Twentieth Century Fox
Back in 2016, Deadpool set the box office on fire and changed the face of superhero movies by carrying a dreaded R-rating. But, for this character, nothing any less would have sufficed and its success also allowed Fox to release Logan with an R-rating and Warner Brothers even released an R-rated version of Batman v Superman on home video. Don’t expect, however, Disney to ever release an R-rated Marvel movie so it will be interesting to see what happens if the Disney/Fox merger is allowed to progress.
But Deadpool is back in all his profane, violent glory and the second time around is just as much fun as the first, even if it doesn’t feel as fresh … and I mean, how could it? At least they didn’t opt for the ‘everything and the kitchen sink’ approach that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took in order to top the first movie. No, Deadpool 2 really keeps its stories down to earth, making this chapter in the character’s life more about family. The story gets off to a shocking start with the death of Vanessa and the emotional spiral that event sends Wade into, doing anything he can to join her in death but for one little problem — he’s a mutant and can’t die, not even if he blows himself to pieces. He’ll always regenerate as long as he has his powers.
But he may have an out now as he attempts to integrate into the X-Men at the urging of Colossus (which again affords the movie to indulge in some ‘where are all the X-men’ jokes and a great blink or you’ll miss it sight gag). But Deadpool isn’t really a team player and when they attempt to calm a boy, Russell, with mutant abilities who is threatening to destroy the children’s home he’s housed at (because of allegations of physical abuse), Deadpool refuses to follow the X-Men guide book and ends up getting himself and the boy incarcerated in the Ice Box, complete with powers-dampening collars. Russell insists that with Deadpool’s help they can escape but without any powers, all Wade wants to do is let the cancer finally take him so he can be with Vanessa. But a dream/vision/hallucination of Vanessa tells Wade that he can’t join her yet because his heart’s not in the right place. The arrival of a mysterious man with a robotic arm, Cable, changes everything when he allows Russell to escape (with a very large friend) and Deadpool’s conscience won’t let Cable kill the kid (who is destined to have some terrible effect on Cable’s family in the future — did I mention he’s a time traveler?). But can Deadpool’s new X-Force group stop Cable, save Russell and save the world? It may not all go as planned.
Deadpool 2 is packed with action, violence, comedy and even more meta references than the first movie. In fact, Deadpool’s running commentary never lets you forget it is just a movie and Ryan Reynolds is the star. The references are fast and furious and they even manage to slip in a Thanos reference (Josh Brolin is, I believe, the second actor to play two different Marvel characters, Cable and Thanos). All of Deadpool’s associates are back including Blind Al (who is credited with the film’s cinematography during the hilarious Bond-style opening credits) and Weasel, which leads to an outrageously funny scene in Blind Al’s apartment that horrifies everyone who enters.
The cast is terrific and game for anything. I was surprised at how well Brolin did with the comedy. Cable is really a serious character with a serious mission and Deadpool doesn’t make it easy for him, but Brolin does manage to temper Cable’s reactions to Deadpool’s antics without becoming just a parody. I really, really liked new addition Domino, played by Zazie Beetz, whose ‘superpower’ was just being lucky. And she is ridiculously lucky. I loved how Beetz just makes Domino so nonchalant in the face of everything that’s going on around her. She is a great addition to the Deadpool universe and, apparently, will be part of an X-Force spin-off movie.
Deadpool 2 is so densely packed with visual gags and one-liners that no review can really do it justice. If you liked the first movie, you’ll like this one. If you didn’t see the first movie, you’d be advised to do so before seeing this one or, as it was put to me, it will be like watching a movie in German if you don’t speak German. But the action is terrific, the jokes are solid and , damn it, the movie even drew some tears from me near the end. Deadpool 2 literally made me laugh and cry, and I had a great time … and I definitely need to see it again to catch all the stuff I’m sure I missed. And be sure to stay midway through the credits for a great montage. There is no post credits scene so you can head out after that, but you don’t want to miss the montage!
Deadpool 2 has a run time of 1 hour 59 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sexual material, drug content and partying.
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