Deadpool 2 (2018)

Directed by: David Leitch | 120 minutes | action, adventure | Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beets, Brianna Hildebrand, Brad Pitt, Bill Skarsgård, Julian Denisson, TJ Miller, Rob Delaney, Shioli Kutsuna, Matt Damon, Lewis Tan, Terry Crews, Jack Kesy, Stefan Kapicic, Eddie Marsan, Alan Tudyk, Sam Hargrave, Nicholas Hoult, James McAvoy, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee

Does lightning strike twice in the same place? That was the question when ‘Deadpool 2’ premiered. Could the worldwide success of a superhero movie for ages 16 and up filled with gore, gore, audience asides and flat jokes be repeated? The answer to that is a resounding yes.

Ryan Reynolds is back as Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, the big-mouthed mercenary who provides commentary on the film throughout the film and regularly feeds the audience with witty jokes about the superhero genre in general and basic bodily functions in particular. Yet despite all the pranks, the film also manages to hit a good emotional tone, so that you as a viewer remain involved in the complete chaos that unfolds on the screen.

After the huge worldwide success of ‘Deadpool’ in 2016, a sequel was inevitable. Now this sequel had already been announced in a “post credit scene”, in which superhero Cable would make an appearance. That promise is more than fulfilled. It’s not Keira Knightley, it’s Josh Brolin. He enjoys playing the role of the dour, stoic super soldier from the future who comes to the present on a mission. His goal: to kill 15-year-old mutant Russell (Julian Denisson), who is still here discovering his fiery powers as “Firefist”, but in the future is responsible for the death of Cable’s family. That mission brings him into direct conflict with Deadpool, who has just decided to protect the kid after a tragic event.

To confront Cable, Deadpool and his loyal sidekicks Weasel (TJ Miller) and Dopinder (Karan Soni) decide to form their own superhero team called the X-Force. Including Bedlam (Terry Crews), Domino (Zazie Beetz) and one Peter (Rob Delaney), who doesn’t have superpowers, but just thought it was fun to sign up. The comic highlight of the film is the first mission of the X-Force team, about which it is best to say as little as possible beforehand. Seeing is believing. Also note the cameo here from a world famous actor. The X-Men from the first part also reappear: Colossus (CGI voiced by Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). Of the other X-Men, only Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) is added, although the absence of the other superheroes is explained in a very funny scene.

Like part 1, the film is again chock-full of jokes: puns, clever references to other Marvel and DC films, visual quirks of various levels and very, very, very many jokes about human anatomy. No real joke is spot on, but with the barrage fired at the viewer, it’s hard not to grimace, chuckle, or even laugh out loud every minute. The film sometimes balances on a thin line there: even in seriously intended scenes you are waiting for a joke – which then does not come – which sometimes reduces the impact. The emotional anchor of the film is the relationship between Wade and his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and this confirms the claim at the beginning of the film that this is a “family film”.

Compared to part 1, the budget has been increased considerably – and that is clearly visible on the screen. Beautiful action scenes follow each other in rapid succession, in which the visualization of Domino’s superpower, namely “happiness”, is beautifully portrayed. Director David Leitch, who takes over from Tim Miller here, knows how to convey action slick. The music is again well chosen and a wonderful addition to the film, especially Dolly Parton’s “Nine to Five” and Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time”.

Reynolds also co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which cleverly adds the characters of Domino and Cable – not just adding to Deadpool’s joke repertoire, but also adding balance to the story. Beetz and Brolin are both very cool in their roles, in different ways and ‘Deadpool 2’ screams for a ‘Deadpool 3’.
One minus: couldn’t the makers have come up with something more original than just adding a ‘2″ to the title? Come on, the antihero in red spandex could have come up with something better for that.

Tip: stay seated when the credits start. It’s interrupted twice by a scene, the last one being absolutely hilarious.