From the announcement of the Ryan Reynolds in the original, it was obvious that he would be a great Deadpool. While millions love the first Deadpool movie, I have never been fond of Deadpool. If my editor knew how much I hated the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Deadpool, I am really sure that she would not have assigned me to the screening. For me, Deadpool is the representation of all those qualities that make someone a complete jerk.
In the comic book, he is slightly more tolerable because they often team him up with some weird character like Howard the Duck, and who really cares about how anyone treats Howard the Duck, but PETA? Honestly, it seems to me that Deadpool is just a foul-mouthed Spider-Man, whose superpowers are regeneration and bad puns. If you find my stream of consciousness, a bit off-putting f[edited by BGN]k you; this is a Deadpool review! If you are a fan of the MCU Deadpool, you know that the entire movie is an exercise in watching Deadpool’s stream of consciousness, so hold on to your hat.
When done in good taste, the character of Deadpool is the perfect combination of crazy, coarse, and complicated. I think the crazy is obvious. While the teenage boys — well let’s face it all x-y chromosomes — will enjoy the movie for the various genitalia-inspired jokes, there is a cleverness to them overall that kept the theater laughing even with the myriad of decapitations, yard-waste industrial person mulching, and deaths of beloved friends. Yes, the rumors are true, there is a significant death that necessitates the whole Celine Dion music video, and results in a great, mildly familiar, iconic introduction; but don’t worry, Deadpool will see all debts are paid by the end (if he survives).
Speaking of introductions, all hail X-Force! The team that can’t seem to keep a comic book title going is back in action, and most of the original favorites are there either as team members or in the case of Cable as a villain. Of course, my favorite member of the team is Paul, or was his name, Peter? Who cares? The guy with no powers, that supports a great subplot as the plucky comic relief; as if they needed a funny sidekick.
Right Dopinder?
Don’t worry the X-Man that they ignore in the recent X-movies (Colossus) is back along with the awesome X-person, Negasonic Teenage Warhead and friend. From a casting standpoint, I was a little concerned that Josh Brolin’s size would keep him from being a good Cable. I mean they CGI’d him to make him an eight foot, totally believable Thanos, so what would lifting some weights do? Apparently, it doesn’t matter, Brolin more than fits the bill, with the relatively stoic Cable charm. The other cast of characters are just as well-chosen. I was greatly amused by all the cameos, but awe-struck with the arrival of my new MCU favorite character Domino, played by Zazie Beetz. When the first trailers were released, I knew exactly who she was going to portray and had to see the movie. Domino does not disappoint. Nor does Russell (Julian Dennison) who provides the fulcrum for the movie and does a great job balancing it all on his back or better put his butt (wash that pen!!!).
The use of a Deadpool movie to introduce X-Force was a gamble. How do you credibly introduce another team of superheroes, after you just mauled the MCU? Deadpool 2 of course! There was a real concern on my part that the irreverence of a Deadpool movie, would remove the ability for them to continue on in their own right. Fortunately, the writers artfully navigated the need to let Deadpool be Deadpool, but not ruin what makes Cable and X-Force great characters. More importantly, the tea leaves indicate that there is an X-Force movie on the horizon, so we don’t have to watch Cable try to keep up with Deadpool with the pseudo culturally inappropriate and racially insensitive jokes – so sorry Black Tom.
So here is the thing. I felt that in the first movie the situations were created to fit a joke vice — a narrative with places that authentically needed a disrespectful, awfully inappropriate one. This time I think that this movie has just the right balance of coarseness and political incorrectness. And in sort of a way, an after-school special message that is needed to finally forgive Ryan and one day DC for the Green Lantern movie.
For parents, I will say that the rating for this movie, unlike most, is appropriate. While I know parenting has changed and having your ten-year-old call his teacher a f[edited by BGN]g hoe is perfectly fine for some of you, for those of you with different sensibilities — leave your middle-school and below children at home. They can watch the cleaned-up version once TNT or FX bleeps out some of the language and deletes a scene or two (sorry Sharon Stone) from the movie.
If some of this article makes absolutely no sense, that is okay. Read it again after you see the movie, I think you will enjoy it. If not you’re an a[edited by BGN]le.
Deadpool 2 is in theaters starting May 18th.
[Acknowledgement – Neither Deadpool nor his alter-ego Ryan Reynolds contributed in any way to the nasty f[edited by BGN]ing language dispersed throughout this article]
