Deadpool 2 review

Review by Gregg Katzman

When many people think of Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, they think he’s basically just a joke character. Lots of fans think he’s just a loudmouth who loves to crack topical jokes while enduring a barrage of bullets and slicing his enemies to pieces, and that’s totally understandable since there are quite a few comics and media appearances that use the Merc with a Mouth for just comedic relief and action scenes. But there’s more to Deadpool than just jokes and violence. The best Deadpool stories always go beyond the comedy and fighting to take a good look at the man behind the mask; the man who uses humor to hide his emotions. Deadpool is a man that can’t seem to obtain true happiness – no matter how hard he tries, it always seems to be just out of reach. Deep down, he thinks he may not deserve real happiness, either. He may not be a traditional hero and always do the right thing, but he always has the potential to rise above and do what needs to be done to save the day. The best Deadpool stories are packed with laughs and jaw-dropping action while also breaking your heart. Deadpool 2 accomplishes this.

Deadpool 2 – directed by David Leitch, and written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Ryan Reynolds – is about self-reflection, an emotional theme that should be relatable for literally everyone. I’ll do my best to be spoiler-free here, but it won’t be easy, okay? Deadpool knows who he is – he’ll never live up to Colossus’ standard of what an X-Man should be. Deadpool knows he’s a killer and sometimes he needs to fight dirty. He also knows that he has no problem executing a totally despicable person when they’re defenseless. He knows that, and he accepts that, but this doesn’t stop him from eventually wanting to do the right thing – he just needs time to figure out what the right thing is first. In Deadpool 2, Wade’s desperately trying to save someone’s life, both figuratively and literally. I won’t go into detail, but he firmly believes that the person has the potential to be better – they just need the right inspiration. I can’t say what motivates his path or some of the big moments that occur, but there’s some heartbreak in here that’s handled very well. The movie is full of big laughs and exciting fights, but there’s an appropriately dark and gripping tone at the right moments, and that’s exactly what every good Deadpool story needs to really thrive. There’s another theme that Cable and Deadpool share, but I’ll skip that one since it’s a massive spoiler.

Self-reflection doesn’t always mean you’re striving to be “better” though. Sometimes it means learning a lesson from the person you least expected and realizing you can afford to bend your own rules a bit. Remember how Colossus spent the first movie lecturing Wade about what it means to be a hero? Colossus (literally) looks down on Wade and understandably so – the big guy’s got a firm moral code. Well, this time around, it’s Colossus who learns a valuable and extremely entertaining lesson from Wade.  Speaking of Colossus, the super-strong hero looks great in the film and he’s once again voiced perfectly by Stefan Kapičić. Bozhe moi!

Josh Brolin is perfect as Cable. He’s a hard-ass who’s packing impressive weaponry and technology. I know some fans may not be happy that Cable’s not a giant who’s covered in massive shoulder pads and pouches (there’s obviously a joke about that), but the personality stays true to the character and that’s what matters and makes him believable as Cable. His dynamic with Wade is just like the one in the comics. They're at odds, but eventually, they reluctantly find a way to work together... kind of. Anyway, he’s thoroughly badass and I was left wanting to see more of the time-traveling character.

Speaking of being left wanting to see more of a character, Zazie Beetz’s Domino is solid. Her “luck” ability is given a few amusing sequences and enough is said about her origin that makes it clear they can delve deeper into her character in a future film. But for now, she’s there for some good action scenes and some jokes. It's an entertaining big screen debut for the character. 

The action in Tim Miller’s Deadpool was slick and full of swift choreography with Deadpool’s swords – we all remember the highway sequence with Wade counting his bullets or him tearing his way through Ajax’s goons. The action in Leitch’s Deadpool 2 is more intense and more frequent. There are plenty of funny kills since they’re so ridiculous or shockingly abrupt (one jaw-dropper reminded me of a standout moment from The Raid, which is an amazing action movie – go watch it), but there are also fights that are simply badass and thankfully presented in a way that makes it easy to follow the action. I don’t remember any excessive “shaky cam” or quick cuts ruining brawls - it's easy to appreciate all of the swift movements and big hits. The first encounter between Cable and Deadpool is appropriately brutal and the third act is full of entertaining choreography. There’s a ton of action, but there’s one kill pretty early on in the movie that really rang true to the character, especially in the dramatic moment. I can’t spoil it, but the more and more I think about it, the more it impacts me. You’ll know it when it happens.

The final act has a brawl that I’ve been waiting to see on the big screen ever since I was a kid. It was a real fanboy moment for me and it made me want to cheer. The only downside to this specific fight meant my expectations were really high. The scene is a total blast, but it left me wanting even more from it. It would’ve been cool to see a few more jaw-dropping hits from the encounter, but overall, I’m just glad that it happened.

Talking about comedy in a review is a real pain. A joke that lands with me may make you groan. Humor is totally subjective, after all. That said, it does feel kind of safe to say that you should know what kind of humor you’re going to get with a Deadpool movie. There’s going to be harsh slapstick gags. There’s going to be crude jokes. There’s going to be topical references. There’s going to be some amusing social commentary. There’s going to be a ton of nods to the comics. And of course, Ryan Reynolds will never shy away from making fun of his time as Green Lantern and Deadpool Weapon XI in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I don’t want to ruin any of the big laughs so I’ll just say that overall, I thought the movie was very funny and it kept me smiling – a few surprises made me burst into laughter, too. There’s a good variety of comedy in Deadpool 2 and I think most fans are going to have a great time watching it. I just wish they resisted adding one Batman v Superman joke since it’s already been made fun of so many times at this point and it just feels like punching DC while they’re already down and trying to get back up. Small complaint, I know. Speaking of which, I know this is a really generous review, but all of my criticisms are pretty minor and they're also spoilers. None of them really took away from my overall enjoyment of the movie.

Music played an important role in making Deadpool so memorable – Careless Whisper is still stuck in my head! I’m never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm! Sorry, where was I? Right, music! It’s a bummer that Junkie XL didn’t work on the sequel since his music was a fantastic addition to the first movie, but Tyler Bates (John Wick, Guardians of the Galaxy) did a solid job. The score adds just the right amount of energy to the action scenes and effectively pulls you into the more emotional moments, too. I still can't believe they got Celine Dion to record a song for Deadpool's sequel. It's an emotional track and it's totally fitting for the story. And just like in the first movie, a few catchy hits are sprinkled throughout the film to add to the fun. A certain villain also gets their own amusing theme song, but I won’t spoil that for you.

Deadpool 2 is more ambitious than the first film. There’s more emotion. There’s more world-building. There’s more fan service. There’re raunchier gags. There’s more brutal violence. There’s more character insight. If you loved the first movie, it’s pretty safe to say that you’re going to love Deadpool 2. I’ve been a Deadpool fan for about a decade now and it fills me with so much joy to see the character fully embraced and treated with such respect on the big screen. After you watch Deadpool 2, please give his comics a shot. We wouldn’t have these movies without the comics, after all. The easiest jumping on point would be the latest run, which was written by Gerry Duggan (initially co-written by Brian Posehn) and features art by Tony Moore, Mike Hawthorne, Scott Koblish, Declan Shalvey, and more. If you want more Deadpool reading recommendations, please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter.