Review of Deadpool 2 (2018) by Hector V — 22 Aug 2018

Unlike many, I wasn't the biggest fan of 2016's Deadpool. The ultra-violent, tightly focused screenplay was refreshing and frequently benefitted from its hard-R rating, but many of its low-effort sophomoric jokes fell flat, personally. The resulting dialogue didn't seem to flow well and only occasionally squeezed genuine emotion out of me. Still, it was an enjoyable enough film, and I was taken aback by the amount of care and development given to this strange parodic remnant from the 90's. Deadpool 2 is a solid continuation that offers more of the same, with some refinement along the way.

Under copious amounts of blood and vulgarity, Deadpool was a romantic comedy disguised as a superhero movie. With a focus on family, Deadpool 2 is a logical continuation of Wade Wilson's (Ryan Reynolds) surprisingly tender character arc as he struggles to save a young mutant from a time-traveling cybernetic assassin, Cable (Josh Brolin), while reconciling his differences with the heroes at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

The intimate moments between Wilson and his girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), were easily the highlights of the first film, and Deadpool 2 offers more complexity to its hero through a tragic first half. Reynolds once again lends the otherwise farcical character some serious depth that sucked me in emotionally and kept me invested through to the end. Seeing Wilson grieve and feel real, genuine emotion yielded far and away the high points of the film. Though it doesn't make much sense for a film that's at heart a raunchy comedy made for teens, I would have loved for these excellent dramatic points to take more focus.

What Deadpool 2 does offer in spades is a never-ending onslaught of quips, self-referential humor, and pop-culture references. Though it can get tiring, the humor feels more effortful this time around thanks to a greater variety of jokes that focus more on situational comedy (there's a great gag involving regenerating limbs that almost had me in tears) than lowest-common-denominator wisecracks. The dialogue feels less forced as a result, making for a smoother, more seamless viewing experience. The return of Leslie Uggams and Karan Soni as Blind Al and Dopinder the taxi driver, two standouts from the last film, were also very welcome.

Alongside its heart and funnies, Deadpool 2 also mingles in some satisfying action. There's more to the R-rated gore as the film takes great advantage of Deadpool's acrobatic fighting style and accelerated healing factor in some really neat ways. The addition of the charming newcomer Domino (Zazie Beetz), a mutant whose superpower is good luck, ensured there was always something interesting going on.

On that note, fans looking forward to the promise of X-Force from the film's marketing may leave the theater disappointed. I found the use of the team clever in the context of the film's larger theme, though, and was glad it didn't intrude on the small-scale personal ventures of its characters.

Deadpool 2 only ever excels during its short stints into dramatic territory. For what it's worth, though, the film is a solid comedy with a violent edge that's sure to please many looking for a couple of hours of cheap laughs.