fter almost losing his beloved Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and being turned down by the Avengers, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) decides that to truly matter as a hero, he must give up being his costumed alter ego Deadpool. But attempting to navigate a career change and a mid-life crisis at the same time proves difficult, so when Time Variance Authority official Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) offers Wade the chance to become an “anchor being” (or so he assumes), a superhero so consequential to a timeline’s existence that without them it would wither, he jumps at the chance. Quickly discovering that his cataclysmic promotion would result in the catastrophic destruction of his own Earth 10005 and all its inhabitants, Wilson frantically searches for a solution. But to stop a madman blinded by ambition and a twisted mutant fueled with hate, Deadpool must enlist the aid of several forgotten heroes, including another lost soul in need of redemption – the Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).

“Me too, Hugh.” With its penchant for breaking the fourth wall within mere seconds of the opening scene, to the darkly witty violence (of the kind that finds pointy implements impaling genital regions) supplemented by ‘90s pop music gracing that introductory credits roll, it’s evident that this third Deadpool outing is paying homage to itself. It has identified successful patterns and remains faithful to them, which is either sticking to what works, retreading fondly familiar territory, or unintentionally exhibiting its own lack of new ideas.

Curiously, this hyperactive self-awareness is both a positive and a negative. Though the continual wisecracks and general levity tend to ease the suspension of disbelief when it comes to superhero tropes, it also calls attention to those very hackneyed concepts. This is never more apparent than when the titular character calls himself an “annoying one-trick pony,” which perfectly identifies his design. Once again, he’s utilized for zany verbal insults, which segue into martial arts fighting, which segues back to facetious commentary, before segueing yet again into hand-to-hand combat. The formula is incredibly apparent and cyclical.

“What in the MacGuffin is that?” Nevertheless, much of the humor is effective, at least in the moment, whether it’s of the bone-crunching kind or the orally abusive type. Underneath that, however, is a plot that borrows a bit from “Timecop” and “The One,” before fully embracing the convoluted baloney of the multiverse, revealing just how flimsy it all is. It doesn’t take much to get the exact characters together that the filmmakers and writers wanted to, in a specific timeline with a particular mission and an overwrought countdown within which to accomplish it (“audiences are accustomed to long runtimes”). It may feel like everything is extremely spontaneous, what with the continual silliness of Deadpool flapping his gums and the surplus of surprising cameos – which possess a certain limited creativity – but it’s all designed to fit precisely within a scenario of neatness and minimal intrusion into the larger properties that Disney now owns. By the end, the plot is almost entirely independent from the other series.

“You’re ridiculous.” Once again, the biggest predicaments with Deadpool’s universe are those of invincibility and unlimited power. And he’s not the only one. When new supporting roles and villains have poorly defined vulnerabilities and are seemingly immortal, it makes it altogether impossible to remain concerned about the heroes; even when some die, they never really stay dead for long. And while Deadpool is unwaveringly impudent in the face of death, it tends to make everything around him equally inconsequential. If no one within the picture takes anything seriously, why should the audience? And so, despite the obvious references to the unreal qualities of his realm, it grows evident that while making fun of dramatic posing, callbacks to granular references, repetition and stalling, and nonsensical showdowns, those typical superhero movie problems are still problems. Laughing at them doesn’t actually excuse them from being here. Even the finale, which allows for brief graveness to demonstrate redemption, sacrifice, and revenge, makes little sense when its involves insignificant iterations of people from infinite timelines. At least the emotions are there, with slow-motion machismo, teary-eyed reunions, and roars of defiance during climactic confrontations, generating a comforting aura that fits well with Deadpool’s brand, even if this latest episode is both entertaining throughout and completely forgettable afterward.

– The Massie Twins