Deadpool acting very surprised. Photo via screenshot of the official trailer.
Deadpool is back, but does it still carry the charm and quality of the first installment?
Over the top Action, blood and gore, raunchy humor, and fourth wall breaks. It’s all back, and Ryan Reynolds is on top form as he returns to play the superhero he was born to be: Deadpool. Surprisingly though the movie starts out on an extremely dark note, and sends Wade spiraling down a very grim journey throughout the film. But that’s not a bad thing, as I found Wade’s journey and progression in this film rather touching and emotional. Even if it did make for some awkwardly placed jokes, the arc that Wade has is a great one—giving him arguably better development than in the first film.
Now there’s Cable. People have been waiting a long time to see his debut alongside Deadpool—and for the most part it’s great. His tragic backstory and future is only briefly explored, but he is a perfect foil to Deadpool and his crew. Now don’t expect the two to be buddy buddy just yet, but there are several good moments that tease the friendship that is likely to come in the future (give or take the Disney merger). I just wish more time was given to let his tragic experiences sit in—while also providing more information in his world (and himself).
Domino is another new face to the proceedings, and Zazie Beetz does a fantastic job. The portrayal of her luck powers are quite fun, and make for some hilarious and over the top moments. Now my only issue with Domino is that she is just sorta there, without much connective tissue to the overall plot. That being said, by the film’s end, they do attempt to give her presence more meaning—but it does just come off as a last minute addition. I do wish that her appearance was far more comic book accurate (seeing how everything else in the film is), but Zazie Beetz did such a good job that I just kind of forgot about that gripe as I watched the film.
Deadpool and his X-Force. Photo via screenshot of the official trailer.
All of the X-Men we saw in the first film do make a come back this time around as well. Colossus and Negasonic are both present, and play a reasonable part in the proceedings. While Negasonic takes the backseat for the most part (with the addition of her newly introduced girlfriend), Colossus does have a full arc that he goes through for the film. It’s a fun one—even if it’s climatic moment is a bit over the top (and doesn’t quite fit the character).
Now overall, I had two major issues with the film. The first was the lazy CGI on display for most of the film. Now their excuse could easily be budgetary reasons—but you have to work with what you have. That excuse doesn’t make the finished results look any better. A surprise character makes their appearance, and they are fully CGI. And while this character is well done, and comic accurate, they look terrible when it comes to the CGI. Lazy is the best word I can think of. You can notice it as well in plenty of the action sequences, the most glaring of them being Domino’s first big action set piece. Colossus might be the best looking CGI in the movie, but even then, it slips from time to time.
My other big issue were the musical choices and cues. Eighty percent of them did not work, nor did they fit in the slightest. Several of them came from a running gag about dubstep—a severely outdated joke. I mean have we talked about dubstep in the last five years? On top of that, when these songs played, their volume was extremely low in the mix. So they had little to no impact on the scene they played during, because everything else overpowered it. It’s like someone forgot to turn up the music just a bit. Now disclaimer here: my issue with the mix volume could easily have been an issue with my particular theater—but I’m willing to bet it’s within the mix of the film itself.
Cable aiming to kill. Photo via screenshot of the official trailer.
Now with those two big gripes out of the way, the movie is still very much a fine movie. I wouldn’t say it’s amazing, or as great as the first, but it’s still very entertaining. No, the film does not quite have the magic that the first installment did—but that’s okay. From it’s wildly absurd but absorbing plot, to the surprisingly dark story that Wade is put through, to the constant fourth wall gags—the film is still plenty entertaining to watch, and is a worthy sequel. As always, make sure to stay through the credits because this after credits scene is not one you’ll want to miss.
What did you gets think of the sequel? Did it live up to your expectations? Make sure to leave your spoiler-free thoughts down below!
Bonus Notes:
- Deadpool once again does X-Men better than any X-Men film before it (minus on over the top Colossus scene)
- The after credits scene is amazing, but there is certainly as aspect of it I can see people not liking.
- Once again, Deadpool does the X-Men more accurately than any of the X-Men films.
- There was some great attention to detail through the film. Every single piece of damage that Wade’s suit takes, the movie makes a point to keep that continuity—hilariously noticeably in the very last act.
- Deadpool 2 has a lot of gags. More so than the first. Because of it, more fall flat. So it doesn’t always feel as sharp witted as the first. Also, some gags go on just a bit too long.
- I’m not going to lie. Every time Josh Brolin spoke, I only heard Thanos.
Deadpool 2 is now playing nationwide in theaters.
