The first Deadpool movie caught audiences off guard in 2016. Fans who knew the character from Marvel Comics didn’t think they’d be able to capture the raunchy, irreverent essence of Deadpool on the screen. And fans who weren’t familiar with the character, well, they were probably surprised in a different way.
So, is Deadpool 2 a worthy successor for the Merc with a Mouth? Does the addition of the X-Force make it a can’t miss comic book movie? The review embargo for the sequel has lifted, so we’ve rounded up some spoiler-free highlights from reviews around the web.
Kyle Anderson reviewed the film for Nerdist and says Deadpool 2 lands the humor, even if it falls flat elsewhere:
Deadpool 2 easily got over a dozen big belly laughs out of me. Brolin’s Cable looks great and when he and DP finally get a chance to do more than punch each other, it’s quite nice. Domino is the character I could have watched a ton more of, and I hope her role gets expanded in further films. If you’re a fan of X-Men-universe comics, it’s great to see these characters on the big screen doing what they do best. If the X- films are going to stand out from the MCU, keeping their edge is what they’ll need to do.
CBR‘s Meg Downey doesn’t think they combined tragedy and heavier topics well with Deadpool’s brand of schtick–which seems to be a common issue critics have with the film:
It’s clearly a stab at recreating grittier, more emotionally fraught origin story moments that Deadpool 1 certainly didn’t shy away from, but this time it feels like the movie is trying to punch way, way above its weight class. It gracelessly waffles back and forth between being a stark look at a superhero with failing mental health and a hyperviolent dick joke-filled romp but never pauses to say much about either of its identities — and neither of them do the other any favors.
Over at /Film, Josh Spiegel notes the plot is a threadbare frame on which to hang gags, and he doesn’t connect with them:
Reynolds is his typically fast-talking, glib self (for better or worse, he’d be a fine choice to take on the mantle of Chevy Chase’s Fletch). The humor in the film matches his pace and attitude, which makes the moments when Deadpool 2 reaches for genuine emotion all the more ridiculous and unbelievable. It’s rare that the humor works in this film — like an episode of Family Guy, this seems more dedicated to just overloading the script full of references, within or outside of the Marvel universe, than it is in attempting to be funny.
But what about Cable? US Weekly‘s Mara Reinstein comments on being “foggy on Cable’s origins and motives” and the film’s formula:
Action scene, joke, action scene, joke, action scene joke, action scene set to cheesy pop ballad, joke about said cheesy pop ballad. Director David Leitch (John Wick) strictly adheres to this clunky formula in hopes that audiences will be too busy guffawing at the salty humor to care about the repetition. For the most part, the film gets away with it.
Germain Lussier at io9 writes that Deadpool 2 tops the original and brings even funnier moments to the screen. He notes the swings between jokes and emotion are present, but it works for him:
A big emotional beat is almost always followed by something crazier than everything else you’ve seen before. A few of those tonal shifts don’t work, but for the most part, any time things go over the edge, they’re dragged right back, then pushed back again. Everything has a well-meaning balance.
If you’re into Deadpool for laughs rooted in pop culture references, Collider‘s Matt Goldberg says you’ll at least be satisfied with that aspect:
For the most part, Deadpool 2 is exactly the movie you want. It’s loaded up on reference humor, this time expanding to superhero movies including the DC Universe and Marvel. In a way, the movie is perfect for its time because it’s part of a conversation that fanboys are already having. It’s acutely aware of the popular trends in fan culture, but never goes deep enough to provide an insightful critique. There are jokes in here that people have been making for well over a year, but it’s funny to hear them in a major blockbuster because it also offers some kind of perverse validation.
IGN‘s Daniel Krupa finds the stakes “refreshingly low” since Wade’s not trying to save the universe but isn’t sure about Cable:
…it’s hard to get a real sense of the world Cable was born into or what his character is really about beyond his cliched presentation. Josh Brolin feels like a decent fit for the role – he has presence and does grizzled about as well as anyone – but little time is spent really digging into the character, or even doing something as basic as outlining what his abilities are.
Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly isn’t sure about the cartoon-like violence and more of the same:
It’s in Deadpool’s DNA to channel the wild id of a 12-year-old boy — a very clever one who happens to love boobs, Enya, and blowing stuff up. Which is dizzy fun for a while, like eating Twinkies on a Gravitron. Eventually, though, it just wears you out.
USA Today‘s Brian Truitt also makes a note of the “often-bloody violence” and how it has a”desensitizing effect,” but believes it gives Deadpool room to grow:
The original Deadpool two years ago masked its threadbare plot with puerile humor and the larger-than-life personality of star Ryan Reynolds’ motor-mouthed mercenary, while the sequel develops its crass title character and his rapidly expanding cast of supporting weirdos without sacrificing its “all bonkers, all the time†raison d’être.
Deadpool 2Â will be in theaters on May 18.
How do these reviews make you feel? Did you read any interesting thoughts in the movie? Sound off in the comments below (it’s what Deadpool would want you to do).
Images: Fox
More Deadpool shenanigans!
- 8 Cable comics you should check out.
- Deadpool does an interpretive dance in this Celine Dion video.
- Is there a secret cameo in Deadpool 2?
