After heavy hitters like Black Panther and Infinity War over the past few months, Deadpool 2 was a much-needed breather for the audience.
Marvel is no stranger to humour but Deadpool has the kind of humour where no one is safe from it, not even the movie itself. With too many witty remarks to choose from, the movie thrives on its lead’s inability to die. It charms the plot by using this to dig the humour deeper, playing on puns, mocking the usual tropes and breaking the fourth wall to slam the audiences with sheer entertainment. Deadpool has its sombre moments but never takes itself too seriously. When it’s sombre, it takes a jab at the hero’s inability to die.
Deadpool’s friend Al tells him, “You can’t live if you don’t die a little.” Deadpool 2 takes the philosophy to heart. A franchise built on never-ending snark throws its superhero into emotional turmoil 5 minutes into the movie. Fiancée Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) are reunited but not for long. The story then forces a near-suicidal Deadpool into understanding his heart to save lives both in the present and the future. He is joined by a league of superheroes (or close enough) including Cable (Josh Brolin), a time travelling cybernetic mutant soldier and Domino (Zazie Beetz), a mutant whose superpower is luck. The mission is to either save or stop a 14-year-old mutant, Russell/Firefist (Julian Dennison), who wants revenge for years of torture.
Director David Leitch (John Wick and Atomic Blonde) takes up the strengths of the first one and webs them within better emotional appeal in Deadpool 2. The entire cast is diverse and refreshing but Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) especially seems to be tailor-made for his role. The movie doesn’t limit the characters within any usual tropes and the joy of his performance bears witness to that. And behind all that allure, the film’s sound and music mesh perfectly with the dramatic sequences and mocking overtones.
Deadpool 2 is a one-man monologue in an insufferable universe and his antics seem to spread like an infection to the rest of the members. Everything and everyone within it is in a state of constant collision. But while it plays the same old game with new rules, or rather no rules, it can be tiring underneath it all. The movie sneers at the tried and dried but it isn’t trying to be all that different. The relentless self-mockery covers for a commonplace plot and pretty ambiguous rules guiding its mechanics.
At the end of the day, Deadpool 2 is a rare comic reprieve. It’s gorier than ever, and more self-aware. Definitely worth the price of admission.
Deadpool 2 is in theatres now.
