Deadpool 2 Review

Deadpool 2
Director: David Leitch
 Cast Headliners: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazzie Beatz, Julian Dennison, Stefan Kapcic, several others
Original Release Date: May 18th, 2018


    The Deadpool film that released just a couple years back was such an event of its own way and so eventfully wonderful that news of a sequel of course brings excitement but also a solidly high bar to live up to.  It showed that R-rated  blockbuster / superhero films can be just as successful and mainstream as their less ...colorfully worded compatriots and gave nothing but nigh-perfect respect for the source while delivering a film that was well made in so many ways. The sequel decides to take that and make things just as crude and rude while dialing the action, spectacle, meta-nature and laughs even more higher than ever before. It's certainly noticed for a rush of a time in all ways.
Note that it helps to have seen most X-Men, MCU, DC movies around before viewing this aside the first of course. Not in that the plots connect but moreso in that the humor is that much more enjoyable for it. Within minutes Deadpool / Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) mocks the details of 2017's Logan as he attempts to do something drastic so as expected the manic mood is set once again.   Essentially after various (action and blood packed of course) shenanigans with mercenaries and his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) he finds himself brought into the  (obviously just as small in number as the last Deadpool outing had) “X-Men” once again for an even more series of shenanigans.
If there's one drawback in this film compared to the first, others,  and objectively on its own is that the plot kind of has tenuous things keeping it all together. That may fit, as the first did, the erratic nature of the insane merc and wacky friends but some elements come through as half-thought.  Essentially, Deadpool and supporting friends find themselves dealing with a mutant “Firefist” boy Russel (Julian Dennison) with dangerous potential and a fierce cyborg warrior from the future Cable (Josh Brolin) with a quest of his own.
Of course the highlight of the film is its humor. The laughs are plentiful and certainly R-rated with swears and obscene content almost constantly. The script and writing is so sharp and wacky and nearly every moment has a memorable silly line or occurrence. As mentioned it helps to know X-Men and etc related otherwise other pop culture but the delivery makes it all work.  The cast helps this from faces old and new.
Of course front and center is Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool. He continues to give a perfect performance with enthusiastic , spastic voicing and one-liners. There's also a dosage of emotion and drama as well although there's often even laughs through those. The movement, the costume, the action and etc continues to be perfect to what one would want although a big portion has been seen before.  This multiplication nature is present in his friends too. Minor roles like his former roommate Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) and bar owning friend Weasel (TJ Miller) bring some typical kind of laughs with a bit less of a role this time. The same applies to X-Men Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) who now has a joke of a partner in Yukio (Shiolo Kitsuna). Wade's own girlfriend in Baccarin's Vanessa has some good rapport again although joins the lessened crowd . It's greatly pleasing to see the roles of X-Men member Colossus (Stefan Kapcic) and taxi-driver Dopinder (Karan Soni) increase to brilliant comedic effect this time.
  Now the promotional materials sells Deadpool 2's “X-Force... totally derivative” team that he ends up forming as a bit more of a focus this time but ultimately they're not given much focus beyond aiding in the action and having some lines with one exception. It works fine for the context to no loss really but it's good to have these further supporting roles via mutant recruits electric-using Bedlam (Terry Crews), acid-spitting Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgard), acrobatic alien Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), and … one has to see what the “Vanisher” and Peter (Rob Delaney) can do.  A highlight, and fittingly most important to the comics , member is Domino (Zazzie Beatz) who's suave nature , sarcasm, and luck-based aura give many great moments once she appears in the late game. There may be some more surprise people that must be seen firsthand from cool to hilarious.
On the side of well anyone who's not Deadpool's direct friend there is much less in both quantity and effectiveness.  Aside various thugs and the anti-mutant Headmaster(Eddie Marsan) who are fittingly generic there's the importance of both Russel and Cable. Dennison's Russel gives some great laughs and even for a youth has some of the most cusses and grit of anyone around although at times its a bit of extreme / hamming it up overload.  It's good to see some of his stuff with Deadpool but due to circumstances he ends up being mainly a MacGuffin on the move.  Now, Josh Brolin  as Cable is arguably one of the most important things to Deadpool as a character from the X-Men universe due to their many, many comic issues together as foe like here and otherwise. Brolin gives a committed performance as always with a powerful demeanor not too dissimilar to  Thanos from Infinity War (ironically two Marvel films released by different studios weeks apart... perhaps expect a joke on this somewhere ). He's got a slick cyborg arm and technology and drives most of the film's action. His serious nature is a great canvas to pair off on with others for humor and its great once and whenever he is featured more and more. It's just only minor unfortunate that due to everything else going on his backstory, motivations, and chance to shine by himself are glanced over a moderate bit. But he does what he can to bring justice to what the character is and should be. All of these elements and additional characters begin to drive Deadpool 2 into slightly new turf for ambience more like his other superhero film peers but its an increase that mostly works and makes sense.
Previous director Tim Miller stepped away for this one, with his replacement being David Leitch. Leitch does a solid and nigh-spot on replacement job for this. Everything is brisk and snappy with action sequences feeling as they should with many sweet moments whether viscerally realistic or fantastical mixed between the typical kind of stuff. At only moments there's some rough CGI but as with the first film that kind of adds to its charm and occurs with most effects-heavy genre films these days.  For music, the most notable thing is that there is much more licensed retro, pop, rap, rock etc classic songs used here (almost like the rate of MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy but with an understandably more comedy bent). It does nothing but aid to the laughs although this cinematic technique is far from fresh anymore. There could have also been some more stretching the bar of how surreal imagery happens but that is a minuscule presence or lack thereof.  Although that "insert franchise sequence) was a great parodic fusion of those elements.
As a whole, fans are going to love this once again. It delivers more of the same and expanded Deadpool hard R action and laughs with the amount of everything doubled up on for mostly better and seldom worse. As the trailers say “they probably won't even do a third one” and if that's the element of what one is looking for it certainly does its best to aim for and meet it. Walk away with a smile, after the credits of course, having enjoyed the fun both dumb and brilliant ..intentional and just the way it turns out again .  8.75 out of 10