclass people in society trying to find their voice and how they fit in amongst hate? It's the most powerful narrative in superhero history, and it might actually be at the forefront of a new era that has so much more resonance, impact, and social relevance than the dumbass spandex of the past.
So what you're essentially saying is you don't get it, you don't see the future, you don't understand the business, and you don't get what audiences want? That's a WILD statement for someone who is in the business of the business. I'm just a hotel guy so I don't have to publicly burn my entire career.
edit: I don't even care about this film, and I'm busy watching 4K versions of Lawrence or Singin' in the Rain or rewatching Mindwalk from 1992, or watching 70s horror, etc. Actually, because I do like film theory, I'm watching these 5 and 6 hour breakdowns on films like Hereditary, etc. LOL When you begin watching so much theory you don't watch the films, it's like modding video games and never actually playing them!
I do not like the MCU, I hate DC, and I hate what comic books did for the last 20 years to standalone non-IP. I am not "supporting" any of this as a fanboy. I am not defending as a fan. I am defending as a person who sees the industry realize they need to work themselves out of the corner they painted themselves into. Yes, it may not work.
We may get another decade of goofy trash.
But I am fully convinced that anyone in the film ecosphere is just making money off of hating everything. It's worse than a Marvel film. Look at Box Office on reddit... it's just people wanting things to fail.
Now that, gasp, a film didn't fail... it's getting every hot take on why it's bad for cinema. I'm so very, very tired of cashing as masquerading as film criticism.
I'm also sleepy and grumpy and I like you and really hope this isn't rude vs passionately exhausted by [waves hands around] all this stuff.
Did you seriously try to make "the rise of Marvel Studios happening after Blade" into a racist occurrence?! LMAO!
Marvel Studios didn't make Blade.
Blade's success built the foundation that allowed Marvel Studios to borrow an ungodly fortune from the bank and make its first movie, "Iron Man."
They didn't make more Blade movies or use him as a focal point or centerpiece of the MCU because Marvel Studios didn't have the rights to Blade: they leased him to New Line to get the money to build their own studio, and only recently got the rights back.
New Line stopped after Trinity because Snipes didn't even show up to film most of it and he killed the franchise with his antics. But we all know that Blade started it all by proving that a comic book movie could be awesome and grounded, unlike the goofy Batman movies that were good but afraid to be serious with the premise (yes, even '89 was campy), and proved that Marvel characters could carry films if handled well, not just the DC power duo. The fact that Blade wasn't the central character of the new MCU had nothing to do with him being a black guy: if Marvel Studios had been able to get the rights back then, they would have made him the key figure from whose fourth film the newest characters of the MCU would have been introduced... but they couldn't get the rights to Blade back, so they used Tony Stark as the central character... and the highest-paid actor in that first MCU movie was a black man.
A lot of people don’t like D&W, LOL. That fact that more people like it doesn’t make other people’s opinions wrong. Are you serious? These are opinions, not facts or truths. It’s a fact that more people like D&W, one the author already acknowledged, but that doesn’t make it a good movie by any stretch of the imagination. I love a lot of brainless blockbusters, but if I wasn’t with folks I would have walked out of D&W after an hour because I was so bored, and honestly it’s rare that I get that urge, like maybe 6 times in my life and I see 1-2 movies a week in theaters. D&W was exhausting. I love that you loved it though, and other people to, and that it’s making money, it’s good for theatrical, but I can also be sad it’s in a year when other blockbusters like Furiosa (which is phenomenal) and The Fall Guy bombed. Granted they very much over spent on those, but the quality is so much higher it would be great to see more of that sort of stuff produced and less of this.
I'm genuinely annoyed and sad that The Fall Guy didn't get the word of mouth that it deserved and become a hit... but let's be intellectually honest here: if it HAD been a hit, the exact same criticisms being leveled at D&W would have been hurled at The Fall Guy. Some of them may have even been warranted to some degree... but just as with D&W, many of them aren't, and are solely applied because it has mass appeal and is enjoyed by people who can't possibly have an educated and refined lens for cinema, so therefore if it's rabidly consumed by those Plebs, it *must* be objectively bad art and be guilty of all of the vague yet trite accusations of crimes against good taste in film.
Not to mention we literally just saw this film. A wise cracking, motor mouthed, sarcastic, red suited superhero teams up with a grumpy, old, superhero from another timeline in a now defunct movie series to save his family that is ultimately just constructed as a love letter to that iconic actor/character and to all of the previous film properties, both produced and unproduced, but in that case from DC instead of Marvel. They are the exact same movie, but The Flash is arguably the better film of the two because it invests more in its world and narrative, but it was also saddled by the real world weight of its problematic lead and the death of the DCEU.
I really don’t see it that way. For starters, reviews come out before there is any box office and so in terms of professional critics at least, The Fall Guy scored much higher than D&W and BO success wouldn’t change that. Outside of professional reviews (which I don’t read until after I see a movie) I’m not familiar with what is being levied at this film so I’m not sure what vague yet trite accusations you are referring to. This was just recommended to me by my phone so I read it. I thought the first two acts were just really rough. It lurched around and it was so much exposition and multiverse nonsense and this film fires off jokes so fast, but so few actually land that while it was actually funnier than a lot of comedies it also had more flat jokes than any movie I can remember in recent memory. I was shocked, I thought everyone in my theater was hating it because the first two acts there just was so little laughter, the silence was deafening because it was so weird with how many “jokes” were flying at us, but apparently most folks loved it and that’s fine. I did think the last act was a lot of fun though, so it ended on a high note and so that helps in terms of what you walk out with. That final act ultimately is what matters most. The film was just so much wink wink, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was also everything it reported to knock. I just want a break from the multiverse and I wish it retained some of the grittiness of the first two Deadpool’s and that we weren’t pushed into the bright blown out world of the MCU. It would have been lovely to have any sort of stakes or a story to hang on to. Hugh Jackman was phenomenal though, a few of the cameos were delicious, some awesome music cues and some of the jokes were actually spectacular, but this movie was just a list of people/characters and songs they wanted to showcase and jokes they wanted to make strung together with no real regard for narrative. It was a standup special where most the jokes don’t land. Still when Deadpool looks over at Wolverine as his shirt explodes with complete love, adoration, and lust, moments like that were absolutely gold and felt wholly. As a tribute to him, the film is gorgeous and just proves what an indelible mark his character and performance has left on this world so I can’t be mad at it, I just wish it was better as a whole.
Saw it twice. Loved it both times. This is exactly the movie that I feel the MCU needed. Not just because it's the first R movie either. Hopefully if and when the MCU Blade is finally get going. It too should be a R movie. Marvel can still make PG-13 movies like Spider-Man. Fantastic 4 and The Avengers. While also make R Rated movie like fingers crossed...Ghost Rider, Blade, The Punisher etc.
I am so offended at the idea that because you support films you appreciate, someone would think your opinion matters *less*. So many people don't realize they hate film, and just want to fight. I'm in here eating popcorn with friends like you. I cannot believe people would waste time on such nonsense like saying an *opinion* isn't valid because you had a good time enjoying something.
edit: Bill edited his comment that said "yeah just not the ones for kids" to include "manlets". Just because disingenious editing to reinforce a flawed statement is sorta dumb, so might as well track reality.
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Actually, because I don't care about spandex... would love to know a few of your favorites in the last decade? I'm not sure if it's the ability to pack in subtext or whatever, but for me it's all horror adjacent... and I guess I wouldn't have to say films but directors: Ari Aster, Alex Garland, Robert Eggers, etc.
But a hard-r film isn't for kids, so you're just being glib and rude. I'd love to know what you like as such a sophisticated adult?
Not as bizarre as your use of “Victimhood?” Who is the victim Matt? I got no horse on this MCU/Deadpool debate. I just simply had a different opinion to Mr. Craig. No animosity. No agenda. We just have different views of the movie. And like Matt Craig say perfectly. My opinion will not change his opinion. And vise versa. We can like a movie. Or not like a movie. Does not matter if it's the MCU or a independent movie studio like A24. As long as us as moviegoers enjoy ourselves watching any movie is a win.
*thank you*. Lotta people make a living on hating film and movies. You gotta afford that sushi dinner in LA. But some of my favorite people have seemingly gone all in on "I don't get the industry or the audience, and I think I hate movies", and it's so tiring.
Bullshit. It's only making "box office records" because there is nothing really to compete with it. Also, box office is dead. Marvel could buy 1 million tickets with merch and claim receipts. Please.
Rotten Tomatoes is not a good metric, mediocre reviews are still classified there as positive, if you look at places like metacritic it gives you a much better picture of where things actually sit with critics, which is in the 50s for D&W. That doesn’t mean that lots of people don’t love amusement park movies, I do, I love the Jurassic movies, loved Twisters, and I enjoy most of the MCU, but I also found D&W to be mind numbing, multiverse dreck. Loved bits and pieces here and there, Wolverine as a whole, but I can’t take anymore of the multiverse gibbelty goo and this movie was so repetitive and maybe 10 percent of the jokes landed, which made it funnier than lots of comedies, but comedies aren’t attempting jokes at this rate, and there are a lot of bad jokes and jokes that they just beat to death.
I feel gaslit by the article. Thanks for reminding me this is a comment section of a substack and now I'm moving on with my life. Cheers. Enjoy what you enjoy and be happy.
As someone who is DEEP into the comics and insider knowledge of the MCU…and of course who absolutely loved this movie, I’ll admit it…you’re not wrong
People are definitely enthralled with these types of movies and honestly, i think because it’s all their bandwidth can endure…especially for those who come a couple times a year, and when they do, they don’t want to have to think and ponder and only be entertained
Just a shame because there really are brilliant movies with amazing scripts, acting, cinematography, and so on and people unfortunately miss out on it until they pull up the Oscars
Very womp womp take to have. You also have a significant amount of typos and errors throughout your article, one even being when you reference another article you wrote. Maybe do a proofing before hitting the post button bud.
I loved it. I have watched all the marvel movies since 2008. This was so much fun... Finally the audience has SPOKEN. No more stupid horror flicks, no more "family movies with 2 snot nosed drama infested middle class teenagers" and no more dumb romedies. Just kick-ass fun and humor!!! Yay Marvel/Disney! Take a lesson DC...you should have never replaced Henry Cavill...Wolverine until he's 90!!!! Blade, Electra, Captain America, Toad, Sabertooth, New Gambit...Thor...HAHAHAHA...OMG...So much fun!
I think being a movie critic has become the most meaningless job in the world. They never understand what most people like or wont in a movie and often get it wrong. They gift us with an over inflated opinion that has little to do with the movie its self. More of an exercise of patting their own backs for reassurance that they know what a quality movie really is. I listen to word of mouth. Far more reliable than any movie critic.
Spoken like someone who doesn't understand what film criticism is nor how to make use of it to enhance your understanding of the medium. The "ooga booga me like!" neanderthal response is fine for a candy store.
The film was hot fucking garbage. All these idiots that are fawning over it have never read any of the comic books, because if they did they would know how pissed the REAL FANS are at 25 years of these shitty ass films. The entire existence of the MCU needs to be set on fire, never referenced, and all films VAULTED until somebody that actually knows the comic books can come in there and make an accurate ADAPTATION and not some soyboy's fantasy fan fic. Marvel needs to stop investing in these pieces of shit and invest back into comic books because none of these films are aging well.
I can think of one billion different ways to burn one billion dollars on a film than this schluck Marvel Disney keeps churning out. Breaking the 4th wall with jokes only people old enough to care to remember from 1996 ain't helping it either, especially since from jump Ryan Reynolds was the worst choice to play fucking Deadpool if we are being faithful to the source material. Four films later its just beating a fucking dead horse that died from AIDS after being raped by an elephant. This is why he just said he's not doing any more films and this build up to him being in Secret Wars is literally all balls with no shaft. He has just as good of a chance being in there as Wesley Snipes does playing Blade in it.
Marvel movies , specifically Deadpool, are not for everyone. Clearly you are one of those people they are not for, and I'm ok with that. It doesn't bother me, what does bother me is your apparent utter lack of respect for those who do like it.
You lost me with 'Making a “good movie” is not their top priority'. It's clear that you understand that these movies are for a target audience, and yet you criticise the MCU for making movies that THAT audience thinks are good.
This whole thing is like people who live in a big city saying they don't like pickup trucks......no sh*t, they arent made for people in big cities.
Who gave this asshat a blog?? If you dont like the Marvel movies dont watch them jackass. I'm sure you've watched Passion of the Christ or Schindler's List 14 times but that doesn't make you the end all be all of movie critics.
Matt, I fully understand how marvel studios/MCU are THE/a popular target, and I acknowledge D&W is packaged entertainment (but I believe made with genuine intent, for whatever that’s worth).
But… movies have always been populist entertainment. It’s even somewhat silly to have to write that. Most forms of entertainment is dominated by populism.
But here’s the thing: To suggest marvel studios is somehow responsible for moviegoers not understanding/appreciating/patronizing ‘cinema’(Scorsese/‘real movies’(you) is something of a populist argument as well.
It’s a well-tread argument appealing to a certain demo of movie fans.
I appreciate your ability as a writer but the substance here isn’t new or revelatory.
It’s skillfully seasoned red meat for people resentful of the popularity of the MCU.
Haha got people calling me elitist AND populist in the same comment section!! This one I will take gladly. I want movies to be for the mass audiences not for pretentious art school snobs. "Skillfully seasoned red meat for people resentful of the popularity of the MCU" should be my new tag line.
You can have a different opinion all you want and congrats on creating interest with your title but at the end of the day if you write a blog and ask people for their opinions on your post that's what you're going to get. Don't post a blog and have comments turned on just to whine about them. Own your opinion and stop playing victim. BTW, saw it twice and idgaf what you think about the movie either way. Your hatred of anything Marvel kind of makes me chuckle and yeah, I can totally see how you would get viewed as "elitist" or having your nose turned up at people. This response doesn't help your case.
I think we both know your position isn’t “elitist,” Matt.
Sure, on the surface criticizing popular things for being popular has the air of ‘elitism’ but it’s in fact standard in the world of art, music, literature, and nothing here elevates the discourse.
As demonstrated by the comments here some people just like the idea they have better tastes than others but most to the point, they want you to know it.
Movies like Deadpool & Wolverine are the cinematic equivalent of a McDonald's Happy Meal and just about as nutritious.You'll be hungry again in an hour.
Yet,everyday you see the lemmings lined up at the drive thru to get their Big Mac.
I haven’t eaten McDonald’s for decades. I don’t eat much quick service food at all (the occasional Jersey mikes or chipotle, maybe shake shack once a year).
But here’s a thing. I don’t frequent Internet forums criticizing McDonalds, KFC, or dominos and the people who eat it more often than I.
The people here in the comments getting touchy over anyone who doesn't fawn over Deadpool/Wolverine are using the same defense people used to use whilst defending the musical merits of ABBA.
Well,they must be good.They sell a lot of records.Right?
They're using box office sales as proof of this films quality which is ridiculous and proves nothing other than that many people are easily amused.
What is “proof” of a film’s work quality?
Well said, Matt.
It was such a strange feeling, seeing this in theatres. I’m of the age demographic that grew up with the X-Men and other Fox-helmed films, so my expectations were a little higher than they’ve been for the MCU as of late.
But… I don’t know, I couldn’t shake my cynicism either, even if quite a few of the smaller flourishes landed (seeing Jackman in the classic suit, most of the cameos, some dialogue deep cuts, etc).
Was I expecting high art, was anybody? Of course not. I mean, it is a Deadpool movie. At this point, there shouldn’t be any confusion about what you’re walking into.
But multiverse stories are an inherently tricky thing, especially with unclear or subpar stakes and I agree completely that, when all was said and done, this one just wasn’t up to it (to-be-counted billions of dollars aside - I’m in the minority on this one and that’s okay).
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts Ryan! It really feels like the superhero genre is a snake eating its own tail right now. I'm curious to see how much longer it can survive at the center of culture (all popular genres have eventually fallen out of fashion).
That's a good point! We're definitely in something of a transitional period for the genre as a whole and it'll be interesting to see just how long it lasts (from biblical epics to Westerns, you're right, everything loses its footing).
No... "service the hardcore fans” is definitely NOT on the MCU's list of priorities at all, much less in the top five. This movie had mountains of fan service because Reynolds and his team wrote, directed, and edited it; if Reynolds hadn't gone to Chapek to demand control and the rehiring of his team, it would have been written by the pair of sisters Feige hired to write it, whose only experience was making a cartoon about farts and queefs, who don't know or care about the source material and would have pushed the post-Marvel Creative Committee agenda of subverting everything that the hardcore fans love and want under the guise of "attracing new fans" who criticize them on X but never buy tickets no matter how much you pander to them; would have been directed by a first timer that Feige could puppeteer; and would have been edited by the studio's clowns who say that all of the hardcore fans are bigots.
Everybody got a opinion it seems.
And yet somehow Deadpool &Wolverine not only has a 79%Percent RT score. The Audience score is 97% Positive Reviews from critics (excluding you). And is breaking box office records left and right. And we can both agree that D&W will be the second R Rated movie to hit $1 Billion. The other of course is Joker. So I guess lots of people DO LOVE Amusement Park Theme movies! And the notion of Superhero Fatigue is clearly a exaggeration. Sorry to break it to you Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Craig.
I know it's an unpopular opinion! If a lot of people love it or disagree with me I have zero problem with that. Have you seen it yet? What did you think?
It's not an "unpopular opinion". That's a modern defense against data that says "you are wrong". You're just grumpy. And this is a business.
Culture has changed. Cinema has changed from the art you love to the spreadsheet you hate. D&W is a masterful class in breaking the fourth wall on both. I feel bad for people that see a GIANT win in cinema business for both production and fans that can't see how this is good for everything, comparable to where it's been.
I am convinced most people are in the social media era, like you, of just making money off of hating cinema and film in any form possible. Longlegs, D&W. It's so depressing.
I'm a hotel guy that went to film school in the mid 90s. It started with Freddy vs Jason, the first time fan hopes / service got fulfilled. It's been a wild ride of Hollywood trying to fulfill the expectations, ever since. Alien vs Predator, etc. Then the Marvel Universe exploded post Blade (why let it be a black dude that started all this?), and the timeline bullshit made everything get out of control.
I am so disappointed and tired with people that stylize themselves as critics just hating on cinema every chance they can, just to be heard. It's depressing and boring.
Deadpool Wolverine is a high water mark for studios understanding modern audiences. If you don't get that, it's on you. It's a white swan event of about 25 different reasons it will pack a theatre, and if you don't get that, it's on you. Pro superhero, anti-superhero, pro X-Men, anti-Marvel, etc.
It feels like you're coming from a film theory class you took in 2003, or maybe 2014. It's quaint, but it's dated, and it's weird to read someone younger than me that doesn't get the whole picture about the art form vs the business form.
The film was fine as cinema. It was HILARIOUS as a send-up. It was pretty masterful at capturing modern sensibility of the overlay of production vs art crossed with pop culture.
But that it used the whole vehicle to LAUNCH ANOTHER DECADE OF STORYTELLING I AM PRETTY OKAY WITH THAT... because it did it masterfully. We'll see where X-Men goes, but basically...
Audiences are more sophisticated than you appear to think they are. It's rude. They aren't all mouth breathing idiots throwing money away. It's just so bizarre and elitist a commentary (and I am an SF progressive). X-Men was horribly handled by Rothman or whomever at Fox (and Rothman did good work outside of killing superhero shit), and now we're seeing an era of Disney allowing hard R stuff that eviscerates their brand, other brands, their wholesome notions (the pegging joke and wink was top notch).
Now, as a kid who never understood Thor, or Iron Man or the Avengers or Fantastic Four, and grew up with Claremont's X-Men about marginalized and subclass people in society trying to find their voice and how they fit in amongst hate? It's the most powerful narrative in superhero history, and it might actually be at the forefront of a new era that has so much more resonance, impact, and social relevance than the dumbass spandex of the past.
So what you're essentially saying is you don't get it, you don't see the future, you don't understand the business, and you don't get what audiences want? That's a WILD statement for someone who is in the business of the business. I'm just a hotel guy so I don't have to publicly burn my entire career.
edit: I don't even care about this film, and I'm busy watching 4K versions of Lawrence or Singin' in the Rain or rewatching Mindwalk from 1992, or watching 70s horror, etc. Actually, because I do like film theory, I'm watching these 5 and 6 hour breakdowns on films like Hereditary, etc. LOL When you begin watching so much theory you don't watch the films, it's like modding video games and never actually playing them!
I do not like the MCU, I hate DC, and I hate what comic books did for the last 20 years to standalone non-IP. I am not "supporting" any of this as a fanboy. I am not defending as a fan. I am defending as a person who sees the industry realize they need to work themselves out of the corner they painted themselves into. Yes, it may not work.
We may get another decade of goofy trash.
But I am fully convinced that anyone in the film ecosphere is just making money off of hating everything. It's worse than a Marvel film. Look at Box Office on reddit... it's just people wanting things to fail.
Now that, gasp, a film didn't fail... it's getting every hot take on why it's bad for cinema. I'm so very, very tired of cashing as masquerading as film criticism.
I'm also sleepy and grumpy and I like you and really hope this isn't rude vs passionately exhausted by [waves hands around] all this stuff.
Did you seriously try to make "the rise of Marvel Studios happening after Blade" into a racist occurrence?! LMAO!
Marvel Studios didn't make Blade.
Blade's success built the foundation that allowed Marvel Studios to borrow an ungodly fortune from the bank and make its first movie, "Iron Man."
They didn't make more Blade movies or use him as a focal point or centerpiece of the MCU because Marvel Studios didn't have the rights to Blade: they leased him to New Line to get the money to build their own studio, and only recently got the rights back.
New Line stopped after Trinity because Snipes didn't even show up to film most of it and he killed the franchise with his antics. But we all know that Blade started it all by proving that a comic book movie could be awesome and grounded, unlike the goofy Batman movies that were good but afraid to be serious with the premise (yes, even '89 was campy), and proved that Marvel characters could carry films if handled well, not just the DC power duo. The fact that Blade wasn't the central character of the new MCU had nothing to do with him being a black guy: if Marvel Studios had been able to get the rights back then, they would have made him the key figure from whose fourth film the newest characters of the MCU would have been introduced... but they couldn't get the rights to Blade back, so they used Tony Stark as the central character... and the highest-paid actor in that first MCU movie was a black man.
A lot of people don’t like D&W, LOL. That fact that more people like it doesn’t make other people’s opinions wrong. Are you serious? These are opinions, not facts or truths. It’s a fact that more people like D&W, one the author already acknowledged, but that doesn’t make it a good movie by any stretch of the imagination. I love a lot of brainless blockbusters, but if I wasn’t with folks I would have walked out of D&W after an hour because I was so bored, and honestly it’s rare that I get that urge, like maybe 6 times in my life and I see 1-2 movies a week in theaters. D&W was exhausting. I love that you loved it though, and other people to, and that it’s making money, it’s good for theatrical, but I can also be sad it’s in a year when other blockbusters like Furiosa (which is phenomenal) and The Fall Guy bombed. Granted they very much over spent on those, but the quality is so much higher it would be great to see more of that sort of stuff produced and less of this.
I'm genuinely annoyed and sad that The Fall Guy didn't get the word of mouth that it deserved and become a hit... but let's be intellectually honest here: if it HAD been a hit, the exact same criticisms being leveled at D&W would have been hurled at The Fall Guy. Some of them may have even been warranted to some degree... but just as with D&W, many of them aren't, and are solely applied because it has mass appeal and is enjoyed by people who can't possibly have an educated and refined lens for cinema, so therefore if it's rabidly consumed by those Plebs, it *must* be objectively bad art and be guilty of all of the vague yet trite accusations of crimes against good taste in film.
Not to mention we literally just saw this film. A wise cracking, motor mouthed, sarcastic, red suited superhero teams up with a grumpy, old, superhero from another timeline in a now defunct movie series to save his family that is ultimately just constructed as a love letter to that iconic actor/character and to all of the previous film properties, both produced and unproduced, but in that case from DC instead of Marvel. They are the exact same movie, but The Flash is arguably the better film of the two because it invests more in its world and narrative, but it was also saddled by the real world weight of its problematic lead and the death of the DCEU.
I really don’t see it that way. For starters, reviews come out before there is any box office and so in terms of professional critics at least, The Fall Guy scored much higher than D&W and BO success wouldn’t change that. Outside of professional reviews (which I don’t read until after I see a movie) I’m not familiar with what is being levied at this film so I’m not sure what vague yet trite accusations you are referring to. This was just recommended to me by my phone so I read it. I thought the first two acts were just really rough. It lurched around and it was so much exposition and multiverse nonsense and this film fires off jokes so fast, but so few actually land that while it was actually funnier than a lot of comedies it also had more flat jokes than any movie I can remember in recent memory. I was shocked, I thought everyone in my theater was hating it because the first two acts there just was so little laughter, the silence was deafening because it was so weird with how many “jokes” were flying at us, but apparently most folks loved it and that’s fine. I did think the last act was a lot of fun though, so it ended on a high note and so that helps in terms of what you walk out with. That final act ultimately is what matters most. The film was just so much wink wink, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was also everything it reported to knock. I just want a break from the multiverse and I wish it retained some of the grittiness of the first two Deadpool’s and that we weren’t pushed into the bright blown out world of the MCU. It would have been lovely to have any sort of stakes or a story to hang on to. Hugh Jackman was phenomenal though, a few of the cameos were delicious, some awesome music cues and some of the jokes were actually spectacular, but this movie was just a list of people/characters and songs they wanted to showcase and jokes they wanted to make strung together with no real regard for narrative. It was a standup special where most the jokes don’t land. Still when Deadpool looks over at Wolverine as his shirt explodes with complete love, adoration, and lust, moments like that were absolutely gold and felt wholly. As a tribute to him, the film is gorgeous and just proves what an indelible mark his character and performance has left on this world so I can’t be mad at it, I just wish it was better as a whole.
i ain't reading all that
i'm happy for u tho
or sorry that happened
The brainwashing as you characterize it works masterfully on kidults.
Saw it twice. Loved it both times. This is exactly the movie that I feel the MCU needed. Not just because it's the first R movie either. Hopefully if and when the MCU Blade is finally get going. It too should be a R movie. Marvel can still make PG-13 movies like Spider-Man. Fantastic 4 and The Avengers. While also make R Rated movie like fingers crossed...Ghost Rider, Blade, The Punisher etc.
I am so offended at the idea that because you support films you appreciate, someone would think your opinion matters *less*. So many people don't realize they hate film, and just want to fight. I'm in here eating popcorn with friends like you. I cannot believe people would waste time on such nonsense like saying an *opinion* isn't valid because you had a good time enjoying something.
Your opinion is severely diminished in admitting you've seen it twice already at least in my view.
Do you even like movies?
Yeah just not the ones for kids and manlets.
edit: Bill edited his comment that said "yeah just not the ones for kids" to include "manlets". Just because disingenious editing to reinforce a flawed statement is sorta dumb, so might as well track reality.
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Actually, because I don't care about spandex... would love to know a few of your favorites in the last decade? I'm not sure if it's the ability to pack in subtext or whatever, but for me it's all horror adjacent... and I guess I wouldn't have to say films but directors: Ari Aster, Alex Garland, Robert Eggers, etc.
But a hard-r film isn't for kids, so you're just being glib and rude. I'd love to know what you like as such a sophisticated adult?
Your comment has such a sense of victimhood just because someone doesn’t like the most popular movie franchise in the world, it’s bizarre!
Not as bizarre as your use of “Victimhood?” Who is the victim Matt? I got no horse on this MCU/Deadpool debate. I just simply had a different opinion to Mr. Craig. No animosity. No agenda. We just have different views of the movie. And like Matt Craig say perfectly. My opinion will not change his opinion. And vise versa. We can like a movie. Or not like a movie. Does not matter if it's the MCU or a independent movie studio like A24. As long as us as moviegoers enjoy ourselves watching any movie is a win.
*thank you*. Lotta people make a living on hating film and movies. You gotta afford that sushi dinner in LA. But some of my favorite people have seemingly gone all in on "I don't get the industry or the audience, and I think I hate movies", and it's so tiring.
Bullshit. It's only making "box office records" because there is nothing really to compete with it. Also, box office is dead. Marvel could buy 1 million tickets with merch and claim receipts. Please.
Rotten Tomatoes is not a good metric, mediocre reviews are still classified there as positive, if you look at places like metacritic it gives you a much better picture of where things actually sit with critics, which is in the 50s for D&W. That doesn’t mean that lots of people don’t love amusement park movies, I do, I love the Jurassic movies, loved Twisters, and I enjoy most of the MCU, but I also found D&W to be mind numbing, multiverse dreck. Loved bits and pieces here and there, Wolverine as a whole, but I can’t take anymore of the multiverse gibbelty goo and this movie was so repetitive and maybe 10 percent of the jokes landed, which made it funnier than lots of comedies, but comedies aren’t attempting jokes at this rate, and there are a lot of bad jokes and jokes that they just beat to death.
This "terrible" movie looks like it may break 1Billion dollars in 2 weeks. I'd guess there must be something there.
Wouldn't be the first time! Haha what did you think, have you seen it yet?
Right?!?! It must be as good as the live action The Lion King! 😂
I feel gaslit by the article. Thanks for reminding me this is a comment section of a substack and now I'm moving on with my life. Cheers. Enjoy what you enjoy and be happy.
As someone who is DEEP into the comics and insider knowledge of the MCU…and of course who absolutely loved this movie, I’ll admit it…you’re not wrong
People are definitely enthralled with these types of movies and honestly, i think because it’s all their bandwidth can endure…especially for those who come a couple times a year, and when they do, they don’t want to have to think and ponder and only be entertained
Just a shame because there really are brilliant movies with amazing scripts, acting, cinematography, and so on and people unfortunately miss out on it until they pull up the Oscars
Well said my friend
Very womp womp take to have. You also have a significant amount of typos and errors throughout your article, one even being when you reference another article you wrote. Maybe do a proofing before hitting the post button bud.
I loved it. I have watched all the marvel movies since 2008. This was so much fun... Finally the audience has SPOKEN. No more stupid horror flicks, no more "family movies with 2 snot nosed drama infested middle class teenagers" and no more dumb romedies. Just kick-ass fun and humor!!! Yay Marvel/Disney! Take a lesson DC...you should have never replaced Henry Cavill...Wolverine until he's 90!!!! Blade, Electra, Captain America, Toad, Sabertooth, New Gambit...Thor...HAHAHAHA...OMG...So much fun!
I think being a movie critic has become the most meaningless job in the world. They never understand what most people like or wont in a movie and often get it wrong. They gift us with an over inflated opinion that has little to do with the movie its self. More of an exercise of patting their own backs for reassurance that they know what a quality movie really is. I listen to word of mouth. Far more reliable than any movie critic.
Spoken like someone who doesn't understand what film criticism is nor how to make use of it to enhance your understanding of the medium. The "ooga booga me like!" neanderthal response is fine for a candy store.
The film was hot fucking garbage. All these idiots that are fawning over it have never read any of the comic books, because if they did they would know how pissed the REAL FANS are at 25 years of these shitty ass films. The entire existence of the MCU needs to be set on fire, never referenced, and all films VAULTED until somebody that actually knows the comic books can come in there and make an accurate ADAPTATION and not some soyboy's fantasy fan fic. Marvel needs to stop investing in these pieces of shit and invest back into comic books because none of these films are aging well.
I can think of one billion different ways to burn one billion dollars on a film than this schluck Marvel Disney keeps churning out. Breaking the 4th wall with jokes only people old enough to care to remember from 1996 ain't helping it either, especially since from jump Ryan Reynolds was the worst choice to play fucking Deadpool if we are being faithful to the source material. Four films later its just beating a fucking dead horse that died from AIDS after being raped by an elephant. This is why he just said he's not doing any more films and this build up to him being in Secret Wars is literally all balls with no shaft. He has just as good of a chance being in there as Wesley Snipes does playing Blade in it.
Marvel movies , specifically Deadpool, are not for everyone. Clearly you are one of those people they are not for, and I'm ok with that. It doesn't bother me, what does bother me is your apparent utter lack of respect for those who do like it.
You lost me with 'Making a “good movie” is not their top priority'. It's clear that you understand that these movies are for a target audience, and yet you criticise the MCU for making movies that THAT audience thinks are good.
This whole thing is like people who live in a big city saying they don't like pickup trucks......no sh*t, they arent made for people in big cities.
Who gave this asshat a blog?? If you dont like the Marvel movies dont watch them jackass. I'm sure you've watched Passion of the Christ or Schindler's List 14 times but that doesn't make you the end all be all of movie critics.
Matt, I fully understand how marvel studios/MCU are THE/a popular target, and I acknowledge D&W is packaged entertainment (but I believe made with genuine intent, for whatever that’s worth).
But… movies have always been populist entertainment. It’s even somewhat silly to have to write that. Most forms of entertainment is dominated by populism.
But here’s the thing: To suggest marvel studios is somehow responsible for moviegoers not understanding/appreciating/patronizing ‘cinema’(Scorsese/‘real movies’(you) is something of a populist argument as well.
It’s a well-tread argument appealing to a certain demo of movie fans.
I appreciate your ability as a writer but the substance here isn’t new or revelatory.
It’s skillfully seasoned red meat for people resentful of the popularity of the MCU.
Haha got people calling me elitist AND populist in the same comment section!! This one I will take gladly. I want movies to be for the mass audiences not for pretentious art school snobs. "Skillfully seasoned red meat for people resentful of the popularity of the MCU" should be my new tag line.
You can have a different opinion all you want and congrats on creating interest with your title but at the end of the day if you write a blog and ask people for their opinions on your post that's what you're going to get. Don't post a blog and have comments turned on just to whine about them. Own your opinion and stop playing victim. BTW, saw it twice and idgaf what you think about the movie either way. Your hatred of anything Marvel kind of makes me chuckle and yeah, I can totally see how you would get viewed as "elitist" or having your nose turned up at people. This response doesn't help your case.
I think we both know your position isn’t “elitist,” Matt.
Sure, on the surface criticizing popular things for being popular has the air of ‘elitism’ but it’s in fact standard in the world of art, music, literature, and nothing here elevates the discourse.
As demonstrated by the comments here some people just like the idea they have better tastes than others but most to the point, they want you to know it.
Movies like Deadpool & Wolverine are the cinematic equivalent of a McDonald's Happy Meal and just about as nutritious.You'll be hungry again in an hour.
Yet,everyday you see the lemmings lined up at the drive thru to get their Big Mac.
I haven’t eaten McDonald’s for decades. I don’t eat much quick service food at all (the occasional Jersey mikes or chipotle, maybe shake shack once a year).
But here’s a thing. I don’t frequent Internet forums criticizing McDonalds, KFC, or dominos and the people who eat it more often than I.
Because that’d be really weird
Ah hahahahaha
I am looking forward to Squid Game 2 & 3