Written by Jambareeqi

Posted 15th May, 2018

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS POSSIBLE SPOILERS

In the Merc with a Mouth’s second venture into film, Wade Wilson must stop a time traveling half-man/half-machine called Cable, before he tries to kill a mutant kid called Russel, who is destined to murder Cable’s family one day. However, Deadpool isn’t going solo like usual, he’s banding together his own super hero team called the X-Force, can they save this kid before it’s too late?

Holy Shitballs! This movie was a ball of fun! More witty one liners, more self referential humour, more fourth wall breaking, and more wild action. If you liked all the elements employed by the first film, then you’ll love this sequel, because it has them all in spades. I’ll go as far as saying that this film is even more entertaining than it’s predecessor, because story is has more eventful content, and the cartoony comedy is amplified up to five hundred.

I did notice that the film liked to hang onto some scenes for a while, but it never felt like it was dragging on to me, thanks to the relentless momentum. Not only are jokes being shot at a constant rhythm, but the action is consistently creative and spontaneous, so I never felt bored or annoyed about certain scenarios going on for a while, because the movie is always alive with energy or humour.

To be honest, saying that this film is funny is an understatement, the film is backed with so much comedic ammo, I chuckled until I cried, plus the audience I shared the screening with, roared like a choir spiked with laughing gas. This isn’t just thanks to Wade’s boundless need to make snappy commentary on the madness around him, it’s also due to his chemistry with the more straight faced characters that can’t take his shit, and that’s most evident with his relationship to the stone faced Cable. Watching Cable & Deadpool interact is amazing, because they are such HUGE polar opposites, and we can tell that Cable is losing his patience with the cheeky red suited anti-hero.

Speaking of Cable, even though he’s been heavily marketed as the main bad guy, he’s not exactly the character you think he is, but I don’t want to spoil too much about him, so let’s just say that you should keep an open mind about him. That’s the thing about this film, it explores how villainy is a path you can take if not careful, that heroes can play a part in steering them in a better direction, and I love that this franchise is teaching the trigger happy Wade to learn about showing mercy.

Wade’s X-Force, a band that’s been a selling point of the trailers, is actually a short lived joke in the film, but I loved that, because these team members are one joke caricatures, and I’m glad that the writers didn’t milk everything it could from what little there was. The movie knows how much humour it can make from these oddball super heroes, while exploring Deadpool’s hilarious inability to be a leader, and is aware when the gag is worth stopping before it gets stale. Funnily enough too, one of the X Force members is played by a massive A List movie star, but blink and you’ll miss him, as it’s such a tiny cameo. Only Domino, a super hero who claims her power is “luck”, stays her welcome, and rightfully so! Because her gimmick is worth carrying on for the rest of the film, and she’s got this great sassy personality.

Even though this movie revels in it’s tastelessness, bathes in it’s black comedy even, it still retains the soulful sentiments that were present in the first film, and your heart strings will be pulled as much as your funny bones. I can’t say too much, annoying I know, as a major event actually happens right at the start of the film, which plays a huge part in the more emotional side of the movie. However, what I can say, is that this film deeply explores the notion of family, from it’s fluid meaning to overcoming the tragic side of it.

Wade does spend a big portion of the film in a state of self pitying sadness, but you know what? It never becomes obnoxious, because he uses humour as a coping mechanism, so even his bleakest of turmoils are turned into comedy gold, and you’ll end up laughing at how he deals with his pain through juvenile antics. Heck, there’s a whole sequence where Wade just fucks about in the X Men academy, screwing around with Xavier’s Cerebo like it’s a toy, and it’s priceless.

Some folks reading this review, may have started feeling apprehensive after realising that a child character was a notable presence in the plot, but don’t worry! Russel is actually great, because the film explores how he is on a fine line between hero and villain, as he has a horrible bad temper that he struggles to control, but he also demonstrates an impressive overconfidence for his age. I also loved how unapologetic the film was about his dorkiness, both poking fun at him, and also embracing how endearingly nerdy he is.

Lastly, you maybe wondering is there’s anything in the credits to look forward to? PLEASE stay behind, because you’ll see one of the funniest mid-credits sequences ever, a sidesplitting montage that’ll make comic book fans cheer in joy, but sadly there’s no post-credits gags, which made my fellow audience members groan in disappointment together in unison haha.

To Conclude, Deadpool 2 is a blast to watch, a riveting series of laugh out loud comedy, intriguing philosophies on villainy, touching drama, and balls to the wall action. I’m sorry I didn’t go into too much detail, but I think you should check the film out for yourself to see where I’m coming from, because I didn’t want to ruin it for anyone. Just trust me when I say that it’s one of the funniest super hero films I have ever seen, and a terrific sequel to boot! My only problem with the film, is that it likes to encourage lessons of anti-racism, yet it also refuses to flesh out or even dignify some of it’s more ethnic characters, and this does make the film seem hypocritical.

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