Deadpool 2

Deadpool was so successful that a sequel was given the green light before the first film was even released. If that’s not a studio giving a movie good faith, then I’m not sure what is. Anyhow, Deadpool 2 – or DP2, as I’m going to call it for the rest of this review, if only for the sole reason that I enjoy abbreviations and referred to the film as such before, during, and after its release in cinemas, and I’m sure Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) certainly wouldn’t mind or even care – carries on Deadpool’s story from the first film, with the accompanying voiceover, constant fourth wall breaks, and gratuitous violence that made the titular character so endearing in the first place. Here’s a slightly fun comparison (if it can be called as such) there is a lot more fourth wall breaking in DP2 than in Deadpool, which leads me to believe that screenwriters Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Reynolds decided to go all out for this one, on the strange notion that they were perhaps holding back in the first film (unlikely, but there you go). And yet, DP2 is more violent, is more ludicrous, and is more over the top-and-at-times-nonsensical than its predecessor. But that’s okay.

Spoiler alert (but not for this film): if you’ve not seen Logan, skip down several lines. Because Fox still owns the rights to these characters – and because Deadpool is aware that he is in a movie – and because Reynolds desperately seems to want Hugh Jackman to reprise his role as Wolverine, DP2 starts with Deadpool spoiling the end of Logan, before promptly blowing himself to smithereens. Why? Well, that is a spoiler, and one which is actually quite shocking, damning, and disorienting, to the point where you wonder just what the hell was going through the screenwriter’s heads at the time. If they wanted to make a statement, then they sure as hell made one, and I do wish that I’d managed to avoid said spoiler before seeing the film. My own problems with my seeming inability to avoid spoilers aside, DP2 then continued the trend of having wacky opening credits (even if they felt a bit forced this time in comparison to the first film’s), and also continued the trend of being wonderfully, unapologetically mad. And as much as I enjoyed this movie, I did find some issues with it unfortunately, issues that did end up cropping up once I’d actually stopped to ponder on the film in its entirety.

For one thing, there was perhaps just a little bit too much fourth wall breaking (but the reference to its box office glory was a fun little Easter egg), to the point where DP2 wouldn’t have felt out of place if it had been the world’s most expensive and elaborate theatre production. Then the storyline itself wasn’t as strong as it could have been, but I think that that’s down to expectation than anything else. DP2 couldn’t do a rehash of the structure of Deadpool and expect to get away with it. Plus, Deadpool would have called the film out on it. Also, in a non-spoiler-y statement, I didn’t find the ending as refreshing or as fulfilling as I hoped it would be. Not only was the set-up too well planned and ‘convenient’, but the payoff felt slightly jarring. Other than these small nitpicks, this was still a Deadpool movie, and that, by virtue, makes DP2 a pretty outstanding film. There were lots of references (which I always enjoy), lots of potshots at the DCEU (whether rightly or wrongly, you know Deadpool doesn’t give a damn about your fanboy snowflake feelings), and lots of violent, excessive, bloodied action, which by itself puts DP2 a world apart from other MCU movies.

There were also references to Avengers: Infinity War, because Josh Brolin (who plays Thanos), was also the villain/antagonist in this film, where he slipped into the role of famous (if you’re familiar with the comics, at least) character Cable. Cable was a brutal, unrelenting antagonist, whose goal was one that you could empathise with. He didn’t let anything or anyone stand in his way (much like Thanos), and you could actually see where he was coming from. However, he wasn’t the film’s only villain, which at least added a certain level of desperation to the story, and also Deadpool’s plight. One of the film’s standout scenes (and I don’t usually do this, but I enjoyed it that much), was the entire action sequence right after the introduction of the X-Force, which includes Domino (Zazie Beetz), and Internet fan-favourite, Peter (Rob Delaney). Again, I won’t say what happens, but it is lots of fun. And a final point: if you’re not one to stick around for the credits (I know a lot of people are eager to leave the microsecond the movie officially ‘ends’), I would strongly recommend staying (or fast-forwarding) until the mid-credits cookie, as it’s one of the best mid-credits scenes in years. Deadpool 2 is lots of fun, with much of the same aspects that made the first one so damn great, but it falls just short of being on the same level as its predecessor.