The History

Ryan Reynolds was first cast as Wade Wilson/Weapon X in the abysmal X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the fact that the character of Wade Wilson was something more significant than a minor villain would have only been apparent to comic book fans and the casting of Reynolds in of itself. For years Reynolds campaigned for there to be a Deadpool movie and he eventually got his wish. Deadpool was a brilliant and unusual addition to the comic book movie world, adopting many elements featured in the comics, most notably the fact that Deadpool breaks the fourth wall. A lot. And in an environment where the MCU is constantly criticised (including by me) for having a formula for its films Deadpool did feel different. Deadpool 2 didn’t quite manage the same success but still a very enjoyable film. Normally, Deadpool 3 might be expected to deliver less simply by the law of diminishing returns but it does have something going for it the others didn’t – Wolverine. This is not Deadpool 3, it is Deadpool & Wolverine.

The rivalry between Wolverine and Deadpool goes back to the comics. The two characters have a lot of similar powers and have faced off against each other as frenemies numerous times. The Deadpool movies have continued this rivalry with Deadpool breaking the fourth wall in criticising Wolverine and his movies. But then, and this has been going on for years, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, have had a similar, somewhat staged, frenemy rivalry going on. Both men have spent a lot of time on social media playfully insulting the other, going back so far that it was before any notion of this film was dreamt up.

God’s Perfect Idiot

A lot of the success of the Deadpool movies is down to the charm of Ryan Reynolds and that is a lot of charm. As someone who enjoyed the short-lived Two Guys and A Girl sitcom of the early 2000s which starred Reynolds, I can say that that charm has always been there. Reynolds is immensely likeable and able to laugh at himself – Deadpool contains references to his brief and unsuccessful stint as Green Lantern, and even the opening credits listed him as “God’s Perfect Idiot”. So the stunningly handsome, charming, willing-to-laugh-at-himself and talented Reynolds was a phenomenal choice to play Deadpool.

The Wolverine

Hugh Jackman is of course a megastar and an actor who has found a career-defining role of an unkillable claw-slashing mutant (whilst still being able to be cast in high-budget Oscar-winning musicals). Logan is quite possibly the best superhero film ever made. Crossovers are hardly new but the fourth-wall-breaking nature of Deadpool allows them to have a bit more fun with it. The trailer seems to show Wolverine and Deadpool fighting next to a partially destroyed 20th Century Fox logo (20th Century Fox for a long time owned the rights to X-Men and this is why they were not part of the MCU). The multiverse shenanigans that now exist in the MCU comfortably allow characters who were not originally in the MCU to be brought in, and things like death and destruction are not barriers to appearing.

I hope Deadpool brings some spark back to MCU as just anything to inject some originality and difference into it. And I do realise looking for originality in a second sequel shows the dire state of things. Anything that moves the MCU from the formula they relentlessly cling to. And Deadpool does seem to try to constantly pull away from the formula – Deadpool bills itself as a love story, and Deadpool 2 is a family movie. Deadpool brings a level of brutal violence rarely seen in the MCU, let alone from the supposed hero. Every Deadpool movie has been Rated R in America (as opposed to the solid PG13 rating for just about everything else in the MCU) meaning swearing, drugs, sex and various adult situations are present in Deadpool movies and if nothing else that gives more freedom to the filmmakers. That said they do lean into this, in Deadpool there is literally a sex montage scene. Ultimately I am more concerned with Deadpool & Wolverine being a good movie than its place in the MCU, and I think if every MCU movie was made that way, the MCU would be a lot better.

Also Read: Marvel Cinematic Universe: From A Love To Hate Relationship

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What if Will Farrell interferes in Ryan Reynolds’ life?

Anders’ movie is a modern take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but with a beautiful twist. What if the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future would transform someone into a much better person every Christmas and not only once? The world would be so much better! For this Christmas, the Ghosts and their team found the perfect man: A hotel boss who treats his staff in the rudest way possible. However, before they start interfering in his life, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) runs into a hotel guest, Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds). The businessman uses social media and his ability to swoon everyone over with his fancy words to profit from weaponizing the war on Christmas. This goes against everything the Ghosts stand for, and because of that, Briggs becomes their target.

Present discovers that Briggs has no sense of morality when infiltrating his life. Briggs doesn’t see how worn out his loyal assistant Kimberly (Octavia Spencer) is, and when his young niece Wren (Marlow Barkley) wants to become an important person at her school, he convinces her to play it dirty instead of fair. However, it turns out that this mission might not be an easy one at all for Present. Briggs is stubborn as hell, and Present falls for Kimberly and has to face his dark past. Will Briggs be the unredeemable who’s redeemable after all, and how will Present face his demons?

Go on a joyful, Christmassy and never-ending trip

What makes Spirited extremely enjoyable is the chemistry and performances of the leads. After appearing in Elf and Eurovision, a film that combines the Christmas spirit and musical numbers is right up Ferrell’s street. He leads this movie with such humour, sassiness and emotional touches so that you can connect instantly with the characters. Hollywood-favourite Reynolds (Free Guy, Deadpool 2) is again on-point as a cruel and macho businessman who lets no one or nothing stands in his way. He brings bags of humour, witty moments and even an uplifting vibe to this movie.

For us is Spencer (Snowpiercer, Ma) an actress who shines in every role she takes due to her impeccable talent and delicate performances. This time is no different. She took singing classes for this movie, and it paid off beautifully. Her lovely singing voice is a beautiful addition to her multi-layered performance, and she heightens that touching feeling of this movie immensely. Some cameos throughout this movie will put a smile on your face.

When watching Spirited, it’s clear that cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau (Thor: The Dark World, Creed II) understood the assignment perfectly. The combination of red-green is seen in every scene in one way or another; the tailing shots bring the songs and dance routines perfectly to life, and the wide shots add another beautiful layer to this movie. With music from The Greatest Showman and La La Land duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, it’s not surprising that the songs and dances are full of glitz and glamour.

Sadly, Spirited is not all fun-fun, joy-joy. Due to using the same songs, sung each time differently, the film becomes too repetitive to stay interesting for the 2h7min runtime. Another reason why we can’t give this movie the full five stars is the cheap-looking production design. Sometimes it feels like the musical numbers are sung in front of a green screen or on a cheap set. The songs would have had a much better impact if the director would have used actual physical spaces.

Not a classic Christmas film but a pretty damn good movie!

Whether you like this movie mostly depends on how much cheesiness you can take from a film. As long as you want to be carried away by sweet and predictable plots, uplifting songs, over-the-top choreography and outstanding acting performances, this is certainly a movie you will enjoy! While Spirited won’t become a classic Christmas film, it’s a pretty damn good movie!

Rating: (4 / 5)

Spirited is out now in UK cinemas and on Apple TV+.

Also Read: Who Did It Better: Miracle on 34th Street

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Ready Player One

Free Guy follows Guy (Ryan Reynolds), an NPC (Non-Playable Character) in the Grand Theft Auto-esque Free City. His daily life includes getting robbed at the banks he works at several times a day and hanging out with his friend Buddy (Lil Rel Howery). Convinced that there is more to life, Guy steals a pair of sunglasses, allowing him to see the game like he is a player. If any of that has confused you because you aren’t into video games, fear not, it is all explained, and much easier to pick up in concept.

The opening scenes of Guy’s routine set the stage well, with him being unconcerned about the explosions, and murder happening all around him. Pedestrians getting straight back to their jobs after robberies and friends are murdered in front of them sets the tone perfectly. The weirdness is something that only really happens in video games, and players will enjoy spotting the easter eggs. While some of the designs are clearly from iconic games, there are fewer of the background distractions than in Ready Player One or Space Jam: A New Legacy.

Guy’s new life leads him to cross paths with Millie (Jodie Comer), a player who has her own personal mission inside the game. Guy is instantly smitten and learns to play the game to impress her. Reynolds is effortlessly charming as always, playing the kind of character you would expect from him (although more family-friendly). Comer is excellent, as she is in everything, playing an almost dual role, with her character in the game and in the real world.

While the premise hints at They Live and The Truman Show, the film never really capitalises on these influences. After an altercation with some developers (Joe Keery and Utkarsh Ambudkar) who think Guy is cheating, the film’s POV switches to focus on Millie. Millie is looking for something hidden in the game (to say more would be more spoilers). This plotline takes up most of the film. Guy learns to play the game surprisingly quickly, as “the good guy”, helping NPC’s and being nice. Even the fact he is not a real person is processed fairly easily. With the film instead of focusing on Millie’s attempts to bring down the developer of Free City, Antwan (Taikia Waititi).

Insert Coin Here

The film does an excellent job of switching between the real world and the game, despite them both being live-action, it’s never confusing which one it’s following. The problem is that the in-game world becomes inconsequential for most of the game’s plot. For a movie about a video game, it’s surprising how little of it takes place in the video game. The chemistry between Millie and Keys (Joe Keery) is excellent and is really the heart of the movie.

Antwan is a surprising role for Waititi, as he employs his usual snark and sarcasm to play the villain this time, in a role that makes you hate him almost more than imaginary Hitler. Unfortunately, the nature of the story means that he doesn’t actually get to share any screen time with Reynolds. It seems like a missed opportunity for these two to meet, as we already know they’re funny together, but also because it makes every other character the straight man. This sometimes makes it feel like Reynolds and Waititi are in a different film to everyone else

This is just a symptom of the problem though. The fact is that Free Guy has all the basic ingredients to be great, but it doesn’t utilise them as much as it could. A lot of interesting ideas and funny jokes are introduced, but little is done with them. What we’re left with is still great, but feels like its playing everything too safely

Rating: (3.5 / 5)

Free Guy is very entertaining. The easter eggs and cameos offer great fan service, but it can’t help feel by the numbers. Rather like Free City, it’s good, but what’s just underneath could have been a whole lot better.

Also Read: Great Video Games That Should Be Adapted Into A Movie

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The entertaining and merciless trio reunites

Ryan Reynolds is back as Michael Bryce, who’s having a hard time dealing with his triple A-bodyguard failures. After losing his ‘license’ and experiencing the same vivid nightmare, his therapist suggests time away from bodyguarding by enjoying an Italian break by the pool. His time off heals Bryce but not for long. He unwillingly becomes part of Kincaid’s ferocious wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) her rescue mission to save her ‘cucaracha’ (Samuel L. Jackson) from some baddies. Been there, done that, and once again, the bad-ass trio gets together.

This time, they take on Aristotle Papadopoulous (Antonio Banderas), who’s out for revenge on the EU by drilling a hole in their underwater safety box that contains all the computer systems. While trying to save the world and battling Papadopoulous, each trio member has to deal with personal problems. Bryce feels inferior compared to his stepfather (Morgan Freeman), a legendary bodyguard, with whom he reconnects during the mission, and Kincaid and his Sonia deal with family problems. Will they overcome their problems and save the world from the Greek supervillain, or is the world doomed this time?

Don’t take it too seriously

When reading the plot, you get that this movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, so don’t expect a brand-new and cinema-changing story. No, what you can expect from The Hitman’s Wife Bodyguard is an entertaining and enjoyable trip throughout Europe (without leaving the country). A journey you have to go on, and here’s why.

It’s such as pleasure to see Reynolds (Deadpool, The Change-Up) again as Bryce. With him, there will always be laughter and seriousness at the same time. When his on-screen action is explosive and fast, he still finds a way to put some witty and fun elements in it. It becomes even more amusing if you put him in front of Jackson. Jackson (Spider-Man: Far from Home, The Hateful Eight) his dialogue mainly contains swearwords, but he delivers his lines with such a great and captivating attitude that it becomes such a pleasure to watch him. The female power and temperament in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard come from Hayek (Frida, The Roads Not Taken). Ok, yes, it might not be the most in-depth role she has ever had, but it’s still a thrill to watch.

When watching The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, it becomes clear that screenwriters Tom O’Connor (Fire with Fire, The Courier), Phillip Murphy and Brandon Murphy certainly didn’t mind the lack of depth or credibility of the characters. Sadly, this has a negative impact on the new characters. Banderas (Pain and Glory, Life Itself) can’t convince us in the slightest, mostly because of his so-called Greek accent, as it sounds more like his Spanish one. Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Seven) only has a handful of scenes, of which none are very memorable. There’s nothing wrong with his performance, but it doesn’t contribute a lot to this movie.

You might not get the most exciting and innovative storyline, but what you will get is tons of European locations and more than enough car chase scenes, guns going off and violence and if that’s what you’re up for, then cinematographer Terry Stacey (The Angel, Den of Thieves) absolutely shot the perfect scenes for you.

An action-comedy that hits some marks and misses a few

Yes, if you want a movie with more personality, in-depth characters and innovative plot twist, then this movie is absolutely not a film for you. However, if you’re in the mood for a thrilling rollercoaster full of action, witty jokes and a lot of banter, then we’re pretty sure you will love, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, you mother*cker!

Rating: (3.5 / 5)

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is out now in U.K. cinemas

Also Read: Horror-ibly Funny Movie Titles

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Maximum effort.

Why now?

Deadpool 2 was released on DVD and Blu Ray in the UK towards the end of September.

In a nutshell

Wade Wilson has been fighting crime as the mercenary Deadpool for two years when a personal tragedy (hasn’t he had enough of those?) forces him to team up with some lesser-known members of the X-men to track down and rescue a young mutant barrelling down a dark path towards violence. His quest brings him face-to-face with Cable, a cybernetic super-soldier from the future who’s travelled back in time with some violence of his own on the agenda.

Who’s it for?

Not your granny, that’s for sure – as with its predecessor, Deadpool 2 is chock-full of gory violence, sexual innuendo and naughty words, and as such is R-rated.

Who’s in it?

Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool in such a way that no-one else ever really could, much like Heath Ledger’s Joker. His charisma and comedic delivery keep the film ticking along at a steady pace as he bounces off every other character on screen (figuratively and often literally). The Deadpool movies wouldn’t be up to much without him playing the titular character.

Supporting Reynolds is Morena Baccarin as Vanessa (in a smaller but possibly more weighty role), the brilliant Josh Brolin (can’t not hear Thanos now, though), Julian Dennison (you’ll see), and a host of others returning to their roles from the previous film. There are a few wonderful cameos throughout as well, but I won’t spoil those for you.

The good stuff

This is another very funny, irreverent superhero film that constantly pokes fun at itself and its genre. If you like Ryan Reynolds and have a fairly good grasp of Marvel, you’ll find this hilarious. It’s also well-directed and has a surprisingly solid storyline.

The not so good stuff

Like the first Deadpool, the film frequently threatens to collapse under the weight of its toilet humour. I found myself wincing at times when yet another barrage of swear words spills out of Deadpool’s mouth when a less-profane line would have done the same job. There could also have been more Cable, but Brolin’s signed on for multiple films so he’ll be back soon enough. It also feels a little too long at almost two hours.

Best quote

Cable: I use a device to slide through time. The longer I travel, the harder it is to control. I got two charges: One to get me here, one to get me home.

Wade Wilson: Well, that’s just lazy writing.

The bottom line

If you’re a fan of the first Deadpool movie, you’ll like this one. It’s almost as good, and only falls short because it isn’t (and can’t be) as original as its predecessor. In all honesty, it wouldn’t be one I’d watch again in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a solid flick that’s certainly worth a home viewing.

Again, though, just don’t watch it with your granny.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

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