Deadpool 2 is full of so many gags and pop culture references, one feels that Deadpool’s real superpower is not that he is practically immortal, but that he has got a mouth that can’t be zipped. He takes potshots at everyone under the superhero sky, from Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to Josh Brolin’s Thanos and his own near-disastrous avatar as Green Lantern. Some of the jokes are genuinely funny, like the scene of the auditions which are held to recruit the X-force, a ragtag bunch of mutants assembled to save a young boy, Russell, from the evil clutches of Cable, a time-travelling cyborg (again played by Brolin).
“We’re going to form a super-duper f*****g group,” Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool tells his friend Weasel. “We need them top, morally flexible and young enough to carry their own franchise for 10 to 12 years.”
“It’s time to get back on LinkedIn,” says Weasel.
The film begins with a tragedy, when Vanessa, the love of Deadpool’s life, is murdered by a criminal. He attempts to commit suicide, but miserably fails. A sequence of events leads him to become one of the X-Men, or rather a ‘trainee’, as he’s so often reminded. His first assignment is to save a young mutant from an orphanage run by a pedophile. But the boy is being chased by Cable, who has come from the future to right a wrong committed in the present. Sounds confusing? Don’t let the plot get in the way of the punchlines. In fact, that is exactly what’s slightly askew about the film. The storyline seems to be tailored to fit the gags, instead of the other way around.
Deadpool 2 is as funny as its prequel, maybe even more so. It’s like a giant joke-dispensing machine with endless ammunition. But the problem is, too many wisecracks detract from the drama, especially the fourth-wall breaking asides to the audience. Yes, Ryan Reynolds pulls it off admirably. It’s difficult to imagine anyone else in the role of Deadpool. All the others— Brolin, Zazie Beetz, who plays Domino, and Julian Dennison, who plays Russell—deliver credible performances.
Deadpool 2 has all the elements that made Deadpool a success—blood, gore and sass. But following the same recipe doesn’t always yield the desired result, does it? The first film was a much-needed breather from the stuffy and staid superhero movies Marvel and DC were dishing out. But now, does one need a breather from the breather?
Movie: Deadpool 2
Directed by David Leitch
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz, Julian Dennison
Rating: 3/5