Deadpool sequel matches the original
Bigger isn’t necessarily better in this sequel to the game-changing superhero Deadpool, but it’s just about on par – despite losing the ingenuity factor.
Coming from John Wick director David Leitch, a great way to compare the two would be this is John Wick: Chapter Two compared to John Wick – not quite as taut and refined as the original but deserves credit for expanding its range.
With foul-mouthed mutant mercenary Wade Wilson aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) in disarray after a personal tragedy, he finds solace in siding with the X-Men – including Colossus (Stefan Kapacic), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and newcomer, Japanese female ninja, Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) – to try and save a disturbed adolescent ‘firestarter’ in the form of Julian Dennison’s chunky Russell ‘Firefist’ Collins, who has been abused at an orphanage led Eddie Marsan’s headmaster.
But things soon go ‘south’ when a mysterious cybernetic time-travelling mutant soldier Cable (Avengers: Infinity War’s Josh Brolin) comes looking for Firefist – believing he’s the culprit to his wife and daughter’s deaths – leading to Deadpool and cowardly pal Weasel (TJ Miller) forming a rogue mini version of the X-Men, known as X-Force.
This consists of Domino (Zazie Beetz), Bedlam (Terry Crews), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgard), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), Vanisher (Brad Pitt) and Rob Delaney as civilian Peter – with some great comedic moments ensuing from their formation.
And while things are slightly choppier in the editing department than the first film, there’s still plenty of trademark Deadpool one-liners, action set pieces and ‘fanboy’ surprises – including one major character introduction that won’t be spoiled here – to become another enjoyable vulgarity-laden romp when you add up the sum of its parts.
Brolin impresses as Cable – but maybe doesn’t quite live up to all the comic-book hype with all the internet furore surrounding the character – but it’s Beetz’s mutant-probability powered Domino (which basically means she’s lucky) that steals the show alongside Reynolds’s ‘Pool’, with a terrifically cool debut.
It definitely has a hard-act to follow after Brolin’s other recent Marvel character Thanos changed the landscape of the MCU a couple of weeks back – but does what it does best by being a slightly bolder and amplified version of the first film.
Which basically means if there’s one major criticism – it does play it a little safe.
But there’s no doubting that Deadpool has continued where he left off by headlining a new era of adult-orientated superhero films – and watching Reynolds’ ‘Regenerating Degenerate’ here is just as much fun as it was in the original.
VERDICT: 4/5
