Deadpool and Wolverine - Film Review - Spoilers

 

Hi Film Nerds

Took the daughter to see Deadpool 3.  I mean Deadpool and Wolverine.  Which brings back two of Fox's best heros from their studios X-Men movie franchise.

Obviously they are now under Marvel after Disney bought Fox studios, so there wasn't a certainty if these two characters played great by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman would return.  Especially as Jackman said he was hanging up the claws after the great and gritty Logan movie.

Luckily for us and Disney Marvel's MCU universe, they are back.  They sure give a much needed kick up MCUs arse.

The film also clarifies that Deadpool is on the same timeline as the original X-Men films. This is timeline 10005.  The main MCU timeline is 616.  Although the Wolverine in this film is not from either.

The film starts much like the first Deadpool film where it flashes back to show how Deadpool gets in the situation he is in.  This sees him digging up the original Wolverine's corpse from Logan in the hope that his regeneration factor has healed him.  He digs up an admantium metal corpse.  He then uses these metal bones to kill TVA agents.  These are the time agents from Disney's Loki series which is worth a watch.  Especially if you want to understand this film more. Although it can be followed without watching that series. (Or the many Fox and Marvel films that came before.)

It flashes back to 2018 where Deadpool has used Cables time travelling device to go to the MCU 616 universe to join the Avengers.  This is because he's afraid of Vanessa dumping him.  Happy Hogan interviews him in a funny scene which has the rejected Deadpool return to his timeline and take up a car salesman job with Pete.  His friend from Deadpool 2.

Fast forward six years and Deadpool and Vanessa have split but still friends and he's with his other friends from the Deadpool movies celebrating his birthday.

Here he is taken by the TVA and speaks to Mr Paradox who reveals his timeline is deteriorating due to their Logan dieing.  It turns out each universe has a anchor being who is needed to stabilise a universe.  Deadpool escapes and arrives at the scene at the beginning of the film.  After he goes to different universes trying to get another Wolverine and here we see various variants.  This includes a good cameo from Henry Cavill.

He goes back to the TVA and Mr Paradox tells Deadpool that his universe is dying too slow so has created a Time Ripper machine to prune it instantly.  Obviously this doesn't sit well with Deadpool but Paradox prunes Deadpool and Wolverine into the Void.

Here they have to work together to get back to stop Mr Paradox as they meet characters from old superhero movies who have been pruned.  Most of them working for Professor X's twin sister from another universe called Cassandra.  

Deadpool and Wolverine team up with some excellent cameos.  One I never saw coming as the actor didn't get on with Ryan Reynolds in an earlier superhero movie.  They then storm Cassandra's lair to get back to Deadpools home and stop the Time Ripper machine and Mr Paradox.

Overall -  A brilliant film and much needed for the MCU.  Hopefully they are back on track making great films.  There are many calls backs to the Fox Studios films and some great cameos. From X Men to Fantastic Four and more.

Ryan Reynolds is great as Deadpool and his variants and Dogpool is so sweet. Yet Hugh Jackman back as another Wolverine steals the show giving us a tragic back story for this Wolverine which is as sad as the one in Logan but this Wolverine manages to find redemption. It was great seeing Hugh Jackman in the comics Wolverine suit after 24 years!

By the end of the film part of it felt a bit off but it was still great.  I think the trailers spoiled too much.  I'm hoping we will see the characters again in the MCU as they stayed in Deadpools universe.  I'm guessing they will be in the upcoming Avengers Secret Wars movie.  Fingers crossed!

Bels Score -  9.5/10

My Score    - 9/10

Despicable Me 4 - Film Review

 

Hey Geeks

Took my daughter to see the fourth installment of the popular animation series.

The first two Despicable Me films were great and funny.  The third film was good but it should have been a trilogy.

The family are now joined by Gru's son, Gru Junior. The film starts with Gru under cover at a villain school reunion.  With the help of the AVL - Anti Villain League and Ramsbottom, Gru captures his nemesis Maxime Le Mal who has turned himself onto a cockroach hybrid as it makes him almost indestructible.

He vows revenge on Gru and his family and ..... he escapes to enact his revenge.

Gru and family including wife Lucy and the girls he adopted in the first film, have to go into protective hiding and change their identities.

In the meantime the AVL have employed the Minions.  Except the three he has with him.  Five of the Minions undergo a Captain America type experiment and are given superpowers.  One has a laser eye, one fly's and one becomes like The Thing from Fantastic Four.

Overall - Three is the magic number.  Sadly this seems a rushed retread of the first three films.  The voice acting and animation is again great but the plot seemed lazy.  My daughter and I hardly laughed at all.  The girls which Gru adopted in the first film are hardly in this one, which is a shame.  Instead they are replaced by Gru's neighbours daughter Poppy, who wants to be a villain.  She is annoying and not well written.  The Minions who are usually a highlight are a bit predictable so not as funny.  When five of them are turned into superheroes, it felt lazy and dated and should have been done a few years back as there seems to be superhero fatigue.  There are a couple of chuckle moments but sadly not enough.  Hopefully this will be the last film in the franchise or it will be watered down too much.

Also Pharrell Williams has produced the music and songs for the Despicable Me franchise. To our shock, one of the trailers was a Lego animation film coming out about Pharrell Williams life.  Oh dear.

Bels Score   -  6/10

My Score     -  6.5/10

Two Waterstones in One Day and a Book Haul

Hey Book Worms!

At the weekend took an unexpected trip to not only Leeds, but Bradford too!

Which of course meant visiting my favourite store in both cities - Waterstones.

Above are photos of some shelves at the Leeds store.

The daughter and I enjoyed a quick coffee and snack break at Waterstones Leeds.

Above the gorgeous Waterstones in Bradford.  Probably the best looking Waterstones I've been in.  Shame the city of Bradford isn't great and the road works around the city won't help.  Plus they need to hurry and get the bus station up and running so would get more visitors to the city and Waterstones Bradford.

I was looking for Warhammer 40k novels in both stores and they only had a few in each.  There used to be a full shelf of Warhammer novels in Waterstones at one point.

Got me and the daughter a book each.  It's been a while since I got a new novel.

Got the final in the Indian Lake Trilogy.  A series I'm keen to start as fancy a Friday the 13th vibe.

Well what are you reading?  What's your favourite Waterstones?

Chat soon!

Neil x

July 2024 Update

Hi Writing Nerds!

Over half way through 2024 now!

This will be a very brief update as I've been procrastinating.  This is evident in the lack of posts over the last month.

A big part of this is that I've been knackered lately due to not sleeping.  My hayfever has been really bad the last few weeks and so my nose has been bunged up.  This has meant my CPac mask for my sleep apnea is not working to the full extent.  So I've only had 3 to 4 hours of sleep each night.

Reading and Writing:

Sadly nothing to add.  I'm still reading Guard's Guard's by Terry Pratchett and 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz.  But making good progress on both.

Reviews to follow soon!

Writing was zero in June.  I hope to write in July by signing up late for Camp Nano, which has just started and is a community event of writers dedicated to writing as much as possible in July!

Well I'm off to sneeze another million times.

Enjoy your July folks!

Neil x