Let me say right at the start that I enjoyed Deadpool & Wolverine. However, I don’t seem to have enjoyed it as much as the vast majority of comic fans did. Maybe it’s because I didn’t experience the “superhero fatigue” many claim made the past few years of superhero media feel lackluster. Maybe it’s because I liked most of MCU Phase 4. Or maybe it’s because my expectations were too high.

The first Deadpool movie surprised me, not because of its shocking humor, but because it was, under the action, a love story. I laughed my ass off repeatedly, but I also cried at some of the appropriately touching moments. The same thing happened in Deadpool 2. Sick with laughter. Weeping in a manly fashion. Touched by the message about found families and the quest for redemption. Deadpool & Wolverine didn’t make me cry, and while I laughed, I did not laugh as hard as I did at the first two movies. That being said, it is still a good movie, and well worth seeing.

SPOILERS and discussion to follow after the image.

I think the problem may be one of stakes. The first two Deadpool movies made it clear what Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) had lost and what he was fighting for. The battle is more philosophical this time, however, with Wade nominally fighting to save his reality but mostly fighting to save his found family.

The plot centers around Wade seeking out the Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) of another Earth, after discovering the death of Wolverine in the future (as seen in the film Logan) is what causes his world to die. This pits them against a splinter faction of the Time Variance Authority, several armies of villains populating the Void at the end of time, and Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) – Professor X’s evil twin from at least one reality. The problem is that this Wolverine is something of a screw-up, who failed his friends. This sets up his own quest for redemption, hoping maybe he can find a way to save his friends by helping Deadpool.

The cast are all amazing and the chemistry between Jackman and Reynolds is fantastic. Taken as a superheroic parody of the Crosby and Hope “Road” pictures, with two antagonistic friends forced together on a trip, Deadpool & Wolverine works well. Alas, there are no music numbers. If you’re only in it for the cameos, the jokes, and the over-the-top action sequences, you will feast well. I won’t spoil any of the cameos or the jokes. Suffice it to say, despite the best efforts of the paparazzi, there are a few cameos that did not get spoiled. The action sequences are also well-directed and well-blocked.

On reflection, I think my only issue with Deadpool & Wolverine is it neglects the world it built for the sake of bending the knee to the MCU and honoring the legacy of the Marvel Movies of yore. Had any of Wade’s found family been allowed to come on the journey, at least partway, it might have made them seem less vague and his mission more urgent. The decision to break Wade and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) off-camera is also a weird one. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that one of the screenwriters is Zeb Wells (who was also responsible for breaking up Peter Parker and Mary Jane in the comics) but I doubt it.

All issues aside, Deadpool & Wolverine is a good movie and a solid capstone to the trilogy. Stick around through all the credits for a mid-credits montage and one final laugh.