Deadpool 2 (2018) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), the wisecracking mercenary known as Deadpool, returns. This time, he must save a young boy named Russell Collins (Julian Dennison) from the futuristic cyborg Cable (Josh Brolin).

Review:

Alongside its R-rated tone and Ryan Reynolds’s comedy, Deadpool (2016) was a hit with audiences.

Two years later, director David Leitch decided he wanted to helm its sequel.

For those unfamiliar, David Leitch was the co-director of John Wick (2014). This was alongside Chad Stahelski.

With that in mind, Deadpool 2’s action is fast-paced and entertaining enough to watch.

Though its action is good, it lacks the intensity of the previous film.

Given its larger budget of 110 million dollars, Deadpool 2 focuses more on action spectacle.

While some may appreciate this, Deadpool 2’s action in the second half is not as impactful as it should have been.

Take when the X-Man Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapičić) faces off against the unstoppable Juggernaut.

Though they are both supposed to be powerful, their hits fail to convey that.

Instead, they mimic two action figures smashing against each other. This second half also contains some questionable CGI and visual effects.

For a movie with a larger budget, improving the visuals should have been more of a priority.

Aside from the inconsistent second half, the film’s first half has good visuals and action sequences.

Also, as expected, Ryan Reynolds’ charm as Deadpool should please most fans.

Though his pop-culture references are far more prevalent in this film, fans of the character should get a few laughs.

Those who did not appreciate them in the first film may find them even more irritating in Deadpool 2.

This also applies to T.J. Miller’s Weasel, who returns from the previous film.

For viewers who didn’t enjoy his comedy in the first film, they will find no difference in this one.

Deadpool 2 also introduces a new character into the fold in the form of Domino (Zazie Beetz).

In the comics, Domino is a mercenary character with luck on her side. This means she can avoid dangerous situations through sheer probability.

In this sense, Domino is reminiscent of her counterpart from Marvel Comics. Though it is a unique power, it makes her invulnerable to danger.

As a result, this limits stakes during the action sequences. This is despite an above-average performance from Zazie Beetz.

Also joining the cast is Josh Brolin as the cyborg Cable. Before Deadpool 2, Brolin had a voice and motion-capture role as The Mad Titan, Thanos.

This was in Marvel Studios' third Avengers film, titled Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

To most audiences, Brolin’s performance in that film made Thanos memorable. This was alongside quality visual effects that brought the character to life.

Though Josh’s performance as Cable is more monotone, it fits the nature of his character.

His appearance as Cable also highlights his futuristic technology and weaponry.

Despite these being positive elements, the film has difficulty maintaining its narrative structure.

Take its two main plotlines as examples. One of them focuses on Cable’s hunt for Julian Dennison’s Russell.

Its secondary focus is on dealing with Wade’s guilt over his girlfriend Vanessa’s death.

In this sense, the film has difficulty picking a lane. This leads to a jumbled story with pacing that falters in the middle half.

Despite her brief scenes in the film, Morena Baccarin is above average with the material she has.

Though her death is sudden, the film soon reverses it through Cable’s time-travel device.

This is also an element of the film that is frustrating, as it means dead characters can return to life at any time.

As a result, this limits the stakes and investment in those characters to begin with.

Deadpool 2 also has a weak antagonist in the form of Eddie Marsan’s Headmaster. For context, he is the owner of an orphanage that tortures mutants.

Other than this, Marsan’s appearance as his character is very limited. Also, he has no real name outside of his title as the “Headmaster”.

That should convey to audiences how generic his character is.

This film’s score, as with the first, relies on licensed tracks to entertain.

Tyler Bates composes the original score for Deadpool 2. As a whole, he offers very few moments of note.

Conclusion:

To conclude, Deadpool 2 is a less competent film than its predecessor.

Its narrative has difficulty deciding which plotlines to focus on. This can lead to a disjointed experience.

Deadpool 2’s action is also less consistent than that of the first. It instead decides to focus more on spectacle than on personal conflict.

Also, some of the film’s visual effects in the second half bring it down.

Despite some of the action being too CGI-heavy, they are good as a whole. This same rule applies to the visuals.

As expected, Ryan Reynolds’s charm as Wade Wilson should entertain fans of the original.

Josh Brolin’s Cable is a good addition to the film, despite the character’s monotone nature.

Zazie Beetz as Domino is also a decent addition to the film. While her ability to avoid danger lessens the stakes, the actress appears to have fun.

A weak character addition is the film’s antagonist. Eddie Marsan has very little time on screen to make an impression as the character. As a whole, he is an afterthought.

Also, this film's original score by Tyler Bates makes little impact. This is despite the film’s good use of licensed tracks.

As a whole, Deadpool 2 is a less consistent film than the first. Despite its flaws, fans should find enough entertainment in this wisecracking sequel.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 6/10

Story - 6/10

Action - 7/10

CGI and visuals - 7/10

Soundtrack - 6.5/10

Overall score: 6.5 out of 10