The hype is real and well-deserved, ladies and gentlemen! There is no need for any beating around the bush or a lengthy preamble that keeps readers in suspense before spilling the beans on whether or not Deadpool and Wolverine deserve all the media razzmatazz.

Is it worth watching? The simple answer is, Heck, yes. Is it worth a trip to the cinema? Again, heck, yes!

Answering the “why” is surprisingly a bit more involved. You would think that an overly bloody, foul-mouthed, action-centric, R-16 spectacle of a movie would be shallow and self-explanatory but there’s a lot more depth than what most people would expect.

Of course, Deadpool, being Deadpool, is always very meta. He breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience while unapologetically taking potshots at 20th Century Fox and happily declaring that he’s finally officially moving over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

There are numerous in-jokes and callbacks to that previous studio’s work. Still, Ryan Reynolds and co-screenwriter/director Shawn Levy don’t hold back with their digs and almost slanderous jokes, reflecting the attitude and thoughts of many fans. Magnified and exaggerated perhaps but still, fans appreciate the in-jokes because it’s a topic on their minds.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman share an amazing hate-hate bromance chemistry on-screen backed by an expletive-filled yet heartfelt script. It brings a tear to the eyes. No, seriously.

The two have been very vocal about wanting to do a film together, and you can tell they had fun and gave it their all in this one.

Shawn Levy has said that he approached the film as a fan of Deadpool and Wolverine, which quickly becomes evident on screen. The main appeal of the whole endeavor is that it answers the question, “What do you get when you give a fanboy a big enough budget?” 

And you get this, a movie that other fans want, nay, have been waiting for and pleading to their respective deities to see. Let’s be honest here, people.

Deadpool can draw a crowd, but Wolverine, finally in the yellow and blue suit, packs them to the rafters and beyond. I have to say, though, that this is the Wolverine we’ve been waiting for, the Wolverine we all want. Not to dis on the years in the black outfit, but the yellow and blue, the crouching, and all the unrestrained stabbing–it's just glorious.

If you’re worried about the movie undoing the epic, noble sacrifice at the end of Logan, Jackman’s last outing as Wolvie in 2017, then you can rest assured that a particularly grizzly end is respected. Somewhat. You’ll see. Even with all the jokes about Fox and that bygone age of superhero cinema history, Wolverine and the other referenced Fox-era characters and events are written with a lot of care and fondness for what came before.

Shawn Levy has displayed amazing range as a director over his career, helming comedy-heavy films such as Free Guy, as well as more heartstring-tugging, family-oriented fare like Adam Project and my personal favorite, Real Steel. He does a Marvel-ous job (get it?) in balancing the extreme fight set pieces (both between the two protagonists and between them and the bad guys), fan service, the meta-narrative comedy and genuine, sincere character moments. So much so that I would put him high on the list to lead more MCU movies, possibly even one of the upcoming Avengers films.

This is a movie for fans by fans. While fans will make the most of it, all audiences are welcome. There’s enough here to please even the most cursory viewer.

Deadpool and Wolverine is, as far from dead as possible. It is delectable in its sarcasm, pun-intended, slanderous material, and all you and they and I can say is, "LET’s EFFIN’ GO!"