With all the superhero movies surrounding us right now, it is easy to feel exhausted by the surplus of films that come out every year. But through all this, Deadpool shines with his bright red suit, quick wit and extremely crass persona all meant to flip the typical superhero tropes on their head repeatedly.
For those of you who do not know Deadpool, here is a quick overview: Wade Wilson (played brilliantly by Ryan Reynolds), also known as Deadpool or the “Merc with the mouth,” is a mutant with an accelerated healing ability, who is very skilled from his work as a mercenary and assassin and is especially recognized for his constant jokes and fourth wall breaks.
With a new director helming the camera, David Leitch takes his love of slow motion and long takes from “John Wick” and applies it to this Marvel sequel, adding a new and fresh perspective to the franchise. But this movie is not for the faint of heart. Along with Leitch’s style comes even more creative fight scenes and deaths, proving more graphic than its predecessor.
After a relatively low stakes plot and origin story in the first Deadpool , I was pleasantly surprised to see themes of family and love in “Deadpool 2,” as well as much higher risks that are introduced in this bigger, funnier and much more violent film that seamlessly weaves in new characters and adds depth to existing ones.
This time around, we find the antihero enjoying his time slaughtering bad guys and spending time with his wife, which of course does not last long. Deadpool is reunited with Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (played by Brianna Hildebrand) to attempt to be a fellow X-Man and help stop Firefist (played by Julian Dennison), a young mutant in need of mentors.
This does not go as planned with the introduction of Cable (played by Josh Brolin), a warrior from the future who has a score to settle with Firefist.
Through the rest of the film, “Deadpool 2” succeeds in many of the places that most superhero sequels fail, bringing a new feel and emotion that does not fall back on the original for help. The movie brings heart, humor and balance to a character. From what we have seen, that should be impossible to achieve, however it does all these things with grace in a unique and stylistic way.
I have loved Deadpool’s character from the start and this film has only increased my love for him, as well as the world within he thrives, complete with the supporting characters that compliment him and reveal a new layer to this otherwise playful antihero.
I would strongly recommend you see “Deadpool 2,” especially if you enjoyed the first film.