Deadpool 2 Review

Deadpool 2 was directed by David Leitch and stars Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, and Julian Dennison. It is the direct sequel to 2016’s Deadpool and shows Wade Wilson as he tries to protect a superpowered child while battling a time-traveling cyborg from the future. It has a much different feel from the first film while still retaining a similar sense of humor and action that comes together to make a very entertaining movie and a noteworthy sequel that was on par, if not better, than the first.

Deadpool 2, right from the start, made a decision to throw away the ending of the first film through a completely unexpected character death and make some unnecessary change for the sole purpose of plot advancement and some pretty dark humor. It doesn’t feel earned but it follows in the format of Deadpool’s jokes where twisted situations are played for laughs which helps to soften the blow of what was truly happening. From there on out, Deadpool 2 takes a much different direction both pacing and plot-wise from its predecessor. I found this change fantastic since it let me know that the writers were willing to experiment instead of trying to copy the formula of the first film for what would have been an inevitably inferior movie. The writers also listened to what the fans wanted, which is surprisingly uncommon for movies like this, and they made numerous character inclusions that they knew the viewers would enjoy.

I’ll start with the brand new characters that appeared in this movie, with the main two being Domino and Cable. Both Zazie Beetz and Josh Brolin did great jobs in their roles and delivered some very memorable performances. These two characters were chosen since they are fan-favorites from the comics and the writers were able to pay respect to the comic book source material while still being able to give some of their own personal touches. This allows for some of the best moments in the film to be attributed to characters like Domino’s appearance on screen. Cable is a little underwhelming since he doesn’t get as much screentime as I would have hoped, but when he is shown, he plays a great balance to Wade Wilson’s nonsense and counteracts him well. There were also brief cameos of X-Force which was the highlight of the entire movie for me and even though it was short, it had some of the funniest moments of the entire 2-hour runtime. Lastly, Firefist as the main choice for the villain was a seemingly awkward decision but one that actually works surprisingly well. Having Wade attempt to handle both facing off with and protecting the child makes sense because of his earlier attempts at starting a family and it ties into some of the more personable moments well.

This movie, unlike the first one, actually includes far more serious and, as I stated before, personable moments. However, while they should have seemed out of place with the tone of the movie, the writers do a good job at keeping the heavier scenes consistent throughout the plot so that they never come out of nowhere. These scenes also tie into the plot and the themes very well so that, while it seems unusual at first, it quickly adjusts to the more somber and tender moments it shows. The film is able to handle themes of grief, death, and loss only at times when it feels right to do so it never undermines and lessens the humor.

Also, since humor is such a key aspect of this film, I’ll give it its own section to discuss it. In comparison to the first Deadpool, the jokes in this movie are a lot faster paced and come with a lot less time in between. However, this means that far more of them fall flat, but luckily the writing comes so quickly that, as a viewer, a new punchline comes in before you can even realize the last one wasn’t actually that good. This both works for Deadpool 2’s benefit and to its disadvantage as it doesn’t let some of the better jokes get the full time they deserve but I would have to say it does more good than harm. Also, a lot more of the jokes feel drawn out than the first one, the most notable being a scene near the very end of the film showing one particular character’s “death.” Some gags feel to realize that they’ve lost the interest of the audience before it’s too late but those moments are few and far between. Going along with the aspect of humor, the satire in this film is just as witty as the first and it delivers a biting and self-aware critique of the superhero genre. Overall, it was an exceptionally funny movie that had far more hits than misses.

Deadpool 2 is also an extremely well-directed movie and David Leitch does a great job, especially when it comes to the action scenes. With a superhero movie like this, the fight scenes need to be fantastic since its such a key aspect of this genre of films and Deadpool 2 nails this aspect. Leitch decided to go with longer shot lengths and extended, single camera shots instead of jumpy, dizzying fights that seem to be the norm now. The action is easy to follow and the choreography is incredible which leads to the fight scenes being some of the most memorable moments in the film, just as they should be.

Although, I didn’t like every single aspect of this movie and I did have some problems with it. It had a fairly slow start and the excitement didn’t truly pick up until Cable began interacting with the main cast partway through the movie. Up until then, it was set up with Deadpool meeting Firefist and attempting to join the X-Men. While this had some funny moments, it felt like it went on longer than it should have. Even though it went on too long though, the scenes with the Mutant Re-education Center tied in very well to the end of the film making its inclusion early on worthwhile. In fact, a lot of the parts at the beginning of the movie tied into the ending extremely well, like the use of Vanessa’s token which was not only great continuity but a great medium for developing Cable as a character too.

Overall, Deadpool 2 is an immensely funny and well-directed movie that takes the satire and fun of the first and expands on it. My only complaints relate to some unusual tonal shifts in more somber moments and the opening scene with an unusual character death that feels out of place as well as some odd pacing early on. However, these are only minor complaints and do little to detract from the film as a whole which is why I would give Deadpool 2 an 8.5/10.