snarky and irreverent redux

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2018)

Greetings again from the darkness. We couldn't help but ask "why?" when the sequel was announced, even though we knew the answer was money. There was little hope in improving on the first DEADPOOL (2016), and since that film's director, Tim Miller, was tied up with upcoming projects for X-Men and Terminator, there was understandable concern that changing the recipe could result in huge disappointment. While it may not be an improvement on the first, only those with unrealistic expectations are likely to be disappointed ... the rest of us will spend most of two hours laughing and enjoying the spectacle.
Director David Leitch exploded onto the scene with last year's surprise action hit ATOMIC BLONDE, and his stuntman experience is once again on display with even more frenzied action and fight sequences this time out. As you might expect, there is no easing into the comedy routine here. The Opening Credits are laugh out loud funny and the only thing better may be the closing credits sequence, which is an instant classic.
No punchlines will be spoiled here, and it's an obvious statement, but clearly no topic or subject, or at least very few, are off-limits. Targets of barbs include LinkedIn, YENTL, FROZEN, Fox & Friends, and well, the list goes on and on. You'll likely miss 20 percent of the dialogue whilst laughing. The "Merc with a Mouth" breaks the 4th wall in atypical fashion - blurring the line through dialogue incorporated into the story. The self-awareness is comical in its own right.
Some familiar faces are back. Wade's main squeeze Vanessa (Marina Baccarin) kicks off the "kids" discussion (Yikes!) and the couple seems to have settled into cohabitant bliss - never a good sign in a superhero movie. TJ Miller (despite his recent headlines) is back running Sister Margaret's Bar, though his minimal presence is noted. Also back is Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic), and his expanded role finds him turning Deadpool into an X-Men trainee at Professor Xavier's School for the gifted. This occurs after tragedy strikes and we are introduced to some new players. Julian Dennison (so good in HUNT FOR THE WILDERBEAST) plays FireFist, and of course, the arrival of Cable (Josh Brolin) shows us what happens when a time-travelling Terminator type is out for revenge.
Snarking, mocking and irreverence remain in full force throughout, but if you happen to pay attention to the story, you'll notice a (not-so) subtle transition taking place. The renegade superhero shifts from loner to team player, and even picks up some life lessons along the way - mostly related to loss and collaboration. Deadpool even forms his own team called X-Force, and one of the more interesting members is Domino (Zazie Beetz), whose superpower is luck (yep). We do get a surprise cameo, and there's even a shot of Deadpool with no pants ... and it's markedly unsexy. The music selections are inspired, however, if you are unsure whether this movie is for you ... it probably isn't.