What do you get when you combine a merc with the mouth, a time-traveling soldier, an extremely lucky lady and a fiery Kiwi superstar? A whole lot of wise-cracking, jaw-dropping chaos.
Deadpool, the loud mouth, fast-talking, anti-hero, X-Men trainee, returns for another round of R-rated insanity, though this time with a bit more heart added to the mix. Deadpool 2 comes two years after the first film. Directed by David Leitch (of John Wick and Atomic Blonde fame), the film sees Ryan Reynolds reprise his role as the red-leather clad, titular, ‘hero’.
Set two years after killing the man who gave him mutant abilities, Wade Wilson now works as a mercenary under the name, Deadpool, and lives a rather uneventful and peaceful life with fiancee, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). All is well in Mr. Pool’s life until a drug lord he failed to kill takes revenge on the merc.
The incident triggers a chain of events that sees Deadpool working alongside Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) again as they attempt to rescue a young but unstable mutant, Russell (played by New Zealand’s own Julian Dennison).
This sequel bears similar elements that made the first film a hit, with laughs, fun action sequences and colourful language taking centre stage. However, where the first film was more about revenge and vengeance, this sequel had a lot more heart and feeling to it, which is unusual for a character like Deadpool.
The film’s narrative is engaging, with a story that entices audiences to get involved with each character. Deadpool is certainly not the only character to watch in this sequel. This time, secondary characters play a much more important role in the film as we see the beginnings of the X-Men black ops team, X-Force, begin to take form.
We are finally graced with live-film versions of Nathan Summers a.k.a Cable (Josh Brolin), the time travelling soldier who is hell bent on eradicating a future threat, and Domino (Zazee Beats), the luckiest mutant around. These two characters added more depth to the film and provided Deadpool the opportunity to crack a whole lot more jokes.
The character development and interaction is superbly done in the film. The relationships between each character is tantamount to the progression of the story and it was especially interesting to see a very different side to the merc with the mouth, which personally, was nice to see.
Visually, the film showcased a lot more gore and visual effects compared to the first film. Queasy filmgoers be warned, there are body parts galore in this film. It was nice to see mutant powers and technologically advanced devices being used in the film. A lot of the soundtrack was rather catchy as well, which made the film all the more entertaining.
As a film, Deadpool 2 was satisfactory. There was a lot of action, laughs, and even included teary-eyed moments which was enjoyable to watch, however, it also felt as if the film tried too hard at some points. There were some jokes that seemed unnecessary and there were several moments that caused me to close my eyes and turn away. That being said though, I really enjoyed Cable and Domino’s addition to the film. Should there be a follow up X-Force film, which I’m sure there will be, I’m certain it’d be a hit.
Due to the film being filled with several cameos and Easter eggs, there’s not a lot more that I’m able to say about the film so as to not spoil Deadpool 2. Just remember to keep an eye out when you watch the film and stay for the credits!