Deadpool 2

It was perhaps unrealistic to expect this sequel to match the impact of the surprise 2016 hit – after all, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, and so much of what made the first Deadpool so much fun was that its tone was completely and utterly unexpected.  But what Deadpool 2 lacks in the element of surprise, it more than makes up for with increased fourth-wall-breaking meta-humour, and this time, it even has a plot too.

Premise:  Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) spends his days offing bad guys as Deadpool, and his nights with his fiancée Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) – but the arrival from the future of time-travelling cybernetic mutant Cable (Josh Brolin) sets him on a new path.

Review:

I have to give credit to the writers of Deadpool 2 (Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, this time also joined by Ryan Reynolds) for not simply trying to rehash the plot of the first film.  I mean, let’s face it, there wasn’t exactly a lot of plot in the first film, but even so, a lazy sequel could have easily just repeated the key beats of having Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) on the hunt for some bad guy, having Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) be kidnapped and need rescuing, and having Colossus keep trying to persuade Deadpool to become a “superhero”.  Instead, right from the pre-title sequence, Deadpool 2 seems intent to blaze its own trail and tell a new story within the universe established in the first film.

There are advantages and disadvantages to that approach, but overall, I do think it was the right move.  Say what you will about Deadpool 2, but I think if it had just been a re-tread of the elements from the first film, it would have fallen flat no matter how funny it was.  By taking the story in a new direction, the film does feel like it stands on its own two feet, even if some of the characters I loved from the first film perhaps don’t get as much screen time in the second film as I would have liked.

“…doubles down on the fourth-wall-breaking asides and other meta-humour…”

That said, I think every memorable supporting character from the first film gets something to do in the sequel, and the shift in focus allows the film to introduce a whole raft of new characters too.  The most prominent of these new characters is obviously Cable (Josh Brolin), who strikes the right balance between being a mysterious man-with-no-name archetype, while also giving away just enough backstory to flesh out his motivation and character.  The other new additions to the cast that make an impact are Julian Dennison as Russell Collins, a troubled and conflicted teenage mutant caught up in the events of the film, and Zazie Beats, who nearly steals at least a couple of scenes in her role as Domino, one of the mutants recruited by Deadpool to form his own superhero team.

But despite the introduction of Cable and the “X-Force” team (both of which are very famous in comic book circles), this is still undeniably Deadpool’s film – which did come as a relief, as I thought there was a real risk that the film could become overloaded with new characters and lose focus on its star.  Yes, you could say that the focus on Deadpool means that the rest of the characters don’t get nearly as well fleshed out as Wade Wilson does, but ultimately this is Deadpool 2 and not X-Force 1.

“…this hilarious sequel is a lot of fun, and takes the characters in some unexpected directions…”

Because the film takes the plot in a new direction, Deadpool 2 arguably gets off to a fairly slow start, as it takes about 20 minutes or so to position all of the pieces where they need to be – but once the necessary set-up is out of the way, the humour really kicks into gear.  Not only is there probably as much “straight-up” humour as in the first film, but Deadpool 2 really doubles down on Deadpool’s fourth-wall-breaking asides and the other meta-humour.  Deadpool 2 opens with major spoilers for last year’s film Logan, and then goes on to make jokes about the box office takings for the first Deadpool film … and the jokes only get more self-aware and meta from there (make sure you stay for the mid-credit end scene…).

Ultimately, if you didn’t gel with the self-aware humour of the first film, then Deadpool 2 really isn’t for you – but if you enjoyed the first film, you might be pleasantly surprised that this sequel really is just as funny, and includes one extended sequence in particular that has got to be a contender for the funniest scene of the year.  So if you manage your expectations and accept that this was never going to be able to match the element of surprise of the original, this hilarious sequel is a lot of fun, and takes the characters in some unexpected directions.  By the time the end credits rolled, I was still keen to revisit these characters again and see where they go from here, as there still seems to be plenty of potential left in the series - which is not something you often hear said about comedy sequels.