Friday, June 1, 2018

Deadpool 2

Prepare for the second coming...


The surprise hit back in 2016 from Fox (“the studio that killed Wolverine”) pretty much proved itself worthy of a sequel in the first day of its release back then.  With the money it made, making its budget back in probably the first few hours of screenings, the studio would have to be a bunch of “ass-hats” to not throw money at—and greenlight—a sequel right away. 

 

What helped the sell?  Ryan Reynolds.  If it wasn’t for his portrayal of the titular character of Wade Wilson—which shouldn’t be that difficult seeing as the writers of most of the comic book series currently use his comedic wit as a template for the hero—that movie wouldn’t have been as successful as it had been.  Even before there was any mention of a movie being in development, when reading a “Deadpool” comic book, I couldn’t help but picture Reynolds speaking the parts and cracking wise throughout the storyline.

 

No one wants to talk about the first time Reynolds portrayed the character of Wade Wilson (not even Reynolds himself) back in 2009 in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but there was a bit of excitement when it was learned that he’d be featured in that movie.  As the movie played out and people came to understand how the character’s depiction had turned out, that’s when comic book aficionados became upset and lost even more faith in Fox.

 

However, all the wrongs have been made right, we’d gotten a movie with a decent origin, finishing off with an after-credits stinger that went right out and announced a sequel, going as far as telling us that the character of Cable would be in it…comic book fanboys went nuts.

 

So here we are, after nearly a year of constant promotions, starting with the hilarious short that played before the Logan film last year, we get the sequel…Deadpool 2.

 

I’ve got to say, I’m a little surprised that the film is titled so simply, not giving us a subtitle, but opting for the sequential number of 2.  I thought there’d be something funny to go into this movie, like a subtitle mocking some other movie or an MCU movie or maybe even something from the DCEU, like Deadpool V Cable: Martha Martha Martha…?  But what’s in a title, right?  It’s the finished product that makes or breaks the bank…the title could’ve been something lame like Deadpool Returns, so it really doesn’t matter if it has a cool title.

 

As I gather my thoughts and piece together everything I saw on the opening weekend, let me give you the synopsis of Deadpool 2

 

Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary, Wade Wilson—also known as Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds)—brings together a team of fellow mutant rogues—Domino (Zazie Beetz), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård), Bedlam (Terry Crews), and Shatterstar (Lewis Tan)—to protect a young boy (Julian Dennison) with superpowered abilities from the brutal, time-traveling mutant, Cable (Josh Brolin). 

 

The above summary is definitely shortened and streamlined to save you from any spoilers because there is a lot of funny surprises that you’ll have to see fresh and for the first time.  However, unlike most movies these days that ruin some of the story for you by showing most of the action and jokes in the trailer, Deadpool 2 shows you different takes of the scenes which gives us revelations and fresh takes that we haven’t seen.  Although, in this sequel, it’s a bit jarring to go from slapstick scenes to more serious notes in the story, but it all comes together in a very stimulating style.  Most filmmakers would not be able to accomplish this, nor would they have the courage to try.

 

Character by character…

 

Of course, Ryan Reynolds—back in that red and black leather number—kicks ass just as much as he had in his first outing (not the X-Men Origins: Wolverine film, but the 2016 standalone).  The laughs are constant, with Reynolds’ humor showcased throughout, breaking the fourth wall, interacting hilariously with the straight characters, showing his awareness that he’s in a movie. 

 

Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) is here once again, acting as Wade’s anchor to calm him down from the constant quips and to bring the movie to a more serious tone when they’re together.  We don’t get too much of her character within the story, and it’s for good reason…you’ll see once you experience the film.

 

T.J. Miller’s “Weasel” is not featured as prominently as he was in the first film—it may be due to Miller’s off-screen issues, it may not—but he does have some funny interactions within the film, as Wade’s assistant in the X-Force interviewing scenes and in one particular scene where Wade is recovering from a pretty critical injury…which gets a lot of laughs here.

 

Now, the character every comic book geek was waiting for—Cable (Josh Brolin).  The first film was bold enough to give us that bit of info during the after-credits scene in the first film—as Deadpool parodies the end of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, complete with robe and background set design, he flat out tells the audience the sequel will include the character of Cable.  However, at that time, no one was cast as the cybernetic-armed mutant.  Though many names were thrown about, Josh Brolin was the one who’d won the part and he delivered in spades, giving us the look and mannerisms we’d come to expect—well, at least us comic book fans anyway.  Brolin embodies this character and I loved everything about his depiction…well, except for his height…which wasn’t a problem until near the end of the movie when he’s walking alongside Reynolds, who’s a good three inches taller than him.

 

As for the rest of the cast, back for the ride are Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), Dopinder (Karan Soni), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic).  But new to the Deadpool franchise are Firefist (Julian Dennison), Domino (Zazie Beetz), Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård), Bedlam (Terry Crews), and Peter (Rob Delaney).  I’ve left off a few other characters because they’re a good jolt added to the film, so I don’t want to spoil it for you.

 

Although director Tim Miller gets a lot of accolades for what he was able to do with so little in the 2016 film, he decided not to come back for the sequel (probably because he’s working on the Terminator reboot set to be released next year).  So, the director’s job went to David Leitch, who really doesn’t have that much in the way of directing movies, but has had quite a career in stunt work for films.  Leitch’s first directing gig was for the highly acclaimed John Wick, followed by Atomic Blonde before coming on board for Deadpool 2. 

 

So, let me just give you my final “bit” on Deadpool 2...

 

The sequel is just about as funny and entertaining as the first, with a bit more action and a lot more characters involved.  As we’ve seen in the trailers, the “X-Force” team is initialized and we’re more than likely going to get a movie soon, featuring these team members and maybe more added to the mix.  You won’t have to sit through all the credits to see some scene that’ll clue you in on a sequel because there is none.  But the start of the credits features some humorous animated stills and in between the middle of the credits are some hilarious scenes that are surprisingly comical.  As in the first film, the strong language and graphic content are not suitable for young children, but there isn’t any nudity or sexual situations here, so you can feel comfortable watching this with teens…or at least allowing yours to see it.  A few shocks are to be seen here, especially for comic book fans, so just get out there and see this before it leaves theaters.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

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