Deadpool 2
Superhero / Comedy
Rating : 3/5
Synopsis:
After years of being a lone wolf mercenary, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) brings together a team of mutants to help stop the time traveling Cable (Josh Brolin) from murdering child mutant Russell (Julian Dennison.)
Review:
It could be argued that the success of Deadpool as a franchise is due to the star quality of Ryan Reynolds. Mr Reynolds has enough charm and charisma to reduce the strongest man to a giddy school girl. We route for this fella to succeed, and rightly so.
The marketing for the sequel has also been hugely successful, from the initial Bob Ross teaser trailer to Reynolds constant use of social media. The team definitely knew how to hype the sequel up. Did the maximum effort of the marketing team match the success of the film? Well the general consensus is that the sequel is on par with the first, if not better.
What Deadpool 2 does better than the first is to add an emotional core to the title character, which gives the film a touch more gravitas. The sequel also brings in new characters; such as the lucky Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Cable (Brolin - who is having quite a good year,) and they act brilliantly against Reynolds both on the camera and behind it on press tours.
The action scenes are also better choreographed, which is due to the stuntman turned director, David Leitch previously working on John Wick (2014) and Atomic Blonde (2017). My returning favourite character, the CGI Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapičić) also gets a lot of screen time - which means I get to enjoy more quips with Deadpool.
All this is great. However, I will say that I believe the first one is better than its sequel, due to one important aspect - the comedy. The original film simply made me laugh more, and felt so more more like a passionate project.
The problem with Deadpool 2, is that because they try to cram so much in, I feel the writers often confuse pop culture references as a punchline for a joke. Sometimes these reference fail to even make sense, as seen in the car chase scene, in which Cable is trying the kill Russell and Deadpool is trying to save the kid. Deadpool refers to Cable as "John Connor."
Funny right, Terminator 2 reference! Wouldn't the joke make more sense if Deadpool called Cable, Robert Patrick since in both scenarios they are time travelling killing machines. There's your lazy writing Deadpool 2 writers!
Despite my nitpicking, Deadpool 2 is still a successful comedic film, and when the jokes land, they are uproariously funny. The briefness of the X Force team, Deadpool getting a new pair of legs, and a great use of the 9 to 5 song are just some of the highlights. I will also admit that a particular group of cameos and imagining that every superhero's mother is called Martha got a good chuckle out of me.
I don't need another reference to Green Lantern, Avengers or Wolverine, I wanted bigger jokes on a wider scale.
Deadpool 2 will of course be successful, Reynolds and his mercenary alter-ego will always have its die hard fans, and I wouldn't be surprised if it overtakes Avengers: Infinity War's box office gross.
With the X Force film already confirmed, I'm sure it won't be long before the third instalment is also announced in the upcoming days. I hope the writers branch out more with the jokes, as well as developing Cable more as a character.
My biggest concern though is how strong of a domineering voice Disney will have on Deadpool's future. Deadpool better enjoy his smokes while he still can.
Cast and Credits.
Director: David Leitch. Marvel Entertainment, Maximum Effort, Twentieth Century Fox et al.
Producers: Simon Kinberg, Ryan Reynolds, Lauren Shuler Donner.
Writers: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Ryan Reynolds.
Camera: Jonathan Sela.
Music: Tyler Bates.
Sets: David Scheunemann.
Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Julian Dennison, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Stefan Kapičić.
