So Deadpool 2 is the solid, almost-as-good sequel to the self-referential superhero comedy from a couple years ago. Ryan Reynolds is back as Ryan Reynolds playing the fourth-wall-breaking anti-hero Deadpool and its all the same stuff as before only with a bigger budget… since that first one, the sequel knowingly confirms, made a ton of money.
Deadpool 2 tells the story of Deadpool’s search for a family… thus making this a family film. And of a young, abused mutant trying to handle his superpower, an angry time traveling future mutant named Cable who has come back in time to kill the boy, and the super-duper team of X-People who Deadpool forms to protect the kid. Anything more would be spoilers since there’s some legit good surprises in the surprisingly (compared to the first film) complex story. Not that the story is super deep, just that it isn’t the basic origin story with two or three scenes the first flick had.
Because there’s a bigger budget at play and bigger ambitions in the new film. It’s more of a traditional superhero / time travel storyline even if the movie relentlessly mocks these genre tropes. Because this is Deadpool, a superhero comedy that seeks to punch holes in this over-saturated genre. Even moreso than before, it references and mocks other Marvel and DC hereoes along with a lot of other pop culture and Hollywood tropes. Most of these jokes land and I didn’t think they got in the way of telling their story. That’s important since too much could have sunk what they were trying to do. Though some could argue this makes for some dissonance as you are whipped from smirking satire to more serious emotional beats within a scene. I didn’t have trouble walking that line but I can see how some might.
For as arch and too-cool-for-school as the movie is, it has a surprising amount of heart. Maybe it was being ironic, but I don’t think so… the movie IS about family, loss, and redemption in ways that are surprisingly moving. I mean, given how ironic and fourth-wall breaking as the movie is, realizing that some of these scenes are played straight is interesting. The first movie did this with its romance plot, but the new film is reaching for more complex emotions. I mean, when it isn’t just cracking jokes which it does a lot.
This flick isn’t quite as good as the first one, primarily because it’s not fresh and original any longer. Plus the action isn’t as gonzo… though the budget and FX have improved. The final fight sequences are ok but start to get a little overburdened and sloggy. It doesn’t help they call attention to “another CGI fight scene” and then proceed to have another CGI fight scene. Mentioning a cliche doesn’t mean you have to then do the cliche….
But, hey, this is a big dumb and yet smart comedy and I laughed enough and that’s what matters. It doesn’t have to be the best superhero flick ever when it really just wants to make you chuckle.
So, yeah, if you enjoyed the first Deadpool, no reason not to run out to see this one. But if you found that first film overly smug or just confusing about its knowing winks and nods to other materials, you probably won’t like this one… though it might have more story and heart that might make it an argument for just being a better structured movie.
Score: 85