Ah, Deadpool 2. Two. The second. Número dos. Who could have foreseen a popular, financially successful superh̶e̶r̶o̶ film receiving a sequel? Clearly, it was made for artistic intentions only and not because the first made a shit-ton of money and the producers were hoping for another cash cow. Well, maybe it should have been called Deadpool Moo because the sequel has made dough at the box office, further solidifying the successful market for R-rated superh̶e̶r̶o̶ films.
You know, The Muppets will have you believe sequels are never quite as good as the original, but that’s not true, I can name at least four…no, five sequels that are better than their predecessor—such as Mad Max 2 and Sharknado 2: The Second One. So, this is the part where I go Deadpool 2 is just as good if not better than the original right? Right!? I mean look at its awesome opening. Wade Wilson aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) mocking Logan—vowing to one-up Wolverine by dying in his film. Followed by several action-packed montages of Deadpool kicking names and taking ass before an affectionate scene between Wade and his fiancée Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) where they decide to try for a baby. Gosh, those two have such great chemistry in the first film. I recall specifically writing how Vanessa and Wade have “some of the best romantic chemistry in a superh̶e̶r̶o̶ film”…yep, just me pointing out some great, potent chemistry between them with absolutely no foreshadowing of SPOILERS coming in a few sentences. Now then, back to getting to how Deadpool 2 is most likely as good if not better than Deadpool. So, suddenly bad guys attack the couple’s house, murder Vanessa, and send Deadpool into a downward spiral of depression that causes him to try and commit suicide!
…oh wait, that’s not awesome at all.
Don’t worry, they satirize the grim scene quite effectively with James Bond-like opening credits—yet tragically, the film never fully recovers from such a really shitty decision. The sharp black comedy, witty meta humor and entertaining action sequences are all still here in the sequel, as is the dead fiancée who may as well have had a sign on her corpse saying; “here’s to all the relationship building and development throughout the first film”. The decision very much negatively affects the remaining film’s mood while stifling its charm. It takes until midway through—where the newly formed X-Force go on a rescue mission and all hilariously, gruesomely, and somewhat tragically (though far more hilariously) die save for the important characters (as Deadpool points out)—for the sequel to get back into form…except not really.
Deadpool 2 is scatterbrained throughout in tone, often spending extended periods on somber scenes with light dashes of humor over the reversal. The original is well-balanced between zany comedy and emotional potency. The hard-hitting aspects are effective and make me care about the characters without suffocating or overwhelming the film’s great comedy. Deadpool 2’s characters are often poorly utilized, not only with the whole snuffing its cool female character with effective chemistry aspect but also in failing to establish engaging bonds between Deadpool and its newly introduced characters. The film tells me Deadpool and the teenage boy he’s trying to save (played by Julian Dennison) have a touching connection, but I never feel anything genuine from it, only the skeletal motions of a potentially potent relationship. Old faces such as Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) show up in jarring fashion whenever it’s convenient for the plot, and let’s not get started with the lack of a Stan Lee cameo!
I did enjoy Zazie Beetz’s performance as Domino and all her imaginary powers, even if I’m certain her rise to main supporting female is one of the reasons Vanessa got offed (there can only be one major supporting female in a superh̶e̶r̶o̶ film!). She has some cute moments as an almost parental figure to Deadpool—telling him he’s “doing just fine!” during missions that aren’t going exactly as planned. There is also an end credits scene that somewhat makes up for Vanessa’s death, though it would have been even better had they given the damn character her due screen time—maybe give her superpowers and make her part of the gender neutral-titled X-Force (which, ironically, only has a single token female in the film) as she is in the comics!?
I realize the irony that my own review is also suffering from extended periods of seriousness (aka me with a stick up my ass), so let’s cut the melodrama and talk about why Deadpool 2 is, flaws notwithstanding, a good film. The comedy, when active (there goes that stick up my ass again), is great stuff. Lots of jabs at the DC universe, the X-Men—or, “a dated reference for racism in the 60s” as Deadpool calls them—and Ryan Reynolds himself. The theme about family is touching and well-written (if only it didn’t involve killing off Vanessa), and the surprise villain appearance is both delightful and highly entertaining to watch as he dukes it out against our merry and not-so-merry band of misfits. The good news is there’s enough positive, entertaining material here to make Deadpool 2 an enjoyable film. The bad news is Deadpool 2 fails as a developing sequel—suffering from continuation issues, primarily through stuffing a woman into a fridge, as well as uneven tone, pacing, and character interactions. Here’s to seeing what the hell will happen with Deadpool 3 after Disney obtains the rights. Perhaps it will be the crossover we’ve all desired: Deadpool meets Frozen!
...I just realize that, up to this point, this is a PG-13 rated review...so um...fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck fuck. There we go! Now it's R-rated.