Movie Review -- Deadpool 2

  Has it really been two years since Deadpool took the world by storm and inadvertently convinced Marvel Studios to make all of their films the exact same laugh-fests à la Guardians of the Galaxy? Yup. Is the ultra-violent wisecracking Canadian mercenary still the best there is at what he does – like poking fun at Hugh Jackman? Yup.

  Deadpool 2 follows the titular merc with a mouth as he strives to protect a young mutant, Firefist, from Cable, an assassin from the future. This involves joining the X-Men, and later forming the X-Force. Hijinks ensue. Compared to the first Deadpool movie this one's story is a lot less standard and more imaginative. It goes in places you wouldn't expect, but just like the first one it also contains some tender moments. However the ending is just a little bit on the sappy side; without giving away too much I'll just say that Cable makes a particular decision that I find hard to believe.

  Deadpool's signature style of edgy, self-referential humour makes its grand return though in a slightly altered state. The sense of humour this time around is noticeably less crude and has more meta jokes. A couple jokes go on for just a tad too long and a few of the meta gags fall flat. But there's still tons of fun to be had with the references to other superhero films, the gratuitous gore, and the numerous and hilarious cameo appearances. The film's screwing with your expectations will leave you laughing out loud nine times out of ten.

  Ryan Reynolds pours on the charisma once again as Wade Wilson (AKA Deadpool) and all the previous film's oddball side characters are back such as Weasel, Blind Al, and Dopinder. It was also fun to watch Zazie Beetz in the role of Domino, a mutant who can manipulate luck. The villains of Deadpool 2 are way more interesting than those of the first Deadpool. Josh Brolin does an excellent job of bringing the hardened, no-nonsense Cable to life. Julian Dennison also does a fine job of portraying Firefist.

  As with its predecessor, this film boasts some outstanding fight choreography which is zealously showcased in slow motion. The special effects are also very well done... just not on Juggernaut though.

  So that's Deadpool 2, a fun superhero romp for the whole family. (Disclaimer: it's not for the whole family. Don't show this movie to young children.) If you were put off by the crass humour from the first Deadpool, don't be afraid to give this one a shot. With its wider range of characters, more interesting villains, and more creative story, Deadpool 2 is one of those rare sequels that's even better than its original.

  PS – There's no post-credits scene. Don't waste your time like I did.

Grade:

Movie Review - Deadpool

   A-ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Guys, welcome to my review of Deadpool, or as it should be called “Reasons Why This Movie is So Freaking Good that it More Than Makes Up for that Pathetic Excuse for a Deadpool We Got in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” That's right 20^th Century Fox: I forgive, but I don't forget.

   Our plot follows Wade Wilson – AKA Deadpool – a mercenary seeking revenge against Ajax – AKA Francis – the guy who gave him his powers but subjected him to some brutal torture. It's a story that includes some fun side characters, a great Stan Lee cameo, and some surprisingly touching moments. However it's also a very unoriginal story that you've seen many times before: “he had it all – including a lover – then they took it away, now he has to take it back” blah blah blah, that whole schtick. The villain isn't very interesting and there's also this romantic dilemma which ends up being a total non-conflict. But all this is OK because you're not watching Deadpool to see a great story, you're seeing it because you want to see Deadpool fight tons of badguys and make lots of jokes.

   And they friggin' nailed that! Ryan Reynolds breaks his curse of only being able to star in bad superhero movies (Blade Trinity, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern) in spectacular fashion. With all the fourth-wall-breaking charisma he brings to the role, they couldn't have picked a better actor. Also, at one point Deadpool explicitly states that he's Canadian. I find that to be very cool.

   You know what else about this movie is cool? The fast-paced humour! This movie is extremely funny, from the opening non-credits to the very direct post-credits scene. There are fourth wall jokes and references about almost everything from the aforementioned 2009 Wolverine film, the other X-Men films, and even the character's original creators Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza. Much of the jokes consist of crude humour, but at least it isn't the dumb kind of post-late-90's National Lampoons-esque frat boy humour that makes you feel stupid for watching it. This is some quality crude humour, even if a handful of the jokes do seem a little unwarranted. In any case, the movie's meta humour and sense of self-parody at least help distinguish Deadpool from the deluge of other superhero movies coming out around now.

   I was also very impressed with the special effects, especially on the characters. The effects on Deadpool's mask (particularly his white eyes) give his masked face an impressive range of expressions. If only other movie superheroes used these types of effects to become as emotive – I'm looking at you, Spider-Man movies! (Stop having Peter take his mask off before every final fight scene!) Colossus also looks very realistic; I just wonder why they never show him in his normal, nonmetallic form.

   As you hopefully already know, Deadpool is a hard R. Thankfully this means that there's no stupid memes and/or spoilers all over the internet since kids can't see this thing! Haha. There's a little bit of nudity, a ton of swearing, and some awesome violence. There's a fair amount of blood and gore, but it doesn't wallow in it. It just sometimes exploits it for comedic effect. But yeah, if you're not a fan of gross-out humour and other extreme stuff then turn around now. You won't be pleased.

   For everyone else (who's 18 or over) Deadpool is a delightful adventure for comic book fans, fans of the recent Deadpool video game, people who like action-comedies, and people who just want to see a superhero movie try something different.

Grade: four out of five.