Deadpool 2 is good and satisfying – and that's good news for superhero films
The first Deadpool film, released in 2016, was reportedly made in a budget of just over $50 million. It went on to make more than $780 million, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time worldwide. It was a breath of fresh air among modern-day superhero films, which is why it became so successful. Also, it didn’t carry the weight of great expectations. Star Ryan Reynolds, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and director Tim Miller had their work cut out for them. They’d sensed early on how predictable superhero films had become. They’d sensed the audiences knew that too.
Deadpool would be different. It would be unpredictable. Comic book fans of course knew that, but it was the other lot, that the folks over at Marvel Entertainment and 20th Century Fox, had to surprise. The box office numbers seemingly suggest they did quite well.
Which brings us to Deadpool 2. The sequel brings with it a $110 million budget, a new director (David Leitch of John Wick fame) and great expectations. And now that I’ve seen the film, I can say one thing, it’s as good if not better. If the original was all about a character who was all sass and almost no smarts, the sequel is all about him growing up. Deadpool 2 is both smart and sassy, and that is what makes it tick. The merc with a mouth is still slave to his arrogant bravado but he’s man enough to doubt himself now.
And take one for the team. Every now and then.
Two years after the events of the first film that brought us the origin story of Deadpool aka Wade Wilson, our friendly neighbourhood anti-hero has finally “gone international, taking on mass murderers, gangsters, and unspeakable monsters,” people nobody would touch except him. For money. When one of his missions doesn’t go according to the plan, Deadpool is left “all out of love”. He’s tormented and torn apart to the extent of suicide, only to be saved by his own super-healing powers and the mutant Colossus (Stefan Kapicic). Colossus and Co., just like it was in the original, try to bring Deadpool aboard the X-Men bandwagon one more time. Deadpool does get on-board this time round. Much to our surprise.
But then soon enough, the Deadpool sass gene kicks in, turning one of his early missions as an X-Men trainee, into a disaster. Leaving Wade in prison. Sans his powers. Accompanying him is a young mutant named Firefist aka Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), who has his demons to take care of. Wade would prefer to die in peace (again), but when a cybernetic soldier from the future named Cable (Josh Brolin) arrives — not surprisingly though if you’ve seen the first film, and managed to sit through the credits — to kill Russell, à la Terminator style, Deadpool has no choice but to suit up once again. A little differently though.
This time, Deadpool sets out, to recruit some allies. To form his own superhero team: the X-Force. That’s like instant gratification for comic-book nerds. For all the others, let’s just say, it’s like an even more rugged version of the X-Men, which, in the words of the founder himself, represents “a dated metaphor for racism in the '60s” that is also “blatantly sexist”. Deadpool 2 doesn’t take long to set the X-Force in motion although the whole recruitment process as well as how the recruits go about their business is, without a doubt, the biggest highlight of the film. Makes you wonder what in the world was Apocalypse — and Fox — thinking while recruiting his batch of horsemen in that sad 2016 X-Men film.
It’s not all hunky-dory though. Of the bunch of recruits that make the cut, only one, the one they call Domino (Zazie Beetz), is memorable. Perhaps luck has something to do with it. Okay, luck has a lot to do with it. That and the fact that, none of the others have been given as much attention and screen space. But that’s alright. Deadpool 2 still manages to shine, vis-a-vis team spirit, although the sheer number of characters that this one throws at you, can be a little off-putting for those not into the comics. Or for those who haven’t seen the previous X-Men (including the stand-alone Wolverine) films. Unlike the first instalment, the second isn’t just about Deadpool. It’s also setting up the stage for the upcoming X-Force film. And that can be a double-edged sword. No pun intended.
Deadpool 2 can be best summed up as an R-rated avatar of Marvel Avengers: Infinity War. A satirical take, if you may. Both the Avengers and the X-Force are embracing a future where the earth’s in a coma/or on the verge of extinction, and Josh Brolin is somehow, connected to both of them. Coincidence much?
Coincidences aside, while I would have liked each member of the X-Force and the countless other characters — including a CG-enhanced juggernaut — to have some kind of backgrounder, let’s not hold that against Deadpool 2. This is because Deadpool 2 keeps you on your toes, at all times, courtesy its eclectic mix of genres. The meta jokes and the cultural references keep you on the edge of your seat. Just like the original. The film is bold enough to call out others, from Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to old, white guys and a rape-whistle (a reference to the #MeToo movement).
From Marvel’s own Hawkeye to DC’s Batman. At the same time, Deadpool 2 is brave enough to laugh at itself, including Ryan Reynolds’ own less-stunning career performances.
That’s largely because Ryan Reynolds is well at home playing Deadpool. It’s like he owns the character. In suit. Off suit. Happy. Sad. Angry. He’s menacingly good at them all, so much so that it’s literally impossible to not like him. Even when he’s being a total jerk, and he does that, quite a lot being Deadpool and all. Josh Brolin is no different. He continues his fine form — and even character to an extent — from Infinity War, and even gets called out for it, by Ryan Reynolds. And finally, Beetz’ Domino is the biggest surprise/takeaway from a film that’s easily among the most sexist (and racist) that it can be, circa 2018.
Deadpool 2 does not better the original. But it’s as good, and as satisfying, and that’s good news for superhero sequels. That’s because superhero sequels have had a history of disappointing moviegoers. Even more so in the case of films belonging to the X-Men universe.
Deadpool 2 changes that, as it changes a lot many things in the Marvel universe.
Also read — Avengers: Infinity War is the darkest Marvel film. And that's alright