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For film score collectors, Simonsen's ability to approach this kind of project with a smart eye for the preceding franchise elements is not a surprise. After all, his work for Ghostbusters: Afterlife was a masterclass in the adaptation of a challenging existing musical template into a newer and grander sound. Despite the composer's many nods to prior music by Marco Beltrami, Alan Silvestri, John Ottman, and the likes, however, he's crafted a solid, self-contained superhero score for Deadpool & Wolverine, one far more cohesive than it could have been given the formulaic approach seemingly guiding everything in these movies. Simonson's tone and instrumentation are nearly perfect for the occasion, infusing the necessary grandiose orchestral force for the genre, synthetic and rock influence for the coolness of the crossover, and even a few moments of outright humor for the Deadpool character in particular. The atmosphere is appropriate in all corners, the villain's material stewing through its darkness while the hero prevails with stylish pizazz and other characters struggle with their fates to dramatic effect. A mixed choir lends occasional fantasy impact, as at the end of "I Love This Part," sometimes chanting for the apocalyptic fear that comes with a timeline's foul destiny. Simonsen manages to keep the soundscape tonal in most corners, allowing creative blasts of electronics at times for shock value but not dwelling on those techniques. The orchestrations are fairly crisp through, their mix emphasizing solo piano and horn when needed but also shining in fuller sequences. Guiding the composer's narrative is a distinctly strong set of themes and secondary motifs, the main three ideas applied as appropriate though not necessarily intertwined structurally. The main new theme for Wade and Deadpool features a core three-note phrase with a four-note answer, its progressions a little awkward but adapted well. Simonsen expands greatly upon this core to form a far more romantically fluid theme, and the longer version earns its stripes by the end of the story. The first two tracks on the score-only album illuminate the theme's two disparate personalities, "LFG" being irreverently cool with meowing cat noises for effect. Conversely, "Deadpool Has a Theme" elongates the idea with additional notes from the orchestra for a more somber appeal, though the prior track's electronic tilt returns nicely alongside the ensemble by the end.

Throughout the score for Deadpool & Wolverine, Simonsen extensively adapts his main Deadpool theme in creative ways. It offers slight comedic shades from marimba, choir, and handbells in "It's Been a While" whereas the score's contemplative solo horn returns for more melancholy exploration at the outset of "Reaching Too High," later building to a faux-heroic crescendo at the cue's end. The idea is a bit more determined in the middle of "Make a Wish" but very slight in the ascension to the Silvestri material in "Walk With Me" and in the same role at the start of "They're Coming." It experiences a humorous string aside in "You Were Chest F'd by a Tree," a snazzy reprise of "LFG" in "I Called Some Friends," including the cat noises, and turns jazzy on saxophone at the start and end of the sideshow in "Steadily Great Since Endgame." The main theme is fragmented at the start of "Enjoy My Peter" but later takes a bold, militaristic hero stance while it underpins the action in "He's Not Gonna Make It" before becoming majestically impressive. The theme is again pensive on piano and horn in "Ripper Carnage" but explodes to full coolness with sound effects and electric guitar in "Special Sock," a fitting sendoff. The other top theme in the score represents Logan's Wolverine, and this material is all derived to some degree from Marco Beltrami's main idea for the 2017 film Logan. Although Simonsen provides outright reprises of that score's titles cue in three places here, he also adapts it into a far more romantic identity, one especially well adapted on piano to give it a new personality. It thus eventually becomes a "fallen heroes" theme and is extensively referenced as such. The Beltrami idea is boiled down to solo piano and horn leads in "That's Her," and the horn starts taking the theme in Simonsen's new direction in "The Heroes We Were." The melody returns to piano and joins with cello in "You Were Always the Wrong Guy" but finally finds its heroic mode several times over driving electronics in "Name for Myself." (A far more abrasive, synthetic take on this cue exists in "Name for Myself (Alternate Version)" on album.) This theme continues informing the action in "Death or Enslavement," offers contemplative continuation on piano and murky haze in "I Walked Away," marks a solo horn return in "My Brother Loved You," and is explored in its fully adapted form in "Fallen Heroes" for a nice symphonic suite to close out the album presentation. By the end of the narrative, this secondary theme has really established its equality with the Deadpool material.

The third major identity in Simonsen's music for Deadpool & Wolverine represents the threats and weirdness of the multiverse and, by association the villain, Cassandra. This music is anchored by a frequently electric and rising, slurred bass motif, with three notes at its heart but too vague to really suffice as a melody. While synthetics and low strings often carry this feeling of doom, metallic percussion is sometimes employed for the character's powers. These sinister tones are previewed in the first half of "Two Choices" and finally consolidate late in "Finger-Lickin' Dead-Inside Pixie Slab of Third Rate Dime-Store Nut-Milk" and "Your Fingers Are Inside Me, But Not in a Good Way," the latter pounding away at it. Simonsen supplies the cat noises as an accent to the theme in "Hideout" and threatens with it late in "You Were Always the Wrong Guy." The idea stews throughout "We Have Company" on low strings, joined by choir, and occupies "Let's Up the Stakes." Ancillary to Simonsen's other recurring themes are some attractive moments that don't ever quite congeal. The lovely and vaguely Celtic tune at 1:37 into "Walk With Me" returns late in "Two Choices" while similar music intervenes on piano at 1:35 into "Your Fingers Are Inside Me, But Not in a Good Way," yields brief tonal optimism in the middle of "Hideout," and charms in the latter half of "There's Nothing to Fix." Of course, there are also the references to other franchise themes along the way, some of them so subtle that they aren't officially credited. Silvestri's headlining The Avengers theme makes a notable cameo in the middle of "Walk With Me," and drum rhythms in the first minute of "They're Coming" reference his Captain America alternative. John Ottman's music from the Fantastic Four scores obtusely informs the quick buildup in the last minute of "They're Coming." For the Pyro character, Simonsen blends parts of both Ottman's X2: X-Men United and John Powell's X-Men: The Last Stand for the action rhythms at 1:09 into "They're Coming" and, in lesser allusions, "I Love This Part." Finally, the sitar late in "My Brother Loved You" may hint at Danny Elfman's approach to Doctor Strange. Even without these Easter eggs, Simonsen's score for Deadpool & Wolverine is intelligent and forms a remarkably cohesive narrative despite battling so many songs. It is certainly the most entertaining Deadpool score of the franchise to this point. The blend of genre musical norms is handled adeptly, and while cues like "Family Feud," most of "Eat My Feelings" may not serve the album experience with any benefit, the score makes for an appealing listen on its own, cat noises and all.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Total Time: 66:51