Two years ago Deadpool completely changed the way we look at superhero movies, mainly because of its unique, hilarious and, yes, vulgar, approach to the genre. I'm one of those who loved it and yet I wasn't really looking forward to seeing Deadpool 2 because we all know how sequels go, especially when the first film is such a success. Luckily, Deadpool 2 is another hit.
Wade Wilson aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is still a mercenary who takes out the bad guys, and he still is in a relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). When his life takes a terrible turn, he tries to find a new purpose with the help of the X-Men, but things take a turn for the worst when he sets out to protect a mutant kid, Russell (Julian Dennison), as the kid is hunted down by a time-traveller mutant named Cable (Josh Brolin).
The plot somehow manages to be even more simple than Deadpool's, it's rather disjointed and doesn't make a lot of sense --it kinda feels like the three writers, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Ryan Reynolds, never met nor bothered working together, and each wrote a piece of story-- and yet it is engaging and a tiny bit more unpredictable. Also, unlike its predecessor's where it was all about revenge, Deadpool 2's plot even has some morals.
The messy and unfocused plot though doesn't leave a lot of room for character development, which leaves us with many one-dimensional characters it's difficult to care about. Also, the characters from the first film return but their screen time is cut down to make room for the new characters, most of which --the mutants Deadpool assembles-- are forgettable, not to mention the non-existent villain. On the other hand, Deadpool is given the opportunity to grow as a person, and some of the new characters are pretty awesome, especially Domino, the mutant whose superpower is being lucky, as she adds a lot of excitement to the film.
| 20th Century Fox |
As for the cast, Reynolds does not disappoint and gives another brilliant, humorous performance as the titular anti-hero; Josh Brolin is a blast as Cable, and the fact that he also plays Thanos makes him the perfect cast for the role; Zazie Beets gives a sassy and sarcastic performance as Domino that will easily win you over. The other actors also do a good job, and the chemistry between them is impressive.
The sense of humour is the same of the first film, still crude, with plenty of pop culture references ranging from The Passion of Christ to Batman vs. Superman to other Marvel superheros, and slapstick, and it works just as well. Deadpool 2 is indeed pretty hilarious.
The action sequences are beautifully coreographed --one of the guys who killed John Wick's dog directed this film, after all-- and exciting. And at last, the soundtrack, still very 1980s, is awesome and each song fits its scene.
