Cert 15, Run-time: 2 hours 8 minutes, Director: Shawn Levy

In need of a Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save his universe, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) finds himself thrown into the Time Variance Authority's Void, facing off against a telekinetic threat (Emma Corrin) in order to escape.

If you're not a fan of Deadpool or the MCU then Deadpool & Wolverine is unlikely the film for you. With its various references and in-jokes, alongside frequently directly talking to the fans, this feels like a film for the insiders more than anyone else. Additionally, if you've been skeptical about the direction Marvel has taken since the introduction of its Multiverse Saga, this 34th franchise instalment also won't change any minds.

It's been six years since we last saw Ryan Reynolds' merc-with-a-mouth on the big screen. It's referenced in the opening stages that the Disney-Fox merger, rights battles and more got in the way of the sequel's progression. Any fears that Disney would dampen the titular antihero's style are quickly removed as he leaps into typical bloody, sweary action in a highly entertaining fight with occasional dance breaks for the opening credits to play out amongst - the soundtrack containing a number of solid needle-drops, including references to Hugh Jackman's musical outings.

Not quite crashing into the MCU, Deadpool is taken from his universe and sent by the Time Variance Authority, in a convoluted set of expository scenes that may confuse even those who have seen both series of Loki, to find a Wolverine (Jackman) before his world is destroyed. When most variants prove difficult to reason with, the one eventually joining Deadpool is a drunken, regretful figure who believes his actions destroyed his world.

However, instead of returning home the pair are thrown into the TVA's Void, a wasteland of discarded cameos and easter eggs from films and universes past. Once here things pick up pace as the film is allowed to get truly meta. This is the most Deadpool Deadpool has ever been in terms of both violence and laugh-out-loud funny self-aware, fourth-wall-shattering humour. At times, when referring to other IPs and universes it feels as if the Animaniacs could easily be dropped into the scene. This may not be the best Deadpool film, but it may well be the funniest.

In recent years I've complained that Reynolds' Deadpool persona has created watered-down performances in his other films. Yet, here he once again proves why he's so good when fully in the character. There's an entertaining playfulness to his wisecracking nature, both in and out of the smile-inducing action sequences. Contrasted well by Jackman's equally funny, stony-faced Wolverine, aware of the laughs while still maintaining the ending of 2017's still-swansong Logan.

Deadpool & Wolverine may not be the palate cleanser or break from the MCU Multiverse-building that some may have hoped for, but for those invested in both the franchise and Deadpool there's a good deal to enjoy here about the untamed (aside from Kevin Feige's one rule of no cocaine - to the frustration of returning flatmate Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) merc-with-a-mouth.

Four stars, Jamie Skinner