DEADPOOL 2 Review

Well then, this review turned out to be harder to write than I initially anticipate. Not in the way that something Blade Runner 2049 where I'm in such awe of the spectacle I just witnessed that I can't properly convey how I felt about the film; but rather because I'm somewhat baffled by what I just sat through last night. Make no mistake, Deadpool 2 is a pretty solid comic book flick and does many things a lot better than the original. Yet, despite all of that, I still left the theater in a strange mood where I'm not disappointed while also feeling like there could've been more here.

Now then, let's focus on the positives because there is certainly a lot to like here. First off, David Leitch is definitely a better director than Tim Miller was (seeing how this film has better action and is far more visually dynamic). Ryan Reynolds still gives his maximum effort and shows really no one else could've done Deadpool as a character better than himself. Josh Brolin is even better here as Cable than he was as Thanos in Infinity War. The good cop/bad cop relationship he has with the titular Merc with a Mouth near the end is a nice touch that brought to mind the likes of Lethal Weapon and especially 48 HRs. Zazie Beets was a welcome surprise as Domino. She's cool, capable and even gets a few good one-liners in between all the chaos Even if the jokes here a lot more hit-and-miss than the first one, there are still a few that make the whole enterprise worth the price of admission. The soundtrack here is pretty killer. Even all the stuff with the X-Force business takes a few unexpected turns that I won't dare to spoil here. There are a couple gags that have been recycled from the first one; but, they're kept to a minimum and the ones they do bring back mostly land on their feet (one in particular outdid the original to where everyone at my screening was in stitches for a solid five minutes).

As for the negatives, there aren't enough to bring the party down so to speak; but, they are still worth talking about. Without a doubt, I can say the film's only major problem is inconsistency. Some jokes feel out of place, the tone is all over the map in any given scene, and it does feel a bit like a thrown together mashup of comic book goofiness. While I do admire the filmmaker's attempts at making Deadpool more of a flesh-and-blood character instead of a one-note joke, I'd be lying if I said they were entirely successful. Still, enough of that stuff works to where you feel like you're getting more out of this than some fun wordplay and gunplay.



Deadpool 2 may be kind of clunky at times and doesn't quite achieve some of its loftier ambitions. Nevertheless, none of its shortcomings keep it from being one of the more subversive and wildly entertaining films in the superhero genre. If the superhero gravy train keeps on going from here on out, here's hoping we keep getting more like this to spice things up a little. Plus, any movie that opens on a snarky dude in red tights murders criminals with a chainsaw while Dolly Parton plays in the background is going to be worth seeing one way or another.

DEADPOOL 2 gets an...
STRANGELY EMOTIONAL A-HA REMIX out of TEN

PS. In case you don't know this for some bizarre reason, stay through the credits. I know it's become habitual for audiences to stay through the credits of superhero movies; but, seriously, they pulled out all the stops this time and delivered what might be an all-timer. Don't let anyone ruin it for you.