Film Review: Deadpool 2

I feel a little bummed because I really should like these movies more. I love meta humor, I love parody, and the superhero behemoth that has overtaken Hollywood could use a little good old fashioned ribbing. And despite Ryan Reynolds’ brilliant casting of the self-aware anti-hero, Deadpool, these movies never struck the right balance for me. The first film from 2016 was an especially numbing experience for me. One where dick jokes in the vein of any standard studio comedy were made abundant while attempts at superhero commentary rang hollow and, in several moments, used tropes seemingly with a straight face. The meta gags were very basic, and had little in terms of surprise. It was to the point where the marketing campaign seemed far more creative and subversive than anything in the film. Reynolds commitment to the role is admirable, but it was just barely able to hold it all together.

This leads us – in typical superhero fashion – to the sequel, Deadpool 2 (no funny subtitle or anything, you see what I mean by the lack of creativity here?), which is helmed this time around by David Leitch, who made his name co-directing John Wick and last year’s Atomic Blonde. His presence behind the camera is a welcome one, as his brand of playful brutality goes hand in hand with the irreverence of the Deadpool character and tone. However, the action sequences here do lack the fluidity of something like Atomic Blonde, and nothing really captures the inventiveness of the stairway fight, though a chase sequences around the midpoint comes close.

Speaking of, the first half of the film is a bit of a chore. It’s more of the same. The way certain plot elements had to be set in motion was far from graceful, and whenever it leans on the plotting, it becomes more and more of a struggle. It isn’t until that chase sequence occurs when the film finally gains some sense of energy and momentum. The humor also becomes a bit more creative, especially whenever it focuses on Domino (Zazie Beetz), whose power of “luck,” sets off these satisfying Final Destination-esque sequences that always work out in her favor. She’s a definite standout among the new cast members, bringing that sly but understated swagger that made her steal every episode of Atlanta that she was in.

The film also has a problem with how it handles the more emotionally driven moments. The story hinges on Deadpool’s relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), but whenever a moment pops up, you’re never entirely sure if the moment is actually going to be sincere or if it will be done with that Deadpool sarcasm which ridicules emotional moments in other films. It leaves you in an awkward place since it was often too late when I realized that some scenes were meant to be serious while I was waiting for a joke. Again, it’s handled much better as the film goes along, especially the second half.

Josh Brolin’s Cable is the big major addition to the cast, and while his character feels a tad underdeveloped, Brolin is a good enough performer to make up for it (literally the second time he’s done this within a superhero movie this year). Julian Dennison is also a delight with his turn as Firefist, a young, hotheaded mutant who is being hunted by Cable, bringing the same charm that made him so memorable as potty mouthed delinquent from Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The rest of the cast doesn’t get much to do, some for very spoilery reasons, but it’s probably for the best since the last thing this movie this stuffed needed was a vast ensemble. I do wish the filmmakers did something about T.J. Miller, not just because of the bomb threat he made recently, but also the allegations of sexual misconduct and instances of transphobic comments. Given the kind of film this is, they could’ve easily gotten away with basically anything, and I find it disappointing that they didn’t even bother altering his contributions.

I feel like I end up being really harsh toward what is ultimately meant to be light fun because I think these movies can be so much better than they are. They just never seem to go farther enough with the humor and creativity, and I think writers, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Ryan Reynolds (who has a writing credit for this one), are capable enough to push themselves, but they never seem to go for broke when they should. It was teeters on the edge, it flirts with the idea of being weird and experimental and subversive, but it never goes all the way. It never crosses the line into total anarchy, where I think this kind of character will fully thrive (speaking as someone who hasn’t read much of the source material).

It may not sound like it after everything I just said, but I did have fun with Deadpool 2, and significantly more than the previous film. As someone who was almost dreading this, I was pleasantly surprised. Once the second half kicks in, the humor and action kept at a good pace to where I no longer had a moment to think about the things that bothered me. There are a handful of gags that made me laugh out loud, cameos that genuinely took me by surprise, a number of the action beats were exciting and well choreographed, and I enjoyed the way Deadpool bounced off the various new characters. They may still have a ways to go, but the series is seemingly improving as it goes along. At this rate, Deadpool 3 might actually be something great.