Hello, and welcome to this week’s Film Roundup! Once again, we’re taking you through the week’s big releases and why you should be excited for them. This week: spandex buddies and supernatural binge-watching…
Usual disclaimer: unless otherwise stated, I haven’t seen these films. All of my opinions are based on trailers, early reviews and other rumours and buzz.
Deadpool & Wolverine
The MCU, once the king of the blockbuster slate, has been in trouble in recent years. Its output was gradually increasing, maxing out at four films in a year, alongside a relentless stream of streaming on Disney+. That was great in the closing stages of the Infinity Saga, when audiences couldn’t wait long to hear what might happen next. But ever since Endgame snapped Thanos (and a few other key players) out of existence, it’s never quite felt like the wider story was going anywhere.
There are benefits to abandoning an overarching plot – many more casual fans are put off by the hours of pre-watching homework required to understand what’s going on. It would be fine if the individual films were strong enough to stand on their own, but with a few exceptions (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Shang-Chi and Guardians 3 jumping to mind) they’ve mostly been falling flat. They’ve also never quite managed to resist the urge to try and tie themselves in with the wider universe. Endless end credit scenes have set up characters for future movies that haven’t been seen since (Hercules! Harry Styles!). And while the films were churning out at a breakneck rate, even the most die hard Marvel fans started admitting to ‘superhero fatigue’.
There was some promise of a clear direction when it was announced that the Kang Dynasty plotline would pull everything together, but that fell apart when Marvel were forced to part ways with Kang actor Jonathan Majors following the sexual assault allegations against him. They’ve also lost some other big names that would have drawn audiences back – James Gunn has defected to DC, and Black Panther 2 suffered greatly from a gaping, Chadwick Boseman-shaped hole.
So with the MCU at its lowest point in years, 2024 feels like they’ve gone for a hard reset. The slate has dropped from three films in the last couple of years to just one, while the studio executives sit back and figure out what to do next. There are some promising signs for the future – the recent trailer for next year’s Captain America: Brave New World evokes the espionage drama of Phase 2 highlight Winter Soldier, while that film’s (and Infinity War/ Endgame’s) directors the Russo Brothers have reportedly been summoned back to helm the next big team-up film. But in the meantime, a lot rides on Marvel’s one and only release this year: Deadpool and Wolverine.
Fortunately, this is the perfect franchise entry to nudge the MCU back on course. This will be the first MCU film for both its lead characters, but their former Fox franchises are huge success stories within the superhero genre, bringing a massive pre-built fan base. Fittingly for a character who doesn’t age, Wolverine actually pre-dates the MCU by a good 8 years, while Deadpool and Deadpool 2 each became the highest grossing R-rated film of all time on release (a title they no longer hold – more on that later). Deadpool’s habit of breaking the fourth wall makes him uniquely able to critique the recent Marvel output and figure out his own place in the universe. And as shown in the trailer, he’s crossing into the MCU by way of the Time Variance Authority from the Loki TV series – an organisation that literally exists to bring wayward timelines back on track.
For both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, these are career-defining roles that fit them like well-tailored spandex. Deadpool’s wise-cracking jokes and knowing innuendos seem to have fused themselves into Reynolds’ off-screen persona, not to mention every character he’s played since. And this will be Jackman’s 10th time donning the claws (after the original X-Men trilogy, two Wolverine films, Days of Future Past, Logan, and cameos in First Class and Apocalypse). Logan in particular showed how deeply he’s managed to connect with the character over the years, perfectly and emotionally capturing the mighty heart and tortured soul beneath the gruff exterior. Seeing them reunite for the first time since Deadpool’s famously mishandled introduction in X-Men Origins: Wolverine will be a joy to watch.
Also along for the ride in this film are Matthew Macfadyen (Tom from Succession) as TVA agent Mr Paradox, and Emma Corrin as villainous baldie Cassandra Nova. I’m also expecting a fair few Marvel cameos – there are glimpses in the trailer of X2’s Lady Deathstrike and First Class’s Azazel, plus Ant Man’s giant skull – but this is really all about the title pair. The early reviews are largely positive and all agree that there is a lot here for fans of the franchise in particular, although there should be more than enough jokes and action to entertain everyone. Fingers crossed this will kick off Marvel’s return to the top of the box office.
- Deadpool & Wolverine on IMDB
- Deadpool & Wolverine on Rotten Tomatoes
I Saw The TV Glow
The down side of Marvel only releasing one film this year is that there aren’t many films brave enough to compete with it. The only other major release this week is intriguing indie queer drama I Saw The TV Glow.
This tells the story of two kids who become obsessed with a sci-fi show called The Pink Opaque. Rediscovering it as teens (now played by Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine), the themes and conflicts of the show start to echo their own lives, helping them not only to deal with their personal troubles but also to accept their developing sexual and gender identities. The cast also includes Fred Durst (out of Limp Bizkit) and Amber Benson (Tara from Buffy, to which The Pink Opaque owes a bit of a debt).
A24 has increasingly shown itself to be one of the most interesting and pioneering studios around, and this promises to be another instant cult classic. It’s done the rounds in the festivals circuit already and garnered some incredibly positive reviews, especially for Justice Smith’s performance. The aesthetic is stylish, eerie and gorgeous, and complemented by the dreamlike soundtrack. As a film that explores the relationship between an individual’s queer identity and societal expectations, this is telling an important story and perspective that does not get enough airtime in more mainstream cinema. It’s also the perfect counterpoint to the macho bromance and casual innuendo of Deadpool & Wolverine.
This is definitely one to watch out for and catch if you can.
- I Saw The TV Glow on IMDB
- I Saw The TV Glow on Rotten Tomatoes
If you only see one film this week…
You won’t want to miss Deadpool & Wolverine on the big screen. Let’s f***ing go!
Still in cinemas and worth a watch
- Twisters
- Longlegs
- Inside Out 2
Trailer of the Week
Deadpool and Deadpool 2 may have each become the highest grossing R-rated movie upon their respective releases, but they have since been toppled by Joker. The 2019 Joaquin Phoenix flick still retains that title, despite the Barbie-boosted success of last year’s Oppenheimer. So the prospect of a sequel is pretty exciting. This time, Joker is joined by Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn and, as shown a little more in this new trailer, we’re getting some musical numbers. There was a touch of musical magical realism in the original – Arthur Fleck’s spontaneous dance down some steps was like a scene straight out of Singin’ In The Rain – and songs are a great way of getting inside a character’s head, which is exactly what the Joker films are trying to do. Plus, if you’ve got Lady Gaga in the cast, you gotta let her sing. This is a really promising trailer for what should be one of this year’s cinema highlights.
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