Sequels that surpass their predecessors are few and far between. When it was first confirmed that there would be a sequel to 2016’s surprise hit, Deadpool, I was excited about the possibilities but was later disappointed at the absence of the character not being tied to the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. I hesitated to think this would be a good sequel. My fears increased when I heard Tim Miller was exiting the project due to creative differences. A big reason for the first one’s success was his direction. Miller commented on his departure stating,
“I felt like there were more stories (for Deadpool) to tell there, but I’m happy that somebody else is telling them. There was a sense of relief in that I get to do something new versus Deadpool 2. I think it would’ve been a great movie, but it was also going to be a continuation of what we had done. This really gave me a chance to do something new.”
Miller’s comments come off as a bit PC. There is no denying that the anticipation for the film dwindled among fans. Along with the somewhat mediocre trailers and poor test screening, there was a sense of doom looming over me as my screening began on Thursday evening. Despite my earlier feelings, once it was over, I realized Deadpool 2 is tons of fun. While it did not replicate the original’s success in originality in narrative and dialogue, the film is still able to put a spotlight on Ryan Reynolds, who absolutely kills it as Wade Wilson once again.
Deadpool 2 cranks up the comedy and violence to an 11 as it pokes fun at just about every intellectual property within both the DC and Marvel universes. It brilliantly continues to use the formula that worked back in 2016 as it focuses on Wade Wilson’s self-awareness to perform the kind of brand extension and franchise building that it pokes fun at throughout the movie. Why brilliant? The brilliance in this movie shines because the cliché fanboys do nothing but want “different” from the cinematic universe and view Deadpool as that alternative, despite falling into its trap of repeating the same formula.
However, what is not exceptional about Deadpool 2 is its inability to shut up that fourth wall. By the film’s conclusion, I was simply tired of the consistent use of breaking that wall to push along its sub-par narrative. There were moments that I said to myself, “I get it. You’re edgy. You mention things that shouldn’t be mentioned. Can we move on please?” This brought the idea that if the franchise continues in this direction, there is no denying that the constant breaking of the fourth wall jokes being the central point of all your films will eventually lose its luster.
While credit can be given to the film for using every penny of its budget, there are moments within the two-hour length that its CGI is noticeably flawed. Moments that channeled, “Hmm, I wonder what the MCU money would do for that scene.” During these points, it was just too much distraction that couldn’t be ignored.
What certainly can not be ignored are the performances in Deadpool 2. As mentioned before, Reynolds nails it once again as Wade Wilson. Simply put, Deadpool was the role Reynolds was born to play. Josh Brolin is quite good as Cable. He captures Cable’s sense of loss and motivation wonderfully that makes you forget for a few moments that he just dominated the Avengers two weeks prior. The real stand out of the film is Zazie Beetz as the charismatic Domino. A hero whose superpower is luck, Beetz adds a charm and badassery to the role that continues the trend of strong female heroines in the comic book genre.
For anyone who is not going into this film with expectations of important character development and plot, Deadpool 2 is the film for you. There’s plenty of blood, comedy, and the fourth wall breaking that will please the casual and cliché fanboy to no end. However, Deadpool 2 left me wondering do we really need anymore Wade Wilson?
Reel Talk gives Deadpool 2 3 reels
