Review of Deadpool 2 (2018) by Khalil J — 24 May 2018

Deadpool 2 is basically what you expect. Gleefully bloody scifi action. Incessant jokes about other superhero franchises. Reynolds inspired turn as the "Merc with a Mouth". Hilarious credit scenes on both ends that nearly outshine everything else in the film. It's not necessarily worse than the original film; in fact, in some ways it may be a bit better, funnier and weirder. However, the sheer lack of sufficient originality makes it taste more like a microwaved chimichanga than a fresh one.

In this X-Men spinoff, wisecracking Wade Wilson befriends a young, troubled mutant who finds himself being hunted by time-traveling villain Cable. Anybody familiar with time-traveling fiction, or have taken a theoretical ethics course, won't be terribly surprised by any of the later reveals or moral complexities. The film's real strength is in it's less "important" features. Clearly working to connect it more directly with the larger X-Men universe, the side characters are given ampler screen-time, including super-cool newcomer Domino, who's mutant-ability of "just being lucky", makes her the most powerful hero since of Superman. Director Leitch (John Wick) uses his flair for shooting action to solid comedic effect, including a standout parachuting scene that had me in stitches.

But, of course, the star is still Reynolds' Deadpool, who's most interesting power is probably his unique ability to see himself as a fictional character in a movie, constantly winking while everyone around him works in expected sincerity. But like I said, none of this is new anymore. Where the first felt like a subversive spin on the superhero genre, this is more like an Austin Powers' film: a pop-culture-citing-machine that's pleasantly diverting, but nothing to rave about.