Deadpool 2 (2018) Review: Bigger, Bloodier, Still Funny

Is Deadpool 2 worth watching?

Yes. Deadpool 2 is a louder, more confident sequel that matches the first film for laughs and comfortably beats it for action. Director David Leitch brings a stuntman’s eye to the fight scenes, and Josh Brolin’s gruff Cable and Zazie Beetz’s Domino give Ryan Reynolds sparring partners worth his time. The catch is tone: the film keeps reaching for real emotion and then mocking itself for trying, which blunts both the jokes and the feeling.

What is Deadpool 2 about?

Deadpool 2 finds Wade Wilson, the scarred, unkillable mercenary played by Ryan Reynolds, searching for a sense of purpose. His path crosses that of Russell (Julian Dennison), a volatile teenage mutant with dangerous powers, just as Cable (Brolin), a heavily armed soldier from the future, arrives with his own reasons for hunting the boy. To protect Russell, Deadpool assembles a team of his own, including the improbably lucky Domino.

Morena Baccarin returns as Vanessa, T.J. Miller as Weasel and Karan Soni as the long-suffering taxi driver Dopinder. It is an American production in English, directed by Leitch from a script co-written by Reynolds with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and it runs 120 minutes.

Leitch upgrades the action

The first Deadpool was a comedy that happened to have fights. The sequel is a genuine action film, and the difference is Leitch, a former stunt performer and stunt coordinator who came to this film straight from directing Atomic Blonde. The set pieces are clearer, more physical and more varied, from close-quarters brawls to a sprawling convoy sequence that plays like a live-action cartoon.

Domino’s power is a particularly smart invention for the screen. Because her luck means everything simply goes her way, her scenes become elaborate chain reactions of accidents, and Beetz plays them with a deadpan cool that makes her the film’s breakout. Brolin, meanwhile, is a perfect straight man: Cable has no interest in the jokes, which is exactly why they land.

Jokes aimed at everything, including itself

The meta humour is relentless. Deadpool talks to the camera, mocks rival superhero franchises, jokes about the studio and the actors’ other roles, and needles the audience for its expectations. Many of these gags are genuinely funny, and the opening-credits sequence alone sets a high bar for self-aware silliness. Reynolds remains perfectly cast, with a rapid-fire delivery that makes even the weaker lines feel improvised.

Julian Dennison is a good foil, bringing the same prickly energy that made him memorable in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The relationship between Wade and Russell is the closest thing the film has to a spine.

Where sincerity and snark collide

The film’s biggest problem is that it wants to be moving. It builds its story around family, belonging and redemption, and then undercuts almost every serious moment with a joke. Sometimes that is the point, but often it feels like the film protecting itself from criticism rather than committing to anything. The plot, too, is conventional under the chatter, and a few running gags outstay their welcome. The result is consistently entertaining without quite adding up.

Who should watch Deadpool 2?

It is for adults who enjoyed the first film and like their comedy crude, violent and aimed at the whole superhero industry. It is rated for adults for good reason: expect graphic violence, gore, strong language and sexual humour throughout, so it is not a Marvel film for children. At two hours it moves quickly, and the scenes during the credits are worth staying for.

If it works for you, try these next:

• Deadpool (2016), which is smaller and scrappier but introduces the character and his world, and should be watched first.
• The Fall Guy, Leitch’s later action comedy, a love letter to the stunt work he honed on films like this.
• Mission: Impossible - Fallout, the same year’s other showcase for practical, inventive action.

The verdict

Deadpool 2 is a sharp, gleefully offensive sequel that improves on its predecessor’s action and nearly matches its laughs. Its attempts at sincerity are shaky and the story is thin under all the noise, but Reynolds, Brolin and Beetz make it hugely enjoyable.

Rating: 4/5