I was fortunate enough to attend a screening of "Deadpool & Wolverine" in the UK on Thursday, July 25. After watching the first 35 minutes (and a sizzle reel of what is yet to come), I am convinced that this will be one of Marvel's strongest films in years.

Indeed, the last few years have been rough for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since "Endgame," we've had more downs than ups, and as more and more failed films have hit the big screen and been delivered to Disney Plus, I've felt a creeping Marvel fatigue.

I was worried that we would get a neutered version of the anarchic anti-hero, despite the fact that the third sequel maintained its R-rating and the trailer touted it as a film that would follow in the footsteps of its predecessor. After seeing the first part of the film, however, I am happy to say that I put those fears aside.

There are still a couple of weeks until the July 26 release date, and I'm not allowed to get into spoiler territory (nor do I want to), but within seconds it is clear that "Deadpool & Wolverine" is first and foremost a sequel to "Deadpool" and ...... And rest assured it's going to be really, really good.

The part we saw has everything that made the first two films so good. The first half-hour of Deadpool & Wolverine is full of gags and breaking the fourth wall, and boasts an impressive array of comic action. In short, it's gleefully violent, chaotic, obscene, and above all, absurdly entertaining.

The first 30 minutes of the film is filled with cameos and fanservice moments that drew cheers from the packed audience. But the film is not made up of mere throwaway gags, and it is clear that the team has carefully considered how to weave Deadpool into the MCU in a meaningful way. Again, I can't speak to specifics, but the stakes seem really high.

Sadly, our preview ended shortly after Deadpool finally joined forces with his hero's ally, so we got only a small taste of the bromance the promotional campaign had worked so hard to prepare. Nevertheless, we have a feeling that Ryan Reynolds' corrupt anti-hero and Hugh Jackman's gruff, tough Wolverine are going to make one hell of a strange couple. [And you can tell that the entire cast and crew are very enthusiastic about the characters, the wider Marvel multiverse, and telling a fun story in that world. Reynolds and Jackman (who attended the preview) told attendees that filming "Deadpool & Wolverine" was a lot of fun. And from what I've seen, I'm confident that we'll be laughing our asses off when the film is released as well.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" will be released in the US on Friday, July 26.