Dog’s Movie House: “Deadpool 2:” Crazier, More Fun Than The Original!

Howdy Folks!  It’s The Kendog here with my review of “Deadpool 2!”

X-Force prepares to leap into action in “Deadpool 2”

When “Deadpool” hit theaters in February of 2016 it took the cinematic world by storm, becoming the worldwide highest grossing R-rated for a movie in history.  With a witty, hilarious script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and assured direction by Tim Miller, along with a bravura performance by Ryan Reynolds as the Merc With A Mouth, “Deadpool” was unlike any other comic film made.  I’m happy to say that, aside from a change in director (damn those “creative differences”), everyone’s back for the inevitable sequel, making “Deadpool 2” the rare follow-up that’s actually better than the original.

“Deadpool 2” starts with the usual fourth -wall breaking conventions as Wade Wilson (Reynolds) starts off by slamming “Logan” and Wolverine while trying to explain why he’s about to commit suicide.  We find out Wade has suffered a tragedy and cannot bear to go on living.   Of course Wade being Wade, the attempt fails and he attempts to find redemption (along with his old X-Men pal Colossus) by protecting a mutant youngster by the name of Russell (Julian Dennison) from Cable (Josh Brolin) a mutant from the future who has murderous designs on the young mutant, a rotund fellow who throws fire and calls himself. . .wait for it. . .Firefist.   Along the way he recruits a super team he calls X-Force to take on the more powerful Cable.

To tell you any more would be depriving you of some great fun provided you enjoyed the first installment.  If you didn’t “Deadpool 2” is more of the same.  Lots of gore, profanity, and adult situations you don’t want to take your kids to see unless your idea of a great evening at home is answering a slew of potentially uncomfortable questions.  For adults who like raunchy humor and breakneck action with more than a hint of emotional content, “Deadpool 2” is a great tonic for those of you who might be a little tired of traditional comic book movies (Mr. Walsh, I’m looking at you, sir!)

https://youtu.be/FxQLur7YOxY

“Deadpool 2” is bigger and bolder in every way than its predecessor, but not so big that it loses sight of what made the first film work.  The script from Wernick, Reese, and star Reynolds is chock filled with jokes and Easter eggs from other films, so much so that you’ll probably have to watch the film at least three times to get them all.  Replacing Miller at the helm is up and coming director David Leitch, the fellow who helped John Wick get revenge for his dog.  As a result the action beats in this film are terrific and more fully formed than in the original film.

The performances here are uniformly fantastic, with Reynolds in his element with a character he truly loves and was obviously born to play.  His delivery when it comes to the jokes is spot on, but more important is how he is able to create a fully formed character in the midst of all that verbal chaos.  There are a couple of moments in “Deadpool 2” that will tug at your heartstrings in an unexpected manner.  Brolin is Reynold’s match as the time-traveling mutant badass Cable and when they finally get together it’s as good as you could possibly expect.  Another standout is young Zazie Beetz as Domino whose mutant power is, well, luck, which turns out to be one of the coolest things in the movie.  Morena Baccarin returns as Wade’s girlfriend Vanessa, along with T.J. Miller as Weasel, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, and Karan Soni as the loveable cab driver Dopinder.  And let’s not forget the wonderful Colossus, voiced and mo-capped by Stefan Kapicic.  The metal powerhouse even has more to do in this film and serves as the film’s conscience, and his battle with a surprise villain is one of the high points of the film.

Among the newcomers, aside from Brolin,  Dennison has a great time as the (literally) fiery Russell.  His backstory is fairly horrifying which makes his anger justifiable.  Dennison’s chemistry with Reynolds is terrific and when he follows Wade’s advice to make friends with the biggest, baddest mutant in prison, it turns the film in a whole new direction.  Also providing memorable, if somewhat brief support at such actors as Terry Crews, Bill Skarsgard, and a regular human named Peter played by Rob Delany, who was simply intrigued by Wade’s ad for the super team X-Force.

The jokes come fast and furious as does the action, and the character beats have more emotional resonance than in the previous film.  As always, stay for the post credits stinger at the end. . .it’s one of the best (and funniest) ever in a Marvel film!  A comic film for folks that don’t normally like comic book films, “Deadpool 2” may be the perfect film of its kind.  5 Out Of 5 on Kendog’s Barkometer!  So Sayeth The Kendog!