PLEASE NOTE - THE FOLLOWING IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW. I WILL NOT REVEAL ANY MAJOR PLOT POINTS FROM THE MOVIE.
“Bring it on One-eyed Willie!”
To this day we still do not know who leaked the original Deadpool test footage onto the internet (but whoever it was deserves a kiss and is free to marry my sister any day). What we do know though is that it caused such a tsunami of reaction from the fandom that Fox had no alternative than to let Ryan Reynolds and his team make the movie and treat the character the way it deserved (not the abysmal and laughable version that was used in Wolverine: Origins). While many suspected the first movie would do okay, no-one expected it to the runaway unqualified success it became - $783 million worldwide box office off a $60 million budget.
Why did this success happen? Was it the genius marketing campaign? Was it the R-rating? Was it Reynolds fulfilling his sole purpose on this planet to perfectly embody the character? Who knows. But, the combination of the violence, comedy, witty banter, action and 4th wall breaks makes Deadpool unique in the current pantheon of comic book movies.
Will this sequel stumble as many sequels have in the past? Will one of the directors leaving impact the overall quality of the film? Will having a bigger budget reduce the overall quality? Will Peter be the standout character that everyone hopes he will be?
THE STORYDeadpool forms a team of mutants called X-Force to protect a young boy from time-travelling soldier Cable.
OVERALL OPINION
F*CKING YES!!!!!
There are some movies that deserve sequels. However, when the creative team involved with the first movie try to recapture that magic a second time, for some reason it just doesn’t work and fans are left disappointed, lamenting on what could have been. Deadpool 2 is nothing like that. This is one of those times where the sequel looked at what worked in the first movie and gave us more, ramping up the action without sacrificing the story. Will this movie win any Oscars? Probably not. But, to quote Kingsmen, it ain’t that kind of movie bruv.
I just came out of the cinema 45 mins ago and my mind is racing with some many thoughts about things I loved about this movie. There was more comedy than the first and all the jokes (except one) had me laughing out loud. Hard. The action is fantastic. There are some genuinely touching moments where the movie threatens to get all serious on us. However, unlike in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, when the comedic moment is brought in to undercut the scene, it somehow doesn’t reduce the emotion of the moment. Whether that is from the writing or acting, who knows, but it is a great achievement,
Whereas with Deadpool 2, it had a very simple story (kill Francis), the story here is a little more convoluted, but not in a bad or confusing way. The returning characters are just as great as before, the new characters are fun and bring a great new element to the franchise and Cable is everything you would want from the character. There are lots of easter eggs for comic book fans too (nothing that adds to a “cinematic universe”, just nice little things that comic book readers will notice and appreciate).
All in all, it is a must see for anyone who loves Deadpool and enjoyed the first movie. I will also note that it continues a recent trend of showing things in the trailer that look cool and get you hyped but don’t appear in the movie. This is a good thing, as it keeps you focussed on what happens next, rather than when a favourite trailer moment is going to appear. Which means when trailer moments DO appear, they are all the more enjoyable.
This may be a bold statement to make having just seen the movie, but I am comfortable declaring it as a better movie than the first.
THE PERFORMANCESRyan Reynolds - DeadpoolThere are a handful of actors who so perfectly embody their character, you simply cannot replace them in the role. There’s Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. Reynolds simply IS this character. From the humour and quips to creative 4th wall breaks and pop culture references, he is a joy to behold in the role.
NEW CASTJosh Brolin - ThanosBetween this, Avengers: Infinity War and the sequel to Sicario, Josh Brolin is having a hell of a year. I remember there being a few mixed reactions to Josh Brolin being cast in the role (as many fans wanted Stephen Lang to be cast) but once the promotional photo of him in costume was released, all that changed. As great as Brolin is as Thanos, he is in full on “bad-ass” mode here, doing a Batman lite thing with his voice, but is thoroughly engaging in the role. And you can tell he’s been working out A LOT.
Julian Denison - RussellThe kid that Deadpool is protecting from Cable, you may recognise him from indie hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople (directed by genius director Taika Waititi. Sometimes kids in movies can be annoying or whiny or bratty. Fortunately that is not the case here. He’s fun in the role and at times you may wish for a little bit more of him.
Terry Crewes - BedlamHis mutant ability allowed him to sense and perceive energy signatures and generate a bio-EM field that wreaked havoc with electrical and certain mechanical systems, and could affect the neural chemical responses of a living brain to induce states such as pain, sleep, or confusion. The Crewes (as I call him) can always be relied on to bring his usual charm and humour to any role and he does the same here.
Zazie Beetz - DominoAt times, the internet has a way of over-reacting occasionally when casting announcements are made, especially when it comes to comic book properties. It happened to Ben Affleck. it happened (to a degree) with Gal Gadot. It happened with Topher Grace (but in that case the outrage was understandable and justified in the end) and it happened with Zazie Beatz.
Anyone who has watched Donald Glover’s hit tv show Atlanta knows how talented an actress she is. While she looks different to the character in the comic, Zazie does look the part and perfectly brings the character to life.The way they showcase her powers (is “luck” really a superpower?) is fantastic and creative, the hair ROCKS.
Lewis Tam - ShatterstarA mutant who possesses an overall superhuman level of physical and mental attributes (senses, strength, speed, reflexes, agility, flexibility, stamina, and intelligence), as a result of the extra-dimensional genetic engineering that created him. He does a lot with what the screen time he has.
Bill Skarsgard - ZeitgeistEveryone’s favourite(?) Pennywise plays a mutant who can spew acidic vomit from his mouth. As with Tam’s Shatterstar, he does what he can with the screen time he has.
Rob Delaney - PeterThe standout from the trailer is just as engaging as you would hope. His appearance is just as funny as it was in the trailer.
RETURNING CASTMorena Baccarin - VanessaStill as beautiful as ever (does she ever age?) this time round Morena has a little less screen time than in the first, but she brings on the emotion hard, especially in her scenes with Deadpool.
T. J. Miller - WeasleDespite the real world troubles surrounding the comedic actor, he once again is great in his role as Weasel. I get a sense he might have been in the movie more if not for his real world shenanigans.
Brianna Hildebrand - Negasonic Teenage WarheadThe girl with the world’s BEST superhero name is back and this time her hair is longer! And she’s just as sardonic as ever.
Karan Soni - DopinderThe world’s favourite taxi driver (and yes, that includes De Niro) is back. A definite fan favourite in the first movie, despite his limited screen time, here he is given more room to shine and get involved. And he has one of the funniest moments in the whole movie.
OTHER STUFFThe ActionAs always, the action is great with some of the set-pieces managing to be different, unique, fun and thoroughly engaging. You can tell they had a bigger budget on this movie as there are more action set-pieces and they’re bigger and better than the first movie.
The CGIApart from one or two little things, the CGI is on point, especially with Colossus once again.
The PacingThe 2hr is only 12 mins longer than the first movie, but flies by due to the great pacing and almost non-stop humour running throughout.
Post Credit Scenes?Keep watching right up until you see the cast order roll onto screen for the best end credits to any movie ever to have movied at the cinema ever. However, if you stay right up the bitter end, there is a great song score that you hear that relates hilariously to one of the characters.
Other stuffThe opening credits are just as hilarious as the first movie.
There is one of the best cameos in any comic book movie ever.
I heard speculation about a certain character appearing in the movie, but they were not listed on IMDB, so it was a joy to see them on screen, especially their fight scene with one of the main characters.
The use of classic songs just adds to the fun of the film.
FINAL VERDICTI remember watching the first film at the cinema during the first 40mins 5 people had got up and left. Deadpool is not for everyone. He swears. He’s violent/ He breaks the 4th wall. Due to the success of the first movie, casual movie-goers know what to expect this time round. For fans of the character/comic, this is definitely everything you could wish for from the time Deadpool Ferris Buellered the Cable tease. It’s fun. It’s violent. It’s hilarious. And I cannot wait to go see it again.
Score: 9.5/10 Rotten Tomatoes rating - 84% (critics) (audience rating unavailable)
(at time of writing)
MY MOVIE RATING SYSTEM
10- Citizen F*%king Kane (A+)
9- Bloody Great (A)
8- Really rather good (A-)
7- Pretty decent (B+)
6- Definitely above average (B)
5- Middle of the road average (C)
4- Mediocre (D)
3- Meh (E)
2- Crap (F)
1- Why the hell did I waste my time and money on this abomination (Unrated)