After a record-breaking box office for an R-rated movie, the sequel to Deadpool became one of the most anticipated follow-ups in 2018. For more than a year, teasers have built an appetite for the film by first revealing Cable would be involved, then by requesting casting suggestions, and eventually with nonsensical videos and photos that, if nothing else, ensured they’d retained their sense of humour. A commitment to have fun while remaining spoiler-free has resulted in a hilarious promotional campaign leading up to the release of the movie. And now, Deadpool 2 has made its “superhero landing.”
Embracing his infamy, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is now a globe-trotting killer-for-higher, taking out bad guys for money the world over. The whole can’t-be-killed-thing has been a huge advantage, making him a busy guy in a leotard and mask. When a job goes wrong, Deadpool finds himself under Colossus’ (Stefan Kapicic) care and convalescing at Xavier’s school where he may finally become an X-Men. But that, of course, goes terribly and Wade ends up in mutant jail with a fiery kid named Russell (Julian Dennison) and an uninvited Cable (Josh Brolin). In order to save the future, Deadpool has to learn to play nice with others, including the time-jumping hulk and his new X-Force recruits.
All the things everyone loved about the first film is back for the second with equal fervour: a genre-defying soundtrack, endless pop culture references, lots of inside jokes and complete ignorance of the existence of a fourth wall. The music ranges from a new power ballad by Celine Dion used in the most perfect way to club anthem “Welcome to the Party.” The references are innumerable, but include The Goonies, Avengers, Basic Instinct, DC comics, James Bond, A-Ha, Reynolds’ own Van Wilder and, of course, Wolverine. And these guys never get tired of winking at their audiences — anything for a good laugh.
Where the first picture required a fair amount of exposition to explain who Deadpool is, this film is able to dive right in with gunfights, severed limbs and explosions. Moreover, the first picture was a love story that was actually quite heartbreaking at times. But its sequel is a family movie, which doesn’t mean they’ve cut down on the foul language or violence; instead, Wade has to define what the “f-word” is going to mean to him. In the meantime, they continue to explore the grey territory between being a villain and a hero as the code these characters abide by generally involves doing what’s right in the moment, including killing their opponents.
There are several new characters introduced in this picture who all bring their own personalities to Deadpool’s world. Next to Cable, whose broody, muscular, no-nonsense persona is the antithesis of the “Merc with the Mouth”, Domino (Zazie Beetz) certainly stands out as one of the best additions. While luck doesn’t seem like much of a superpower, it comes into play a myriad of times either saving her life or others’. Much has been said about Peter (Rob Delaney) as his social media presence grows, since it may now even outweigh his actual screen time in the film, but he provides some unexpected, straight-laced hilarity. And finally, Negasonic Teenage Warhead’s (Brianna Hildebrand) girlfriend, Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), may have the funniest and most consistent interactions with Deadpool. .
Domino is lucky… that I put up with her attitude. #LuckyDomino #Deadpool2
— Deadpool Movie (@deadpoolmovie) May 15, 2018
John Wick and Atomic Blonde director David Leitch is no stranger to high intensity action, and here he is able to marry his sense of stylish combat with a keen understanding of franchise’s wit. One of the most satisfying parts of this movie is the team’s understanding of what worked the first time and their confidence in continuing in the same vein this time around. The result is audiences get the movie they expect without any of the disappointment. And while there may not be an end credit sequence, there is a little treat that’s worth the wait.
Director: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin and Morena Baccarin
