A Dead On Sequel

Rating: 9/10 (18 May 2018)

Deadpool movies are so hard to review. It's not because their super complex, thought provoking, or even artistic symbolism, but it's more due to the fact of balancing ridiculous antics with serious hero quality. With the first movie being a breath of fresh air to the massively stuffed superhero movie genre, the sequel had a lot to live up to for pleasing the fanbase once more. After one of the most amazing advertisement campaigns to date, did this movie break the fourth wall of entertainment once again? Robbie K here to do his best to help you with your movie viewing pleasures. Let's go!
Movie: Deadpool 2
Director:
David Leitch
Writers:
Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Stars:
Josh Brolin, Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin
LIKES:
Acting: Given all of Ryan Reynolds ups and downs, the young actor shines so well in the reboot version of Deadpool. His sass from previous comedy stunts (like Two Guys and A Girl) mixed with his physique/delivery of superhero, leads to a well-developed lead who carries the movie heavily on his costume equipped shoulders. Brolin comes in again as the villain, bringing his grit to a less CGI rendered height that works well to offset the hyper, ADHD like energy of Deadpool and with it comes great comedic banter. Much of the supporting cast nails their roles well too, capable of dropping lines and rocking CGI stunts.
Domino: Of all of these though, Domino was my favorite character. In the age of rising female heroes, Domino is a well-developed character who brings so much to the weird table this film sets. Zazie Beetz really shines in this movie as a female partner in crime to counter the crazy of Deadpool. A great character who has a quirky power, this "lucky" girl brings bite to fight Deadpool's humor, decent skills with a weapon, and surprisingly some enlightened looks at life that bring some zing to the movie. This character was a fantastic addition to the movie that should help expand the audience.
Story: A Deadpool comic is often not the most developed in the story department, and given the direction of the cinema... one never knows how a sequel story will end up. Happily, I can report that this sequel did a nice job in the story department, managing to bring a decent plot that helps our characters evolve yet sticking close to the humor vibe of the movie. It's nice to see a ridiculous character grow, but still stick to the core qualities and Deadpool 2 did a much better job than I could imagine.
Special Effects: Deadpool's ridiculous stunts means needing to find some way to make the impossible, possible on the screen. Hat's off, or in this case masks off, to the department who made all the bouts, mutants, and futuristic technology come roaring to full force to immerse you into the action. Speaking of which,
Action: The action of Deadpool 2 is a mixed bag for me, but there are plenty of components that worked well with me. At the front line, are a number of bouts that have that chaotic, adrenaline fueled themes to it, mixed with snarky comments and unrelenting jokes that keep things fun, exciting, and a great opener. Seeing the moves, they choreographed/crafted, showed promise for some epic finales to come, always a good idea to cast the net and get them caught up early right. More on that later.
Comedy: In truth, the strongest weapon in Deadpool's arsenal is the comedy that this film is drenched in, and by drenched I mean caught in a deluge. This sequel picks up where the last left off and with it comes a cornucopia of styles all hectically crashing together in a giant abstract masterpiece. Nothing is safe from Deadpool's adulteration, as the red garmented maniac brings vulgarity, ridiculous finishes, pokes at stories, comics, movies (including the franchise itself), and of course slapstick that transitions to so much more. I kept laughing my head off in this movie and loved the writing, cleverness, and of course mid-credit scene that victoriously finishes the movie off and delivers the answer to the wishes and prayers of the fan base. So, so good.
DISLIKES:
Over the top moments: Deadpool I know is all about breaking the 4th wall on just about everything he can. And certainly, in this installment, the writers did their best to break that mold as often and intense as possible. Given the laxer ratings, Deadpool 2 shows no qualms with crossing the line. Primarily the cursing, Deadpool 2 doesn't know when to quit in terms of vulgar cursing and certainly goes down inappropriate avenues I didn't particularly enjoy. A minor one at best, be warned that anything is possible with a mad mercenary.
Comedic Stints Go on and on: Like this review, Deadpool's comedic banter sometimes treks on for too long. Those liking to see two smart alecks duke it out in a battle of insults, fake outs, and sarcasm for minutes on end will be delighted with the writing of this movie. I admit I did like it at first, but near the end this ploy had soon started to wrinkle like Wade's face.
Action: While I certainly liked the action for much of the movie, I can't help but admit I was a little disappointed as well. Sure, the humor is awesome, the inappropriate battle moves fit well, and it felt like a Deadpool sequence come to life with little to no punches pulled. Yet, I'm still spoiled on some of Marvel's glorious cinema wars and had hoped we'd get some match ups to give them a run for its money. The epic climactic fight didn't quite have the on the edge, clap in your seat, scream in excitement epic fights that the trailers had hinted at. Those moments were fly-overs in an extended montage.
Predictable: My buddy is right in saying that the movie certainly goes a different route than presented in the trailers. However,... the movie (perhaps as a stunt itself), dropped too many hints to lead you down the path to the answers that awaited. I was able to figure out all the twists with ease, and not have my mind blown as I thought it would. Another small dislike, but hey got to be honest at times.
Character use: The trailers promoted the heck out of X-Force, making sure that we got our eye fill on just about every angle of Deadpool's own team to rival the goody two shoes X-men. And while the characters got their time to shine in comedy moves, their overall contribution to the film was cheated out in my opinion. Maybe that's what the comics have done, or perhaps it was a brilliant comedic ploy. However, don't promote characters so heavily if you are going to dilute them so much. Even his fellow mutants from Xavier's got a bit of underplay, another example of too many pieces leading to sacrifices being required to not make the film too long.
The Verdict:
Truth is I loved Deadpool 2 and while I had some issues, (which are pickiness of course), the movie accomplishes the goals of being a comedic spoof of superhumans that brings that bite to eat we hungered for. It's fast paced, it's witty, and it still keeps the story going on a level I didn't expect and this provides the breath of fresh air again that the first one did. Still, it's not a perfect movie for me and I still hope to get some more action and character usage in the next installment should Disney not limit Fox's creativity on it. Worth a trip to the theater? Absolutely, though be warned that the movie is not designed for younger audience members, those with weak constitutions to blood, violence, and vulgarity, or those not ready to step over the abyss into craziness.
My scores are:
Action/Adventure/Comedy: 9.0
Movie Overall: 8.5