Deadpool 2

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Leslie Uggams, Stefan Kapicic (voice), Brianna Hildebrand, Karan Soni, Eddie Marsan, Bill Skarsgard, Terry Crews, Brad Pitt (cameo), Alan Tudyk (cameo), Matt Damon (cameo), Nicholas Hoult (uncredited), James McAvoy (uncredited), Evan Peters (uncredited), Tye Sheridan (uncredited), Alexandra Shipp (uncredited), Kodi Smit-McPhee (uncredited)
Directed by: David Leitch
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) reluctantly protects a young mutant (Julian Dennison) from Cable (Josh Brolin), a cyborg from the future.

Review:

Tim: While I loved Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, I only liked 2016's Deadpool film. It was good, but it didn't really blow me away. It's funny, I was just reading my review of that film and I ended it suggesting I would probably love the sequel now that the original story was finished. That was somewhat prescient. I wouldn't quite say I loved the film, but this sequel is superior to the original. It continues the zany fourth-wall breaking antics of our favorite antihero while fixing some of the issues with the first movie. This film is thoroughly engaging and I give new director David Leitch a lot of credit- it couldn't have been easy to step in and direct a sequel to a film that so many people loved and actually improve on it. But, that's exactly what Leitch accomplishes here.

Now, Reynolds is obviously the highlight of the film, but he has a solid supporting cast. Most noteworthy is Josh Brolin as Cable. Now, I was incredibly excited to see such a cool character like Cable finally represented on the big screen. I thought Brolin did well with the character, but it was handled a little strangely. I can't say I loved how Cable was depicted here. It was fine, but it feels like we didn't get the definitive version of this character. He wasn't as interesting as I expected him to be. Brolin does good work, but I felt a bit of a letdown at how Cable showed up in this film. Morena Baccarin added some good supporting work- I loved her storyline in this film. She and Reynolds have strong chemistry together and they accounted for some surprisingly emotional moments.

It was fun seeing Julian Dennison here. I really enjoyed his work in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. That being said, his performance here wasn't great. It felt too forced to me. He was actually a weaker aspect of this film. On the opposite end, Zazie Beetz was incredible as Domino. She stole nearly every scene she was in. She was so cool and confident, it was great fun seeing her on screen. I absolutely hope they make another movie, because I'd love for Beetz to get more time as this character. It was great seeing TJ Miller, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, and Stefan Kapicic return for this film. Each worked well and I loved the continuity with those supporting characters.

I do want to mention the long series of cameos and uncredited roles we got. They certainly elicited more than a few laughs, although it did feel a little much. There's a great gag where we see a bunch of the X-Men very briefly. I definitely laughed at that. Brad Pitt has a pretty hilarious cameo that lasts about a second. Alan Tudyk and Matt Damon also have quick cameos, but both are so unrecognizable that it felt like a waste of their talent to include them here. I love Terry Crews, but he was underutilized in a small role. I do wish the film had spent more time with some of these supporting characters, because there are so many of them (too many, in fact). That being said, while the movie would have benefited from cutting a few characters, I think these movies work best when Deadpool is surrounded by a large cast. He's at his funniest when he's interacting with others, so while a large cast is generally going to be a positive with this character, they took it a bit too far here.

The movie's comedy is definitely one of its biggest strengths (the end credits scenes are incredible, too). But, the movie does a good job of delivering some solid action scenes, too. Deadpool and Cable have several memorable battles. The car chase scene with Domino, Cable, and Deadpool is definitely a standout. Juggernaut accounts for a solid battle scene, too. The movie might have benefited from another really standout action sequence, but what we got here served its purpose.

I have no idea where the Deadpool franchise goes from here. There's a lot of ambiguity with the looming Fox-Disney merger. I don't know the right answer, but I would love to see Reynolds play this role again. Deadpool 2 is a better movie than the original in many ways. It was great fun to see this superior sequel and my fingers are crossed this becomes a trilogy.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Deadpool