Deadpool: As a former X-Man.
Bedlam: Trainee.
Deadpool: Thank You, Bedlam. I was always appalled by the blatant sexism in the group’s name. X-Men? *Men*? The point is, our group will be forward-thinking. Gender- neutral. From now on, we’ll be known as… X-Force.
Domino: Isn’t that a little derivative?
Deadpool: I don’t recall asking your opinion, Peter.
Peter: That wasn’t me.
The wise cracking unconventional superhero is back and this time he is building his own team of equally unconventional heroes. After the love of his life, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), is killed on their anniversary, leaving him to wonder if it is worth it to go on living, Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, attempts to reunite with her in the after life, but is sent back with the message that he doesn’t have the right heart yet. The riddle confuses him, but Deadpool eventually finds motivation through the X-Men as they attempt to rescue a mutant boy who possesses a fire fist power that has the humans running worried with fear. The question for most of the story is, will Deadpool be able to save the boy?
The film as a whole is definitely one for a more mature audience. First off, the language is just as vulgar as before and with Deadpool breaking the fourth wall to explain what is happening, audiences are expecting it. The jokes are both degrading and enjoyable as anyone who knows Deadpool knows what to expect. It especially is comical when he refers to “bad writing” numerous times, particularly because of Ryan Reynolds‘ involvement with the screenplay and producing the film.
Additionally, the other element that drives the movie is the music, which adds both a somewhat serious nature as well as moves the film to its climax. Music, used well, helps bring the audience to the forefront by anticipating what is to come. Reynolds also pays homage to other films not limited to only superheroes but also the latest 007 franchise. The opening credits after the death of Deadpool’s girlfriend uses the same elements as Spectre did by using slow-mo visuals set to the “Ashes” by Celine Dion to show his grief process and how he attempts to cope with it. If I had to make predictions for next year’s best song I would definitely say this one should be a contender as it has the same storyline and passion of Spectre’s opening theme, “Writings on the Wall,” by Sam Smith.
Deadpool, of course, stars Ryan Reynolds, who doesn’t disappoint, but let’s look at some of the other actors. The team that Deadpool puts together as they attempt to rescue the boy from Juggernaut (voiced also by Reynolds) is comprised of a good star quality of actors including Josh Brolin as Cable, and Zazie Beetz as Domino in her first known blockbuster. As a relatively new actress, though she comes from the TV series Atlanta, Beetz did an exceptional job as she played the new hero with no other powers than being lucky. The chemistry between her and Reynolds seemed to be somewhat natural as she was able to keep up with his jokes and even add a few of her own. When they first meet and Deadpool is interviewing her, there are some particularly memorable lines. It’ll be interesting to see her in the upcoming film, X-Force, which will feature the newly created team.
The other breakout star that must be noted is the young boy who Deadpool must save, Firefist (Julian Dennison, Hunt for the Wilderpeople). At first glance, Dennison seems as though he could be a unimportant character to the storyline as he kind of blends into Deadpool’s story; however, half-way through the audience sees a growth in Dennison as he begins to trust Deadpool and suddenly thinks he needs a new mentor. It happens so fast that before we know it, he gets in way over his and Deadpool’s head. Honestly, that is the only thing that I found hard to believe. It seems as if Reynolds was trying to include too much into Firefist’s character into a short time. Personally, I think if he would have added even ten minutes, it would have been more well rounded and perhaps he wouldn’t have had to downplay his writing as being “bad”. That aside, I did like seeing the growth of new characters and will definitely be paying more attention to both Dennison as well as Beetz to see where they will be going.
Verdict: 3 out of 5
Deadpool 2 captures the same raw nature as the first one as it is vulgar, offensive and highly entertaining. The writing, though Reynolds calls it “bad” on several tongue-in-cheek occasions, really isn’t all that bad as a whole. He breaks rules that screenplay writers are taught not to do, but he does it in a way that is fitting for the character and the audience is laughing too hard to realize that he did. Due to the nature of the film, it’s not recommended for everyone and those that do wish to see it, should definitely go in with an open mind for some crude dialogue and graphic body splitting scenes.
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