Deadpool 2
Directed by: David Leitch
Produced by: Simon Kinberg, Ryan Reynolds, Lauren Shuler Donner
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Run time: 149 minutes
US Release date: May 18, 2018
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Jack Kesy
Synopsis: After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.
Deadpool 2 is certainly a different movie than its predecessor, but that is a good thing. First off, the film is definitely an R rated film, but it is a “soft R” when compared to the first Deadpool. But that doesn’t mean that it is a worse film for it – in fact, I think I would say that Deadpool 2 is on par with the first with regards to entertainment and story… but the action, which I expected a bit from considering director David Leitch’s filmography, was a bit subdued… in a good way. If this sounds a bit confusing it’s because it is. I half expected one thing from Deadpool 2 and got something a bit different, but I completely loved what I got instead of what I expected.
To be honest, when I saw that David Leitch was directing Deadpool 2 after Tim Miller exited the production, I was really expecting some more stylized action scenes like we saw in his other films like John Wick and Atomic Blonde. I expected there to be some comedy intertwined with the action sequences but what I saw in Deadpool 2 was action scenes that were over-the-top as they should be in a Deadpool film but they were a lot more subdued in style than what I was waiting for. However, what played out in my mind definitely pales in comparison to what Leitch was able to put on film for this film. What the audience is treated to is some fun, violent, and comedic action sequences that almost outshine what was presented in the first Deadpool film. I was surprised that we actually got more story than action in this film, but that was perhaps the biggest plus in this film when compared to the first one.
Aside from the action, I was pleasantly pleased with the cast of the film and how they performed in Deadpool 2. Of course, Ryan Reynolds was going to be awesome as Wade Wilson/Deadpool – he was pretty much born to play this character. And fresh off his role as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, Josh Brolin once again shines in a film, this time as Nathan Summers/Cable. His gruff and confrontational performance as the time-traveling mutant is damn near perfect to what most fans are expecting. Zazie Beetz is the big surprise here as Neena Thurman/Domino; she was an absolute blast to see in the film. Of course, she is an amazing actress (just check her out on Atlanta or Easy), but seeing her steal some scenes as the mutant with luck probability powers was almost my favorite performance in the film. Brianna Hildebrand is back and again shines as Ellie Phimister/Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Stefan Kapičić returns as the perfectly deadpan voice actor for the squeaky-clean hero Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, but the addition of Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio (the girlfriend of Negasonic Teenage Warhead) is a happy and bubbly addition to the cast. Pardon me for saying it this way, but she was so “kawaii” in this film.
And then you have the members of X-Force; holy crap and a half – they were bloody awesome. Terry Crews as Bedlam, Lewis Tan as Shatterstar, Bill Skarsgård as Zeitgeist, Rob Delany as Peter (hilarious), and the Vanisher… yeah, I’m not spoiling that one – oh man, that team was awesome. And the way they appear in the film – best sequence of the entire movie, in my opinion. In fact, I like the entire cast – except for Julian Dennison as Russel/Firefist. I know that I have read in other reviews of the film that those critics and reviewers liked him in the film, I just felt that he was a bit much and way to bloody annoying for my taste. He’s not horrible by any means, just a bit too much. But, that is just a minor detail – for the most part, the cast is an excellent blend of talent that really does their best to bring their characters to life in Deadpool 2.
Also, I will offer you all one bit of advice if you go see Deadpool 2 soon that will help you enjoy the film just a bit more: keep your eyes open for all the Easter eggs that are scattered throughout the film – and, oh boy, there are a shit-ton of them. I kept my eyes ready for as much of the film that I could, and I spotted quite a bit, but I am pretty sure that I missed quite a few of them. I might have to go see Deadpool 2 a couple more times this weekend to see if I can spot some more. Yeah, I will be going back to look for more Easter eggs – that’s what I can tell my wife when she asks why I keep going back, right?
Anyway, just go out and watch Deadpool 2. It is a funny, adventurous, and sometimes surprisingly emotional film that builds upon what the first Deadpool film laid as a foundation and adds some depth and story to the character. I’m not sure a lot of people expected that this is what they would get in this film, but it is something that we are happy to have in the film. It makes the whole series feel a bit more complete and fleshes out the Deadpool character in ways that make him even more interesting. As it stands right now, I would say that Deadpool 2 is in my Top 5 films for 2018 – a definite “must see” for any movie fan.
