Plot: The ‘merc with a mouth’ is back and deadlier than ever in ‘Deadpool 2’, the sequel to the Marvel Comics anti-hero of the same name and is bringing a whole barrel of bullets as well as laughs with him. When a terrible tragedy alters the course of his life and robs him of the one he loves, Wade Wilson falls into a disturbing (even for him) state of depression and loneliness that even he’s never experienced before and though the X-Men attempt to help him get over his loss, Wade still makes a mess of things which lands him and a mutant boy named Fire Fist (Julian Dennison) incarcerated.
Just when Wade thinks his life can’t get any crappier (shows how much he knows), a time-traveling super-soldier named Cable shows up with his eye set on terminating Fire Fist. Realizing that he can’t just turn his back on a fellow mutant with anger issues, Wade dons his Deadpool outfit and recruits a team of bad-ass misfits like himself to protect Fire Fist from the wrath of Cable.
And hopefully when they’re done saving the city (or destroying it, whichever comes first), they can all go out and grab a chimichanga…or not…
Ante-up (Deadpool’s Allies)
In addition to Wade’s allies like Blind Al, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead making a return to the sequel, this movie introduces a look at fellow mercenary Domino, portrayed by German-American actress Zazie Beetz. In addition to being a crack-shot and supreme fighter like Wade, Domino has the uncanny ability to manipulate luck. While some would wonder how that can even be classified as an ability, none the less it comes in handy when the X-Force gets into situations where the odds are definitely stacked against them in their fight against gruff time traveling supersolder Cable (the Goonies Josh Brolin).
Speaking of which, Cable was the biggest reason that made me want to see this movie as I’m a huge fan of that particular Marvel character. When Ryan Reynolds mentioned his appearance at the end of the first film I was like, ‘Oh man! I can’t wait for this sequel to come out!’ And to see Josh Brolin play the part was extremely phenomenal cause the Terminator has nothing on Brolin’s Cable. Cable was armed to the teeth with all sorts of military hardware in his possession that would make Tony Stark and even the Punisher blush with envy. The special effects department for this film really went all out with the make-up for Brolin as well as the props for some of his gun battles in this film. Cable truly is a frightening if not awesome and unstoppable force of nature, fighting to prevent a tragedy from the past from effecting his own future. Anyone and anything stupid or crazy enough to get in his way gets treated like collateral damage and he blows it away without question or remorse.
But that’s not to say that Cable is the villain in this, oh no. Cable still has his code (I mean, he is the son of Cyclops after all) and when push comes to shove, Cable is not above being rational so long as it doesn’t result in the unnecessary loss of innocent life. And though his mission to terminate someone now before they commit an unnecessary evil that could destroy millions of lives later does bring into play about whether or not altering events is a good or a bad thing for the characters. Depending on whose doing the writing of the story, nine times out of ten, the results can be good so long as the ones doing the altering are doing so for the sake of a brighter tomorrow instead of a darker one. As the Marvel Universe and a handful of other comic incarnations have shown, time travel is a slippery slope and if abused it creates a ripple that could destroy reality rather than preserve it.
Why Deadpool Delivers
I really needed to lift my spirits up after seeing Avengers: Infinity Wars a few weeks ago. As kick-ass as that movie was, the heroes took a really bad hit from their adversary Thanos (won’t say how) but it really left everyone including the audience rocking and reeling from the blow. And after patiently biding my time waiting on Deadpool 2 to arrive, I was ready to jump at the chance to see the ‘merc with a mouth’ back in action again and as usual Ryan Reynolds doesn’t disappoint with his portrayal of Wade Wilson.
The thing that really amazed me about this sequel is that it delves a little deeper into the human…er, mutant spirit of the character Deadpool. As weird as he is, Deadpool shows that he has feelings and emotions just like anybody else and the writers got to explore that when a terrible tragedy causes Deadpool to lose the ‘eye of the tiger’. Now while it’s no secret that heroes lose their will to fight when a tragedy hits too close to home, Deadpool 2 shows that it can happen to anti-heroe too but when it comes to characters like Deadpool, you often wonder if you can feel sorry for them when you’ve been exposed to how strange their lives are (and Deadpool is as strange as they come in the Marvel Universe).
Aside for some adrenaline pumping action scenes, humorous dialogue and snappy comebacks, not to mention a tremendous load of ‘easter eggs’ and references to 80s and 90s pop culture, Deadpool 2’s script writing is phenomenal. I think the biggest selling point for this movie is the introduction of Russell Collins a.k.a. Fire Fist (played with great gusto by Julian Dennison), a mutant with an extremely volcanic temper and powers to match. What I loved about this character is that the writers showed him as an angry, frightened boy who is tired of being pounded by the system for being ‘different’ and I feel that’s the catalyst that allows Russell and Wade to bond a little bit in this story (even though Wade wants nothing to do with him as he has his own demons that he’s trying to struggle through).
The writer’s also touch down on themes like friendship, family, how to cope with loss, abandonment and most importantly, how we recover from loss as well as helping victims of exploitation. The orphanage the Russell is staying out is being run by human supremacists who condemn mutants and torture them into believing that they are an abomination and that they shouldn’t have powers or even use them. When you see the torture and torment that Julian’s character goes through in this flick, you can’t help but feel sorry for him and you sympathize with him more when you see him lash out at society.
Even with its dark comedy, Deadpool 2 really hits a homerun about the evils of organizations that claim to help people but could secretly be exploiting the innocent for their own gain and that if you do nothing to stop the problem you’re contributing to the self-destruction of the next generation’s soul. Okay, that might seem a little ‘too deep’ (as Deadpool would say) but they definitely didn’t pull any punches with the exploitation topic and that is the ‘key’ that helps Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool character get back in the saddle in his fight to doing what’s right.
I wanna Shoop, Baby (Wrapping it Up)
Ever since 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios joined in partnership, there’s been nothing but good things to say about some of the superheroes that they’ve brought to life onto the big screen and Deadpool is no exception to that rule. Given the magnificent creativity of its production staff as well as the versatility of the actors that are chosen for these parts, I see nothing but good things for the future for 20th Century Fox as they delve into the Deadpool franchise.
All in all, Deadpool 2 has a lot going for it and just like Wade Wilson, I’m willing to bet vital parts of my anatomy that it will definitely be this year’s greatest blockbuster next to ‘Infinity War’. The way the theater was packed today when I saw it, you can definitely count on another Deadpool coming out sometime later in the future. So if you haven’t seen this amazing sequel yet, you don’t know what you’re missing.
The Cable Critic 