The anticipation was palpable. . . after a bunch of unique trailers (Superman phone booth spoof, deceased PBS artist Bob Ross riff, ‘oh shit, we forget to put the computer generated effects in’, and apologies to David Beckham), Deadpool has finally returned to theatres – one of the most anticipated R-rated sequels in quite some time.
And, for the most part, it thrives. This time directed by stunt man turned action maestro David Leitch (John Wick; Atomic Blonde), he reintroduces us to Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), the sarcastic, fast-talking quasi hero who cleans up the streets by leaving one dead body after another littering them. Though all is not well, and we soon flash back to learn why our protagonist is so morose – a nice touch, while he sulks, he plays a music box that features Wolverine impaled on a stake. *** Warning, one major and a few minor spoilers in the upcoming paragraphs.***
In a loving relationship with his gal Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), his dangerous job leads a group of revenge seeking thugs back to their slummy apartment – and she gets shot and killed in the process. As if lost at sea without a rudder, anchor or clean change of underwear, Deadpool comes into contact with his friends: insulting bartender Weasel (T.J. Miller), taxidriver Dopinder (Karan Soni), Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), and the only two X-Men he ever seems to bump into – Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), who is now in a relationship with Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna).
Convinced by his two X friends to join the team as a trainee, things don’t go well, and it eventually leads Deadpool to a high security prison (collared to eliminate his powers), rooming with a chubby New Zealand teen called Russell, his superhero name – Firefist (Julian Dennison).
It is this portion of the film that gets a bit bogged down while it sets up the plot (worth it in the end), reintroduces the characters (tying things together with the first feature), and, just feels like it is trying a bit too hard – though that is not to say that there aren’t some great moments, action and comedy, all encompassing the snappy dialogue that suits Reynolds so well.
Then, a villain from the future appears, Cable (Josh Brolin), and Deadpool finds a reason to live – as the antagonist is not hunting him, but rather, the teen. Knowing that he needs some help, he forms his own brand of X Men, calling them X Force. . . a team including lucky Domino (Zazie Beetz in a knockout role), Vanisher (a blink and you’ll miss it, Brad Pitt), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård – or Pennywise, for all you horror fans), Bedlam (Terry Crews), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) and Peter (Rob Delaney) – a mustachioed man with absolutely no powers. . . he just saw the advertisement and thought it would be cool to join in.
It is at this point that Deadpool 2 takes off, recapturing its electric wit, wood chipper-style spoofery, and acidic charm – a speeding bus flooring its way to the epic conclusion. It is no longer encumbered by the above mentioned issues, finding that complex milieu within its R-rated comic book style action, cheeky dialogue, and countless jabs at movies new and old.
Speaking of references, keep an eye open for a James Bond style opening credits sequence, an awkwardly funny reworking of the Basic Instinct flashing scene (Jerry Goldsmith’s score from the movie also makes a quasi-cameo during the credits) and comments on the DC cinematic universe, Yentl, Frozen, Logan, The Passion of the Christ, Interview With a Vampire, Robocop, Cool Runnings as well as countless other shots targeted at the X-Men franchise. There are also more subtle nods: Deadpool fleeing a villain’s lair chased by a horde of baddies (making it to his getaway driver). . . Raiders of the Lost Ark anyone?; a Flashdance pose with bullets instead of water; and an ode to John Cusack’s boombox sequence in Say Anything. Obviously, this only touches the tip of the iceberg (Reynolds is not afraid to make fun of himself along the way), with the clever end credits scenes adding its own meta layer (let’s just say this whole time travel thing helps clean up some past mistakes).
In one of the most surprising cameos since Thor: Ragnarok, many will be surprised to learn that Matt Damon once again makes an unexpected appearance. When Cable first teleports to the present, he meets two hicks discussing the best way to clean yourself after taking a number two, and the more visible character is clearly Alan Tudyk, while the other is actually the star actor (credited as Dickie Greenleaf – the persona his character takes over in The Talented Mr. Ripley). . . nothing like getting two talents to work with shitty dialogue.
A sequel that will please fans of the original, Deadpool 2 transcends its slow start, at times matching the original’s creativity, often one-upping it. With Leitch designing some spectacular action scenes (ranging from funny to awe-inspiring) – for anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to have luck as a superpower, you’ll find out, the movie looks as sharp as it sounds. I would be remiss if I did not quickly mention the soundtrack. With an eclectic selection of artists (AC/DC, Pat Benatar, Cher, Dolly Parton, Air Supply, as well as several others), each song is cleverly selected (i.e. “Thunderstruck”, which riffs Iron Man 2 while also misleading the audience in a smart way), perhaps the only song missing would have been “Luck Be A Lady Tonight” – for Domino, of course. So, turn back time and feel like you’re reliving your first experience with Deadpool, this is no token gesture.