Film Review: ‘Deadpool 2’ Starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz

Heeee’s baaaack!

The red-spandex wearing merc-with-a-mouth, Deadpool, has come back for a second outing in Deadpool 2. Ryan Reynolds reprises the titular role that he was all but destined to play with the foul-mouthed but still lovable vigilante, Wade Wilson. This is Reynolds’ third time portraying the character, though we try hard to forget about his shameful 2009 appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (but both Deadpool films waste no time making fun of it – and this film’s reference to it had me in stitches).

In 2016, Deadpool surprised a lot of people by becoming the second highest grossing R-rated film of all time and being just shy of passing The Passion of the Christ. Being the meta character that Deadpool is, addressing this shortcoming is one of the many real world references that he makes to the audience throughout the film, and it (as well as everything else in the film) is comedic gold. The jokes in Deadpool 2 hit every time, it just took a little bit to get to them – meaning, the film starts off quite a bit darker than expected. So much, that it had me wondering how much more of a serious film this was going to be than its predecessor. It wasn’t until it got to a new opening credits spoof that we witnessed from the first film that the Deadpool film that I remember came out.

Being an action-comedy hybrid, the film excels in both categories. Picking up David Leitch to direct this time around was the perfect choice after the success he found co-directing the 2015 action flick, John Wick. One of the biggest criticisms of Deadpool was the action, but Leitch does not hold back when it comes to the sequel. Everything works and is masterfully interwoven with the the comedic one-liners one would should expect from the character. Not to mention, we get a action-packed showdown that fans have been clamoring for since 2006. For the sake of spoilers though, I will not disclose whom it’s between, but it’s awesome!

The characters we were introduced to in the first film return for the second bout and are as great as ever. Wade’s love, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) has baby fever, which leads to some comedic dialogue between the two. The loveable taxi driver, Dopinder (Karan Soni), desperately wants to be superhero. Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) is in a new relationship, and Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) still tries his hardest to tame Wade enough to be a part of the X-Men, but to no avail.

Who’s new (and welcomed) to the franchise now though are Josh Brolin as Cable (which was cleverly hinted at in the post-credit scene of the former film). Cable is a time traveling soldier with on a mission that slowly unfolds throughout the film and Brolin does a fantastic job playing it out. It shouldn’t go unmentioned either that his character design and the CGI and make-up accompanying it is some of the best I’ve seen in quite some time. Additionally, Zazie Beetz takes the role as Domino, an assassin who argues with Deadpool that “being lucky” is her superpower. As the movie plays out, you’ll see why the argument favors her. She’s fantastic throughout and I look forward to seeing what’s next for her character.

Although adept viewers might find some of the the plot points a bit predictable, it never hinders the experience or the the film from being entertaining (even Wade hilariously makes a jab at the writers after a pivotal reveal). Chances are, if you’re seeing Deadpool 2, you’ve seen its predecessor and you should know what to expect. I was worried that after the surprise success of the first film that the studio would try too hard to outdo themselves with just another cash-grab (as studios often do), but to my surprise, it was relieving to see that they kept true to the style and integrity of what they’ve created and kept it contained.

Deadpool 2 is full of surprises. There won’t be a moment in which the viewer is not entertained, whether it be the one-liners, the action, or some of the other surprises laced throughout the film. Given an earlier release, it might have even passed both Deadpool and Passion in the box office. It’s just a shame that it only has one week to shine brightest before the first massive summer blockbuster, Solo, comes out a week later.

A-