There’s something about your first time. It definitely holds a special place in your heart. And despite your best efforts, every subsequent time after that will be different. Sometimes there are new positions, there could be new toys, and there’s almost certainly a number of new collaborators, frequently all at the same time. Although, that doesn’t necessarily mean the sequel will be bad. Did I mention that we were talking about movies? Because we totally are. Specifically, the newest movie starring everyone’s favorite Merc With A Mouth, ‘Deadpool 2.’
After being reunited with his beloved Vanessa at the end of the first movie, Wade Wilson is ready to start a family. But since the work of a wisecracking mercenary with superpowers is never done, our hero sets out on a mission to save a young mutant named Russell from a time-traveling cybernetic soldier named Cable. In order to do this, he assembles a team of his own called X-Force to face off with this futuristic foe and stop him from doing something unthinkable.
And that’s really all we can talk about in regards to the plot. Anything else worth talking about like specific scenes, lines of dialogue, performances, or even some of the jokes ventures into spoiler territory. Similar to that other Marvel movie released recently (that also starred Josh Brolin interestingly enough), it’s definitely best to go into the latest Deadpool movie knowing as little as possible. Thankfully, the marketing team has once again been a real MVP with releasing excellent trailers and other materials that show off all the shenanigans that True Believers have come to expect from Ryan Reynolds’ passion project without giving anything away. #WadeWilsonDemandsYourSisterSorryStupidAutoCorrectSilence
But what exactly can you actually expect? There’s something for everybody. Well, I mean, everybody that should be watching an R-rated movie. Just like the first one, there’s a ton of great comic book movie action, hilarious and irreverent humor, and pop culture references from various walks of nerdy life that will connect with people in the audience from all over the fandom spectrum. Of course, you won’t catch everything in one viewing due to the amount of time spent laughing over some rapid fire jokes and references, so multiple watches for the purpose of Easter egg hunting is highly encouraged. Let’s face it though: There is a good chance that you’ll be seeing this movie a couple of times in the theater anyway since it’s such a good time, especially if you were a big fan of its predecessor.
However, if there was one thing that really stood out when comparing the two movies, it would be that the second one isn’t as tight as the first. For example, Deadpool stories are always jam-packed with jokes. It’s an essential part of the character. But the gags in the new movie linger a bit too long. There were multiple occasions where the punchline was reiterated again and again and again and, in some cases, again before moving on. Wade’s initial solo cinematic adventure gave you the laugh and moved on with the action in a succinct and concise fashion in a way that aided the story. For sure, part of our hero’s charm is being annoying, but there were times when the audience was ready to move along. Instead, there were a few instances this time around where the progression of the story was brought to a halt and we hit the “Ok, we get it!” mark.
This change is likely due to the fact that ‘John Wick’ and ‘Atomic Blonde’ filmmaker David Leitch stepped in when original director Tim Miller left the project due to creative differences. Leitch’s incredibly bad-ass sensibilities when it comes to action and extended fight sequences were certainly a welcome addition to ‘Deadpool 2’, but he might have benefitted from leaving a little bit more on the cutting room floor when it came to some of the humor.
With that being said, most people probably won’t even notice that relatively small critique because of how fun the movie turned out. The team of star Ryan Reynolds and writers Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese managed to do it again by giving us another tale truly befitting of Deadpool that was filled with a terrific ensemble cast and extensive meta hilarity. Just as I said about the 2016 tale, everything was handled as good as we could have hoped. And by “good” I really mean “sick, twisted, raunchy, and merry”. Fans of the Regenerating Degenerate are sure to be very pleased with the maximum effort put into this sequel and the possibilities for the future.
Or the past?
It’s hard to tell when time travel is involved.
Final Score:
‘Deadpool 2’ starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Jack Kesy, Leslie Uggams, and Karan Soni hits theaters on May 18, 2018.