Deadpool 2 Plot Summary:
After an unexpected turn in Wade Wilson’s (Ryan Reynolds) life, Deadpool finds himself protecting an uncontrollable mutant (Julian Dennison) against a crazed time-traveler from the future known as Cable (Josh Brolin).
The first joke of the film sets the tone. We’re off and running. It’s a Deadpool movie. I could end the review right there. If you loved the original film, there’s no way you walk out of this disappointed. It’s not mathematically possible. They don’t try and reinvent the wheel here. They up the zany, but don’t go completely bonkers at the risk of succumbing to sequelitis. The cast is bigger. The gore is gorier. The jokes are cruder. At the end of the day though, it’s pure entertainment bliss.
Let’s get Ryan Reynolds out of the way first. What insightful or clever analysis can I possibly add about his performance as this character? Hey, you know who’s really good at football? Tom Brady. Boy, that Meryl Streep, she’s quite the actress. To be honest, the best part about Ryan Reynold’s performance is the effect he has on the cast around him. Everybody feeds off Ryan Reynolds in this movie.
I said from the beginning that Deadpool and Cable should be like The Odd Couple. That’s exactly what we get. Cable is the perfect villain for this movie. He’s angry as hell and such a unique foil for Deadpool.This is like taking The Terminator and dropping him into a Wayne’s World movie. The back and forth between these guys is pure gold. There’s a hilarious long running joke Deadpool keeps irritating Cable about, and the more he does it, the more annoyed Cable gets. It’s exactly the kind of dynamic I wanted.
While the jokes between Deadpool and Cable write themselves, Cable is still Cable. He’s got an actual arc and purpose. He’s intense and serious for a reason. This is what separates Deadpool 2 from a lot of MCU movies. In an MCU movie, they would have made Cable funny like everyone else, a la Drax. Cable works because he stays true to who he is despite all the shenanigans happening around him. They joke about it in the movie, but it really is like taking a character from the DCEU and dropping him in a Deadpool movie. The summer of Josh Brolin rolls on. He fits this character like a cybernetic glove.
Cable is not even my favorite new character. That honor goes to Domino. Zazie Beetz is simply a blast as this character. Pure entertainment. This might also be one of the best uses of a mutant power ever in an X-Men film, right up there with Quicksilver. Aside from Domino, there’s a whole bunch of new characters that form Deadpool’s X-Force team that’s teased in the trailer. I’ll just say they worked extremely well and leave it at that.
Aside from the new characters, all the old favorites are back and better than ever. Dopinder (Karan Soni). Blind Al (Leslie Uggams). Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). Outstanding. The chemistry between Wade and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) picks up right where it left off. Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) is also way better in this movie, and they actually develop a nice arc between him and Deadpool.
That’s another element to this film that blows me away. Within all the superhero references, fourth wall breaking and no holds barred jokes, the film is still able to craft solid drama, in particular the main crux of the story of Wade looking after this kid, Russell. At times the film offers a serious moment, but seamlessly shifts back into crazy Deadpool land in the very next scene. It’s a credit to director David Leitch for blending it all so well.
Speaking of crazy Deadpool land, I won’t dare spoil any of the jokes. We get another hilarious opening credit sequence. In fact, they rehash a lot of the jokes from the first film, but always put a warped twist on it. They reinvent my favorite joke from the first film, and holy matza, did this have everyone cracking up.
The movie isn’t perfect. It hits a lull. Much like when the original slows up when Wade becomes Deadpool in the underground facility, we get a similar sequence in the middle of this film that stops the movie dead. It’s a rough patch. The ending is also great, but way too drawn out. They also fall into a movie trope I’ve been complaining about for a while now, which is the overreliance on songs to tell your story. They chose great songs, don’t get me wrong, but it was a crutch at times.
Deadpool 2 is exactly the movie you think it is. I could watch Ryan Reynolds play this role till the end of time. I want to see the damn X-Force movie right now. I also wouldn’t mind a sitcom with Deadpool and Cable.
The first movie may be a tad better, but I admire the screenwriters (Rhett Reese/Paul Wernick/Ryan Reynolds) for the same reasons on this sequel. It would have been so easy to go full Deadpool in every scene. Constant pop culture references. Constant fourth wall breaking. Constant everything. They know when to restrain themselves and tell an actual story. That’s what makes you appreciate the humor more. It’s the difference between Deadpool and a movie like Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which is Edgar Wright shoving airheads, milk duds, sour patch kids, sweet tarts, twizzlers and cookie dough ice cream down your throat until you puke.
One of Deadpool’s mutant powers is comedic timing, and we are all better for it.
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Great)
P.S. Stay during the credits. I almost hurt myself laughing.
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