REVIEW: ‘Deadpool 2′ -His Glorious Second Coming!

After his life gets flipped turned upside down, Wade Wilson aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) must overcome his personal demons and become the unlikely hero people say he’s meant to be when the teenaged mutant Russell (Julian Dennison) becomes the target of the time-traveling soldier Cable (Josh Brolin). Deadpool then forms X-Force to save Russel and hopefully start his own superhero team franchise.

Deadpool 2 faced the problem all sequels to good films do: improve on an already great story while not delivering more of the same. Simply put, Deadpool 2’s job was to not suck. Thankfully, the Merc with a Mouth’s latest outing is leagues beyond his first cinematic appearance or a certain superhero movie made by an overgrown 13-year-old who read too many Frank Miller comics.

“F” is for “F*** Yeah”

‘Deadpool 2′ [Credit: 20th Century Fox]

As expected, Deadpool 2 is the subversive foil to modern superhero movies. Overflowing with swearing, decapitated limbs, pop culture references, fourth wall breaking and more sex jokes than a man-child politician could spit out during a televised speech, Deadpool 2 is even raunchier than its already irreverent first part – depending on personal tastes, this is either the most promising description ever, or the most juvenile thing to hit cinemas this week since a local “comedy” starring noontime show personalities. But unlike a pathetic old fart who can’t bravely ride a jet ski as promised in their joke of an electoral campaign, Deadpool 2 is earnest and genuine in its immaturity, relishing in how much fun it was allowed to have while mocking the hell out of a genre that some would say has become too self-serious despite its campy, colorful origins.

Like its predecessor, Deadpool 2 is small in scale and focus when compared to an entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and this works to its advantage since it gives the cast their time to shine while also tackling more personal character arcs.  Instead of saving the world from an alien invasion or a giant blue laser in the sky, Deadpool’s main concern is overcoming the burden of his heavy emotional baggage and trying to befriend an angsty teenaged boy who shoots fire from his hands. If that doesn’t sound too difficult, then you’ve obviously never had to deal with a teen before or you never had a childhood.

Deadpool’s appeal was that despite its protagonist being the most recognizable anti-hero to ever rock a full body-sized red condom, it felt like a slightly more expensive yet still rebellious independent movie that crapped on blockbuster trends. Deadpool 2 carries on this tradition and aims for previously unthinkable heights, and while it reached its summit, it didn’t get there unscathed.

Too Much of a Good Thing

‘Deadpool 2′ [Credit: 20th Century Fox]

Free from the restrictive superhero origin story, Deadpool 2 now suffers from the notion that every sequel has to be bigger than the previous installment. Though this means that the laughs are better and braver shown in how Wade openly rips the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and Thanos a new one, this mindset does not apply to the characters. Not only does Deadpool 2 have to bring back familiar faces from the first movie, but it has to introduce new ones like Russell, Cable, X-Force and more. With a plethora of supporting characters fighting for screen time, it goes without saying that some hog the screen while others are unfairly overshadowed and wasted. To compensate, Deadpool 2 makes sure everyone gets at least one funny scene and a chance to show off what they can do, which works out well for the most part.

Another major flaw in the sequel is a holdover from the first movie: its tone. Deadpool was hampered by tonal whiplash, constantly jumping from an R-rated superhero parody to a generic origin story spliced with a straightforward romance. Deadpool 2, this time, struggles to mix drama and laughs, throwing gut-busting jokes and jabs at other superhero media in the middle of Wade’s totally un-fun suicidal, self-loathing tendencies. The sequel undercuts its own dramatic weight with well-delivered but ill-timed jokes that worsen the dissonance felt throughout the first half, leading to emotionally uneven scene transitions. Without giving away too much, it’s difficult to read the mood Deadpool 2 wants to achieve when dead people are supposed to be both a character’s darkest hour and punchlines to gory slapstick in the same scene.

Deadpool 2 gets off from mocking everything in its path – except for Wade’s character arc, that is. This is strange since given his satirical nature and origins, one would expect Deadpool of all people to laugh at himself and a saccharine theme of family ripped right out of the meme-worthy Fast and Furious franchise. Instead, the sequel demands to be taken seriously when the sappy music interrupts the witty banter, because nothing spells character development better than crying right after the pedophile jokes and threats to shove a dude up another dude’s ass.

Maximum Effort, Maximum Entertainment

Though imperfect and unwieldy due to the weight of its own ambitions, Deadpool 2 is still a blast and a miracle that shouldn’t exist. In a time where superheroes almost always have to avoid risks and be sanitized for children, Deadpool 2 couldn’t be bothered to give a fuck and just flips everyone off with its endearing, cocksure attitude that’s perfectly embodied by the best mid-credits scene in the genre’s history.

Thanks to the budding Deadpool franchise, superhero movies could finally graduate into R-Rated territory, but even so, such an altruistic goal was never Deadpool’s intent. All he ever wanted to do was to look cool while shooting people in the face and score that elusive Hugh Jackman cameo – and getting one out of two ain’t so bad.