Deadpool 2

If there's a comic book anti-hero who can break the fourth wall within any form of media, then Marvel's "merc with the mouth" Deadpool is there. He was created to be a copy of DC's Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) in a more humorous manner and his cultural impact has been expansive mostly in comic books and some cartoons (even video games). His history with Hollywood is rather fascinating in how it involves actor Ryan Reynolds and 20th Century Fox (which owns a major pieces of Marvel property with mixed results such as X-Men and Fantastic Four). His debut with Ryan Reynolds casted in the role was botched in the 2009 cringe inducing monstrosity X-Men Origins: Wolverine with his mouth sealed shut. It took some time but in 2016 both him and the studio used their second and only chance to deliver an R rated adaptation that not only achieved critical success but incredible box office earnings on a modest budget, which brings us to the sequel. The marketing campaign has been pretty crazy misleading in the best ways (including advanced screenings) and Deadpool 2 earned positive critical reviews. I went to a surprise advanced screening last week ready to see how it can follow up its great predecessor and left it ecstatic over the very enjoyable experience filled with so much laughter.

Note: There are mid credit scenes in the movie that are hilarious and awesome to watch so make sure to stay in your seats until they are done (honestly they are the best ones ever). There isn't anything else after those so you can leave after they are done.

Behind the scenes notes: Tim Miller, the director of the 2016 hit, left this project over creative differences with Ryan Reynolds and was replaced with David Leitch, who's known for John Wick and Atomic Blonde. This was set to be released in June 1 but it was moved up in order to give Solo: A Star Wars Story some help in the box office (more details on that movie when it gets covered here later on).

Thoughts on Deadpool (2016): Keep in mind that this was made after test footage was leaked at a Comic Con, fans demanded that the studio make this movie. Focusing on the titular anti-heroes origin story, it follows a mercenary who undergoes experimentation to cure his cancer and earn back the affections his caring girlfriend while getting revenge on the villain whose treatment left his body scarred. There's a lot to appreciate for what this managed to do for its respective genre in how it makes meta humor surrounding the plot points its following while being raunchy with its R rating. Ryan proves to audiences his efforts to bring this to the big screen was worth in through his excellent performance as the titular lead. While it's an action comedy, it managed to find serious moments in how tragic the backstory is. The action was bloody and stylized while the comedy was solid. The only thing holding it back are some scenes that drag a bit before returning to the action and silliness. That serious tone during the mutation treatment is the main culprit of that along with the cliche of not facing your loved one in the disfigured state. In addition to that the villain is rather dull and forgettable, whose scenes slows down the momentum of the pacing. ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Plot: Following a misstep in his personal life, our titular protagonist finds himself forming a team in order to race after a young mutant when a mysterious figure comes across his path. Since the antecedent took a portion of its runtime to establish the origin story of the lead, this sequel is allowed to embrace the insanity surrounding the anti-hero and more than achieves that goal. If the first entry was a twist Valentines Day flick, then this followup is bizarre family romp that takes a look at our anti-heroes bonds with those close to him. There are some moments that build some emotional resonance for our lead as he undergoes growth during the mission he takes on. The expansion of this universe allows the creativity to bring in unpredictable results with certain aspects (talking about this would risk spoilers). One other improvement worth noting is that the villains over exaggerated in being capable of meeting the tone of the larger than life antics going on rather than falling to a dull nature (they aren't super important either but still serviceable).

While the story deserves points for doing a solid job in continuing the adventure and making things more personal, there are things worth criticizing that might bother some more than it would for others. The first act takes a little bit of time to find its footing before finding its stride. However, similar to the 2016 hit, it follows predictable troupes in the main storyline you can see coming. There are two minor male supporting characters whose material is somewhat subpar and loss of their charm from before stalls the pacing a little bit. As a result of this, it's fair to point out that as a whole, the consistency of the story flow isn't quite where it needs to be (but the creativity of everything helps to mend that issue).

Humor: Due to the amount of smart aleck remarks from the first film, it feels appropriate to have a separate section here. It's wonderful seeing the improvements the cast and crew learned from their first foray with one of them being the comedy. Similar to before with the amount of jokes packed in here, most of them land while the others tend to awkwardly miss. That's still present here but the quality of them is much better in terms of writing and delivery from the actors. Similar to South Park, our protagonist doesn't limit himself to just one category to crack jokes: he'll take shots at anything and everything pop culture related. There's more meta commentary and raunchy jokes both verbal and physical ready to deliver a worthy treat for audiences ready to take a break from the serious nature of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War.

Characters: The people to focus on are Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), Nathan Summers/Cable (Josh Brolin), and Russell (Julian Dennison). Wade is a wild regenerative mutant whose life gets increasingly chaotic and bizarre following unexpected change. Ryan once again oozes the fun energy he channeled before as his character not only deals with more wacky shenanigans but must contend with an unexpected event. Nathan is a time traveling cyber mutant soldier who arrives in the  present with a mission that leads him crossing paths with Wade. For the amount of screen time he's given, Josh brings a great performance in this role through his bad cop good cop dynamic with our main protagonist as his gruff stern nature allows a good introduction for his debut.

Russell is a young rambunctious mutant being targeted by Cable who forms a bond with Deadpool. Julian brings the necessary acting chops for an insecure kid as he displays discomfort with the conditions of his life and finds a sense of stability with Wade. An honorable mention goes to Neena Thurman/Domino (Zazie Beetz) for bringing a welcome energy to the crazy world with a cool attitude surrounding her ability. A dishonorable mention goes to Weasel (TJ Miller) for phoning it in as he delivered bad material.

Action: While the first Deadpool was standard with the shootouts and fight scenes, this sequel has a bigger budget that allows them to get more wild with the battles. The future weaponry Cable possesses definitely helps in that mix during his skirmishes with Deadpool's healing and martial arts prowess. While that third act climax is still standard like before, the larger variety of characters present boosts it up pretty well. Keep in mind though that it's still bloody and gory to the point of earning that R rating.

Overall Consensus: Deadpool 2 is a good improvement from its predecessor through its comedic writing, great performances, insane action, and feel-good tone, despite issues with story and pacing. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿🎟 Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You have seen the first Deadpool and want to see how its sequel holds up. You aren't sensitive to blood and gore. You enjoy R rated comic book action movies. You love action comedies that have meta humor in it. You want to see how Cable and/or X-Force is handled here. You are more interested in light-hearted comic book movies rather than serious ones.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You disliked the first Deadpool. You are sensitive to blood and gore. You hate R rated comic book action movies. You are annoyed with action comedies that have meta humor in it. You are more interested in serious comic book movies rather than light-hearted ones.

Coming up next: May just got even better with the return of Marvel's "merc with the mouth" delivering an enjoyable entertaining experience that's worth the rewatch. However, things are going to calm down for a bit in the next reviews of a few smaller movies that will be watched and reviewed this weekend. It's a task that I feel is doable and can add some variety before another anticipated blockbuster comes to the big screen next weekend. Tune in next time as Screening Spectacles will watch and review Tully, Life of the Party, and Show Dogs!!