2018 Film Review: Deadpool 2 (2018)

Directed by: David Leitch
Written by: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Ryan Reynolds
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin
IMDb Link

Deadpool 2 opens with the mouthy mercenary blowing himself up for our viewing pleasure, then spends the next few minutes showing exactly why, incapable of letting even the most sombre moment go without a meta joke commenting on it. It's a solid reminder that nothing really matters here and nothing is meant to matter, and that the story is happy to be a retread of hero arcs and tropes as long as it gets to comment on every single one of them.

Deadpool is back to crack wise and joyfully slaughter and maim with all the energy and lack of focus of a child with a chainsaw on a sugar rush. Reynolds is as good as ever here, never going more than a single breath without throwing shade at another superhero movie (including its predecessor) or making a pop culture reference, delivering each line with the fervor and glee required of such a self-aware character. This time he goes on a 'finding your family' character arc, and the writers are happy to follow the formula to the letter if it means letting Deadpool do what Deadpool does to such a process. There's regular reminders about what act the story's in, consciousness about Deadpool reaching his lowest point, constant reminders about the writing being convenient and lazy, and a few moments that happen concurrently with the story that make Deadpool as much a fan of the story being told as he is a participant. What's more, the writers are happy to have none of it mean anything by playing with the idea that any of it ultimately happened at all, breaking their own intentionally lazy rules to not only have their cake and eat it too, but also delete cake from existence. It's a lot of toying with storytelling for the sake of good fun and a bit of excessive violence, and the film knows it and wants to be nothing more. This sort of meta play extends to how the story is presented as well; a character may be running in slow motion, but Deadpool is happily slicing away at everyone behind him at normal speed; it's all very goofy.

Beyond the what can be expected from a Deadpool movie, the film offers some strong supporting characters who all get a little moment to shine. Stefan Kapicic returns to voice boy scout Colossus and Brianna Hildebrand is back as edgelord Negasonic Teenage Warhead, both offering the same counter dynamics to Deadpool as they did in the first; Warhead gets downplayed here, but Colossus is used excellently as both action centre-piece and as best friend. Karan Soni also returns as Dopinder, given a bigger role set on proving himself as a killer for hire; he's as every bit as delusional as he was in the first, and all the funnier for it. Newcomers Brolin and Zazie Beetz act as Cable and Domino respectively. Cable is a gritty, edgy, over the top cyborg soldier from the future, made funny by how straight Brolin plays him as a counter to Deadpool; his performance is exactly what it needs to be here. Domino is as mouthy as Deadpool and has luck as a superpower; Beetz plays her only slightly more mature than Deadpool, and makes for back and forth that gets funnier as it gets more exasperating. Finally, there's Julian Dennison, of Hunt for the Wilderpeople fame, doing a good job playing what is essentially his character Wilderpeople, only with superpowers. Everyone here fits their roles and suits their dynamic with Deadpool just right, so even when the jokes don't land the movie can keep going on character chemistry alone.

The Short Version: Deadpool 2 is very much the same sort and same quality of movie as the first: an ultra-violent sugar rush that plays everything fast and loose and meaningless and self-aware while never being afraid to obnoxiously remind you of it. The film is fast, funny, forgettable action comedy, and it's contentedness to be just that goes a long way to keep itself from getting tiresome.

Rating: 7/10

Published May 18th, 2018