Deadpool 2 took a complete turn from what I was expecting going in. Wildly different than the first, this film still manages to be a crude, offensive, and hard R-rated superhero blockbuster that is sure to please any fan of the genre. With another hilarious performance from Ryan Reynolds and some new characters that stole the spotlight, this is definitely the perfect "family" film.
The greatest piece of this film is also what makes it so different from the first: the wild cast of characters. While the initial installment in this franchise focused solely on Wade Wilson and his revenge on the man who screwed up his life, this "second coming" was utilized more as a team film. This was done excellently as the movie is not only held up by Reynolds, but by the entire supporting cast as well. Returning characters Weasel, Dopinder, Blind Al, Colossus, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead were still up to the same quality as before (and NTW is gay!). Their individual stories were given plenty of time to develop while new characters were introduced. The new characters were definitely the best parts of this film and rightfully stole it from Reynolds. Brolin played Cable, the hostile and robotic time-traveler who was seeking to prevent the deaths of thousands, including his wife and daughter. His performance was just as dark and frightening as one might imagine an angry Josh Brolin would be like. Except this time, he had to do a bit more work than just snapping his fingers. Zazie Beetz's Domino was also an exceptional addition to this team of heroes. She provided some of the best choreographed action shots in the film and her character was very lovable and optimistic. While these two characters were the greatest additions, I was still hoping for more screen-time for them. Then again, this film is a precursor to the inevitable X-Force film, so it makes sense for the story to focus a bit more on Wilson.
More parts of this film that I loved were the humor and action. The most obvious difference between both films is the amount of budget it was given. Since the success of the first in 2016, Twentieth Century Fox has definitely seen the potential that R-rated superhero films have, especially in how much money they can bring in. This is apparent in this film, as the action scenes and design were much better. This is also due to David Leitch directing, who is known for his work as a stunt choreographer and director of John Wick and Atomic Blonde. His specialty is stunt work and this worked well for this movie, as the action scenes were beautifully brutal. This movie was also much more drama-driven and emotional than the first, leaving less room for the humor. I believe that is what made this one that much better, because even though the humor is scarcer, it hits even harder. The best humor in this franchise stems from the subtle jabs and pokes at other works and makes the film that much more self-aware. The end credits scene in particular was absolutely hilarious, as Deadpool used Cable's watch to go back and erase his appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as well as Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern role offer. There were also some great cameos in this film that surprised me, such as Terry Crews, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Bill Skarsgård (I was expecting a Pennywise the Clown joke, but we sadly didn't get that).
The only aspect of this movie that I did not enjoy as much as I wanted to was Julian Dennison's character Russell. He played the mutant child Firefist learning to control his anger and was the central piece of the story throughout the film. However, his character was not built as well as I thought he could have been. He is first made out to be a naive kid who is angry at the orphanage employees for abusing him, but he is unnecessarily volatile through the entire thing. Russell acts out in the prison in strange ways that did not make sense to who he was before. He wanted revenge on his previous captors, but was willing to burn and kill all of the other children in the orphanage along the way. This might seem like small details to some, but it irked me how underdeveloped Russell was.
Once again, Reynolds shines as the mercenary with a mouth in Deadpool 2. This film is quite a bit different from the first, but exceeded my expectations in many ways. I would strongly recommend this film, as it is yet another fun and action-packed experience with one of the crudest characters ever written.
My Rating: ★★★★
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