Movie Review: Deadpool 2 (2018)

Deadpool 2 (dir. David Leitch, 2018) – Deadpool puts together a special team of his own to protect a teenager with supernatural abilities from the time-travelling cyborg Cable.

Verdict

Deadpool, or should I say Ryan Reynolds, returns with his signature humour and the welcome unexpected.

Review

Rules are meant to be broken. Against Colossus’ objections, Deadpool follows the mantra ironically to a tee, urging us to expect the unexpected. And so any hope of a proper introduction to the anticipated X-Force is crushed, belied by the long standing tradition of the irreverent Regenerating Degenerate.

No superhero landings or last hope rescues. The best of the best make their entrance via routine job interviews, getting the job without so much as a try. Luck has it that Deadpool manages to get himself a solid team all the same. If only Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) need not make room for the new guys. 

Not digging the new summer look.

In the absence of the beloved Part I character, the fresh recruits Domino (Zazie Beetz), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård), Bedlam (Terry Crews), The Vanisher (*spoilers*) and, well, Peter (Rob Delaney) have tons to prove. The motley crew unhesitatingly signs on for the mission to take down Cable (Josh Brolin), who plans to kill rogue teenager and future killer Firefist (Julian Dennison).

Those still holding out hope for a fiery first battle, would balk at the betrayal that follows without warning. But anyone paying attention to the ways of Wade Wilson would learn to take the ruse in stride, enjoying the bitter laughs for the audacious blind over our eyes.

It is this constant madness that makes Deadpool so much fun to watch, even in his darkest hour. His bereavement may grind the action to a halt from time to time, but these downers know exactly when to take a turn. Nothing is off limits, where even Cable’s tragic backstory is met with derision for its DC likeness.

“For Martha.”

There is not one Marvel movie quite like that of the self-aware hero, whose admirable breaking of the fourth wall not only takes place at the right time within the movie, but beyond. After all, Deadpool 2 is not just the two-hour block of entertainment in the cinema. It is its press tours, billboard ads, a Celine Dion music video, and random appearances on Korean television.

All owes thanks to the actor beneath the skintight suit, responsible for both exceeding the constraints of screen time and presenting the craziest gags in film history, including the best post-credit to date. Forget Wade Wilson. Those who know better, wish better – to have the ultimate real-world superpower of being Ryan Reynolds.