With how great the first movie was, how much hype behind the sequel, and a new director, to be worried for the sequel to Deadpool might be wise. Right here, I can already say that this is just as good, if not better than the original film. The film delivers everything and more of what was loved from the first. You will be getting violence that is bloodier and more of the great humor that is expected from a Deadpool movie.
It was a little worrying when the original director, Tim Miller, left because of creative differences. Having David Leitch come in from his work in the John Wick movies then cleared away any negative feelings. With Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick writing to guide the film and give it life then there could be nothing to stop this from being the sequel that fans deserve.
The film takes place with some distance away from the first. We see where Wade/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is at in his life (I will not go into detail for those wanting to know as little as possible) which means him fighting bad guys all around the world. We get some fantastic action and witty dialog from the foul-mouthed hero. After some traumatic event that puts our hero to rock bottom, he finds a kid named Russell (Julian Dennison). He has a powerful fire superpower that makes him a danger to society. Deadpool puts himself in a situation to protect him (yes, he is doing something for someone other than himself) and that introduces Cable (Josh Brolin). Cable comes from the future with a vendetta against Russell. Deadpool then forms a super team of various characters to create the X-Force to protect Russell from Cable’s wrath.
The plot is much more complicated compared to the simple origin story from the first. The direction goes in many places throughout, mostly to build up to the next movie which will be about Deadpool’s team, X-Force. For the most part, the film has great pacing and goes down a path that works. A scene or two felt a bit disconnected in some way. Maybe the way it was placed alongside another scene that felt too quick. Everything, for the most part, does go well, except for a slower final act that feels dragged on for several reasons. A bit happens to be funny but goes on for an absurd amount of time. Including there is a tense moment that does feel slowed down for other goofier moments to take place. That takes away from some of the tension and what is moving the story forward. Not to say the final act is terrible, it is great actually. The final act just saw its fair share of issues, but not to take away from the overall quality.
Having David Leitch come into the director’s chair was a brilliant move. While the action has good choreography in the first film, the sequel does a better job. This is probably due to David’s work on other action movies that are excellently choreographed such as Atomic Blonde and John Wick.
The writing is just as well done with almost every joke hitting the right beat. Some jokes were weaker than others, but the ones that hit, which are most of them, land hard to get you to burst out loud laughing. Some of the funniest scenes that I have seen in recent movies takes place here, even funnier than the first movie’s best moments. The references are also heavier, but not too heavy that it feels too much. Some of the references people may miss, but enough is out there for people to catch. Just like the first film, there is a lot of detail, especially in writing. This needs a second or third viewing to take every joke. Besides the humor being placed in every moment, the story is more emotional. Deadpool goes through a lot and has an emotional bond with his group of friends who help him on this adventure. The tone gets mixed up a bit because of the humor. Serious scenes are hard to be taken seriously, or even if they were meant to be taken remotely seriously. Some of the more emotional beats hit well, but the humor usually distracts from those moments. Going in for the characters, the fun, and the violence, it did not bother me. However, I felt it could have been executed better to blend the different tones.
Visually, the film, for the most part, looks quite good. Cable looks great, while everyone else also has great costumes. However, some of the special effects do look off at times. Nothing seems particularly awful, but it can be distracting for anyone who notices. Even with the parts that look good, nothing looks spectacular.
Outside of the original cast who are all great, the new cast is excellent additions. Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Cable are highlights of the whole movie. Domino is a great strong female character. She feels like someone playing off of the trope of female characters being incredibly strong just like in Batman v. Superman had with Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, the smaller characters were all just as good. I do mean small because the movie does focus on the original cast, Domino, Russell, and Cable.
Deadpool 2 is a worthy sequel in every way. There are some issues here and there. A few moments with the story that feels a bit weaker at times. The third act does show some blemishes in the plot in ways but manages to end strong. A few special effects are a bit weak and could have used some more attention, which is far too familiar in any blockbuster movie. The jokes land, for the most part, characters are all great, and far better action with more gory violence. If you loved the first movie, then you will love this. If you hated the first, then watch anything else. On a final note, this movie does have one of my favorite after credit scenes of all time.
Score: 8/10
Image via 20th Century Fox
Tristan Zelden 