Deadpool 2 review: Thanos and Green Lantern — Get a room boys!

Deadpool 2 has finally arrived and it’s just as silly, ridiculous, and profoundly self-aware as the first entry. But does the sequel try to accomplish way too much?

It’s been a few years since the first Deadpool but alas Wade Wilson is back to lampoon the hell out of everything Marvel related. The sequel is mostly what you would expect with crazy slapstick violence and so many references that make it worth rewatching. In addition, an even bigger budget and a better villain with Josh Brolin as Cable make for an even better film.  Not everything works though, and at times the movie feels like an overstuffed Chipotle burrito trying to hold itself together– but still delicious nonetheless.

Just a word of caution: There are spoilers in this if you haven’t watched the movie yet.

The new movie sees Wade Wilson going through some growing pains, which I will not spoil. Through a series of unfortunate events, he ends up meeting a young kid named Russell — played by Julian Dennison of Hunt for the Wilderpeople — who is an angry kid with the power of shooting fire from his hands. Russell in the future turns evil and somehow ends up killing the family of Cable. This causes Cable to enter Deadpool’s timeline to go back in the past and try to kill Russell before he becomes a monster. Needless to say, Terminator puns ensue.

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Just like he did with Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, Josh Brolin makes Cable a sympathetic character, rather than just a ruthless villain trying to kill a child. His subplot brings a nice balance to the humor giving the film some emotional investment. The writers even made Wade more sympathetic and grounded than you might expect. There’s a very unexpected emotional arc for Wade in this film that really catches you by surprise. The writers could’ve just made the film one big punchline but they did not, which is admirable.

The small problem with Deadpool 2 is that it tries to do what most sequels fall victim to– which is biting off more than it can chew. The first act of the film feels almost completely separate from the rest of the film, and it throws off the pacing once the second act goes in full swing. The first 20 minutes felt like a plot for an entire movie by itself, and I forgot the movie was about Cable until he showed up.

There are a number of Easter eggs and references that throw off the pacing at times as well. In various scenes, it feels like the movie comes to a screeching halt to throw in a gag, cameo, or even a Marvel reference. All this being said, this will not bother everyone and just like all comedies, the results may vary for most.

The action is far better than the first film thanks to the solid direction by David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde). Before he became a director, Leitch spent years doing stunt work on 80-plus films which really shows on-screen. This also made the humor and action beats flow more fluidly, and feel more balanced. If you were a fan of the chase sequence in the first film, the sequel has one that is even better.

I saw someone say that the sequel is like the “Family Guy of superhero movies,” and personally, this seems wrong. The film is more like the television show Archer than anything. The sequel might possess a ton of references like that of Family Guy, but it lacks the obnoxious non-sequitur humor that people complain about. Just like Archer, the jokes in Deadpool 2 roll out fast and quick. It’s basically machine gun comedy with the jokes shooting several rounds a second. Not everything lands, but when they do, they land hard in the laughter department.

Next: Will there be a Deadpool 3?

Deadpool 2  might be overstuffed but the whole experience is greater than the sum of its parts. It maintains the heart of the first entry while experimenting with other ideas that make it worth the ride. People don’t watch Deadpool to get a compelling superhero story or to think a lot. They go to watch Wade Wilson make jokes and poke fun at the superhero genre.

When will we ever have Thanos, Deadpool, and Celine Dion brought up in the same sentence again? Most likely never. For that reason alone this makes Deadpool 2 an absolute must-see during the era of comic book adaptations.

Also, stay for the credits because as stated here previously, it’s one of the best post-credit sequences to date.

Deadpool 2 is now in theaters.