(2.5 / 4)
With solid additions to the cast and exhilarating action sequences, Deadpool 2 is an improvement to its predecessor, even if the relentless meta-humor grows tiresome.
The Deadpool franchise has become the alternative for fans of the superhero genre who prefer their action spectacle to be paired with crude and profanity-laced humor instead of the family friendly quipping variant of the MCU. Upon seeing the original Deadpool film in 2016 I recall being extremely impressed by the film’s willingness to embrace its R-rating and the revolutionary self-awareness of the film’s place in the real world. After watching Deadpool a second time at home, I found that much of the novelty had worn off and it was apparent that the film’s ceaseless emphasis on being as R-rated as possible made the story feel monotonous over time and dampened my enjoyment. While Deadpool 2 manages to improve upon the formula of the original that will no doubt provide an enjoyable experience for fans of its predecessor, the same issues of the first cause the film to falter as it progresses.
The sequel once again follows Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) as he collaborates with his previous X-Men teammates, Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), and newcomer Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) to investigate a violent standoff between a young mutant named Russell Collins (Julian Dennison) and an organization known as the “Mutant Reeducation Center.” Around the same time of these events, the time travelling mutant Cable (Josh Brolin) also emerges and attempts to murder Russell in order to prevent the future in which Russell grows up to murder Cable’s family. Believing that Russell was indeed abused by this organization and will not grow up to become a murderer, Wilson recruits several other mutants to form the X-Force team in order to try and save Russell before Cable can assassinate him.
Director David Leitch manages to up the ante considerably in terms of the action sequences, as they are far more thrilling this time around, no doubt aided by a larger budget after the success of its predecessor. Deadpool 2 could have easily shifted into a glossy superhero ensemble, incorporating as many established characters from the X-Men universe as possible, but the film thankfully stays true to the identity of the original film and utilizes the budget to merely improve upon what worked in the first film instead.
The new additions to the cast are inspired as well and enhance many comedic situations without overshadowing Deadpool in his own film. Josh Brolin’s stoic and strait-laced portrayal of Cable serves as a fantastic foil to Reynolds’ relentlessly loquacious Deadpool, with their interactions being a highlight of the film. Zazie Beetz’s Domino is also a welcome addition as the actress has terrific comedic timing and the character’s ability of being abnormally lucky allows for some fun sequences that are played to great comedic effect. When speaking of the acting in the film it’s impossible to not mention Ryan Reynolds, as he once again proves to be the perfect Wade Wilson, and it’s hard to imagine any other actor shouldering the responsibility of this role better.
Deadpool’s signature meta-humor is once again present throughout the film and it is at times one of the film’s biggest assets as well as a hindrance in other ways. At its best, this self-awareness allows for a brilliant parody of the superhero genre as a whole and strongly sets the franchise apart from any other film of the genre. The meta-humor also enables the film to ingeniously cite its own plot conveniences and by poking fun at this, the film not only addresses these issues, but actually enhances them and make the story stronger with them present. One of the highlights of this occurs when the film even pokes fun at some nitpicky details such as the height of Josh Brolin in comparison with his comic book counterpart, which you just know at least one fan was raving about on a message board when the casting was first announced.
Other times, however, the constant barrage of self-awareness begins to feel overused to the point where each subsequent joke feels increasingly less impactful. This lack of moderation leads to the film at times seeming like little more than Ryan Reynolds rallying off as many other film titles and references to other films as he can. The same can be said of the vulgar humor, which again in moderation can be extremely funny, but the film never lets up, which comes across as the filmmakers trying to be as outrageous and R-rated as possible, rather than being clever with choosing the best moment to be shocking.
Although not a superhero film, 22 Jump Street comes to mind as another film that was often outrageous and used meta-humor, however, it managed to rein in the vulgar humor at times, which lead to superior results overall. Without reining in the profanity and gross-out gags, the film feels as if its target audience is the equivalent of a teenager who managed to sneak into an R-rated film for the first time and found every obscene word hilarious.
At the end of the day, the box office doesn’t lie, and there is no denying that Deadpool has its diehard fans who will cite many of the above criticisms as the very reasons they love the franchise in the first place. If you were a fan of the first film, there is no doubt you will also love this installment, however, if you took issue with the first this sequel still manages to feel a bit forced with its level of vulgarity and gore. This criticism of Deadpool 2’s overuse of meta and vulgar humor is akin to common wisdom when using the F-word. If someone uses the word constantly, it loses its shock value and the individual sounds foolish, however, if reserved for certain moments the word retains its impact. The same holds true of Deadpool 2, and the franchise would benefit from adhering to this adage going forward.
