REVIEW: Deadpool 2

It's going to be more than a little difficult to write about Deadpool 2 without simply reiterating everything I said in my Review of the first Deadpool film. It stands to reason that, if you enjoyed Deadpool, you'll also enjoy Deadpool 2; however, I feel like statements such as these tend to take on a somewhat bittersweet connotation, implying a lack of scope or growth on the part of the filmmakers. "If you liked X, you'll like Y" seems to imply the idea that a sequel is simply more of the same and little else, but I have to say that that's not entirely the case with Deadpool 2. While it doesn't exactly shoot for the moon in terms of upping the stakes, it still manages to deliver another hilarious (yet surprisingly heartfelt) chapter in the life of Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds). 

When you've broken as many box office records as Fox did with the first Deadpool, there'd be an understandable temptation to go all-out with the sequel. The first film was made on a comparatively modest budget of $58 million (about a fifth of what it cost to make Avengers: Infinity War), forcing director Tim Miller to find creative workarounds for the movie's lack of funds; for example, the planned gunfight that was meant to make up the climax proved too expensive to actually film, leading to a stellar gag in which Deadpool forgets all of his weapons in a taxicab and has to fight everyone with just his swords. Limitations can often be the impetus for moments of brilliance, so one of my greatest fears for this sequel in the months leading up to its release was that the small-scale charm of the original would be lost under a tsunami of studio money. There's always clear temptation to blow millions upon millions on making things bigger and better when making a sequel (especially a superhero sequel), so I was happy to see that the crew behind Deadpool 2 focused decidedly less on reinventing the wheel and more on merely refining what made the original so endearing.

With the original Deadpool ending on a surprisingly sweet note, it's worth noting that happiness and good fortune rarely smile upon the life of Wade Wilson for long. Without spoiling anything (that, admittedly, happens in the first five or so minutes), we see Deadpool's life thrown into chaos and misery once again. As Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) attempt to get the mopey merc back on his feet by training him to be an X-Man, the team runs afoul of a troubled young mutant by the name of Russell (otherwise known as his edgy alter-ego, Firefist, played by Julian Dennison). Meanwhile, in a briefly-glimpsed post-apocalyptic future, the cyber-soldier known as Cable (Josh Brolin) returns home to find his family incinerated by a now-grown Firefist. With Cable traveling back in time to kill Russell before he can get a taste for murder, it's up to Deadpool to step outside of his comfort zone and try to find a decidedly non-violent solution that will simultaneously fix the future and save Russell's soul.

The thing I liked the most about the first Deadpool is that its stakes were, for a superhero movie, very small and personal. There was no super-weapon or invading force poised to destroy all of humanity as we know it, just an insecure goofball looking to get revenge on the guy who ruined his good looks. This is also the case here; Cable isn't fighting for the fate of the entire future, just his wife and child. Deadpool isn't looking to save the world, just one messed-up orphan. And Russell isn't looking to take over the world, he just wants retribution on those who wronged him. It's all very low-key compared to the planet-hopping odyssey that is Infinity War; it doesn't feel like an "event", per se, just another adventure. Describing it in that way almost makes the events of the plot seem unimportant, but that's hardly the case. Deadpool 2 and it's predecessor are largely character-driven, from the plot to the jokes, so that kind of small-scale, unorthodox approach suits this irreverent kind of spoof just fine.

Make no mistake, though, this isn't just another retread. Everything you loved about Deadpool is here, but better. A bigger budget means better special effects, so while the action is still relatively up-close and personal (care of John Wick director, David Leitch), the movie is free to get a little more creative with its use of gore and dismemberment. It also feels far more self-assured in its sense of humor than our first outing did; Deadpool was a tremendous risk for the studio when it was released, so it's understandable that the filmmakers would make an attempt to please as many people as they could. It's an approach I referred to as a "comedy shotgun" in my old Review of the first film; it doesn't matter if the jokes are hit-or-miss, so long as there are more hits than misses. 

With Deadpool 2, the referential humor (while still very much present) feels far more self-contained and relevant this time around. Compare the scene from the first film in which Wade refers to Gina Carano's character as "less-angry Rosie O'Donnell" (LOL, I 'MEMBER!) to Deadpool 2, where we see Cable get called "One-Eyed Willie" during an action sequence (both a surface-level visual gag and a reference to Josh Brolin's first appearance in a film). It just feels like, for the most part, it isn't trying quite so hard to be shockingly irreverent as the first one was; people know what to expect from a Deadpool film at this point, and while not every joke lands as hard as that Logan reference in the opening scene, it's definitely a more consistently funny comedy than its predecessor was. You can tell everyone involved learned and grew from their experiences with their first time around the block; they've found what works and now they're free to simply focus on crafting a fun, entertaining time.

The supporting cast (with the exception of T.J. Miller, who has completely regressed into irrelevance) is by and large excellent; it's great to see Stefan Kapicic and Brianna Hildebrand back as Colossus and Negasonic, and both Cable and Domino (Zazie Beetz) make for great additions to the gallery of straight-men for Deadpool to bounce off of. The only issue is that, not unlike the first film, it can sometimes feel as though we don't get to spend as much time with these characters as we would like. Cable in particular feels a little lacking in terms of screentime, considering how vital he is to the plot; his fluctuating good-cop-bad-cop dynamic with Wade makes for some of the most interesting and entertaining moments in the film (particularly during the finale), and it definitely leaves you wanting more (which I suppose is a good problem to have). At the same time, no one really feels overplayed either, so I suppose this approach of making Deadpool the primary focus while swapping out whichever character he's meant to interact with has both its benefits and its flaws.

I think it's also worth noting that your mileage may vary when it comes to the more emotionally straight-laced elements of the film. As a fan of the comics from which this character spawned, I greatly appreciate Ryan Reynolds and pals taking the time to inject a little heart and tragedy into the story of Wade Wilson, rather than just making him a taco-eating meme machine. It balances out some of the more outlandish comedic moments, but some will definitely find themselves wishing that the film would just get on with it, rather than coming to a full-stop every so often in order to hit the requisite emotional beats. It also doesn't help that, for all the sarcastic winks and nods the movie tosses towards various superhero clichés, it very much falls victim to several of the conventions it sets out to mock (most notably, an over-reliance on the status quo).

These hang-ups, it's worth noting, are very minor; all in all, I actually enjoyed Deadpool 2 much more than I did the first one. Perhaps it's simply because it's free from being bogged down by all the origin story boxes that the first Deadpool needed to tick, but I found this sequel to just be objectively better. For as crass and irreverent as it gets, there's an undoubted feeling of refinement in how the filmmakers serve up their cartoonishly brutal displays of viscera and toilet humor. Is it as emotionally-engaging and conceptually-ambitious as something like Infinity War? Not by a long shot, but then it's not exactly trying to be. Deadpool 2 is the lone pull-my-finger gag amidst the monolithic, multi-billion dollar industry that is the modern superhero genre; it sets out to keep everyone humble and smiling, and it goes about accomplishing this task with a sardonic grin on its face. My only hope is that, as Deadpool continues his steady rise to the top of the X-Men franchise, Ryan Reynolds and friends don't fly too close to the sun on future installments. We don't need a Deadpool Cinematic Universe; I'd be perfectly happy to get a solid, heartfelt action-comedy every few years (though some innovation definitely wouldn't hurt here and there). Seeing how they've approached Deadpool 2, I see no reason to temper my expectations for the inevitable third entry. I'll be there opening night, excited and ready for more.

REVIEW: Deadpool

For the longest time, I didn't know whether or not I should bother getting excited for Deadpool. I've been a fan of the character for years, but his representation in the public eye has been less than stellar as of late; while Marvel's regeneratin' degenerate actually has a fair amount of tragic depth to his character, more mainstream interpretations in recent years have shown him as nothing more than a "hilarious" mouthpiece meant to spew internet memes and non-sequiturs at the Hot Topic crowd. With each trailer and advertisement I saw for this movie, the more I was torn. For each joke or moment that made me smile, there was one that would make me cringe. The immediately positive critical response only piqued my interest further; could this actually be the Deadpool movie I'd waited all these years for? I steeled myself for the worst and dove right in, only to find myself somewhat stunned at just how good this movie turned out to be.

When a mouthy mercenary by the name of Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds, finally starring in his dream project) is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he undergoes a dodgy experiment in a desperate attempt at a cure. While the procedure grants him regenerative healing abilities that surpass those of Wolverine, it also leaves him horribly scarred and disfigured. Donning a snappy red suit and mask, Wilson adopts the name "Deadpool" and sets out on a quest for vengeance against the man who ruined his dashing good looks, a mutant scientist who calls himself Ajax (Ed Skrein).

Anyone who's read any quality Deadpool comics knows that, behind all the wacky humor and gratuitous bloodshed, Wade Wilson is a thoroughly tragic character. Everything in his life constantly goes wrong and, no matter how hard he tries to do right by the people around him, something always ends up ruining it in the end. He's an eternal misfit, only finding solace among those as messed-up as he is. Before I actually sat down and watched this film, one of my greatest fears was that it would be nothing but in-your-face comedy, completely ignoring the more serious dramatic beats that round out the character of Deadpool and help make him worth our emotional investment. Thankfully, this is a movie that knows how to get serious when it needs to. Story facets such as Wade's cancer diagnosis and his insecurities over his scarred, Kreuger-esque face are played totally straight. For as goofy as the humor gets, we're still able to actually feel for Deadpool as a character. We sympathize with his plight and honestly want to see things work out for him, considering all the horrible stuff he has to go through. A little bit of pathos goes a long way when it comes to selling a protagonist, especially one as ridiculous as Deadpool.

The humor is also leagues above anything I would have expected. The word "chimichanga" is uttered exactly once and I can count the number of jokes that fell flat on one hand. The comedic pacing matched with Reynolds' rapid-fire delivery really helps to sell the laughs in this film; even if it stumbles, you have no time to dwell on the fact that a joke didn't work because it's already back up and running before you have a chance to blink. This is one of those comedies where all the weakest jokes are in the trailer, and even then, there's nothing offensively unfunny about this movie. At worst, I'd roll my eyes. At best, I was letting out deep belly laughs and gasping for air. This is a film that takes the "comedy shotgun" approach; as long as it has more hits than misses, it works. And considering how hard I was smiling once the opening credits began, I have to say that Deadpool definitely, definitely works.

For such an oddball project (and an origin story, no less), Deadpool hosts a surprisingly large supporting cast. We have T.J. Miller as Weasel (Wade's best friend), Leslie Uggams as Blind Al (Wade's roommate), and Morena Baccarin as Vanessa (Wade's girlfriend). Each plays their part well (especially Miller) and does a fantastic job of playing off of Reynolds' manic energy. Considering this movie takes place in the same universe as Fox's X-Men franchise, some representatives from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters naturally make an appearance. Specifically, the moody Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and her mentor, Colossus (Stefan Kapicic/Greg LaSalle). These two were an absolute delight; Deadpool as a character really shines when he has a straight man to work off of, and the few X-Men in this movie fit the bill to a T. In terms of antagonists, we have Ed Skrein and Gina Carano as Ajax and Angel Dust. While Skrein was wonderfully sadistic, providing a strong, despicable presence for the audience to rally against, Carano felt moreso underused. She doesn't really do all that much aside from serving as Ajax's muscle; while her performance wasn't bad, I felt that her role was somewhat lacking.

Of course, the star of the show here is Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds. A huge fan of the source material, it's no secret that this is a movie Reynolds has been wanting to make for a very long time, and it shows in his performance. He's having the time of his life, effortlessly selling the jokes and lunacy that come with the characters. While the comedy and action are obviously at the forefront of his performance, I feel I also have to commend him for the way he handled the more legitimately dramatic moments in the story. He's able to play Wade as both bombastic and insecure, violent and tragic. This is an aspect of the film that I consider essential to its overall quality, so it's a good thing that he pulls it off as strongly as he does.

I also want to call attention to the unorthodox story structure for the first half of the movie. Rather than telling us Deadpool's origin in chronological order, the first two acts are blended together; it opens on an action sequence that feels like the beginning of the second act, flashing back at various intervals to give us more and more pieces of Wade's past until everything is caught up. While it's a little out of the ordinary, I feel as though it works to the story's benefit. It establishes the protagonist and primary goal right out of the gate with a high-energy fight scene, creating a stronger sense of contrast between what Wade's life was like before and after his diagnosis and transformation. It's a risky choice on the part of the filmmakers, but one that I feel pays off in the long run.

Despite my initial worries, Deadpool took me completely by surprise with just how much I enjoyed it. While it's at times crude, ridiculous, and immature, I feel as though it managed to be everything it needed to be to succeed. Underneath all the sex and viscera lies a surprising amount of heart; this is an adaptation clearly made by people with a strong reverence for the source material. Since the film's sense of humor is so deeply ingrained in everything that's going on onscreen, those who aren't sold by Deadpool's brand of vulgar silliness will find very little to enjoy here. That said, while not every joke stuck the landing, I still found myself laughing hard enough and often enough to give it a strong recommendation. Whether you're a longtime fan of the comics or just a casual moviegoer baffled at the trainwreck that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, know that this is the Deadpool adaptation you've been waiting for. And it's a load of fun to boot.