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!
