
Melbourne
March 29-30, 2025
Melbourne Showgrounds
Written by Mark Beresford
In a month where the two highest grossing cinema franchises of all time are dropping titles onto screens with Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story, it’s hard to believe that the movie that once struggled to even get green-lit by a studio is not only wedging its sequel right in-between, but actually feels more highly anticipated than both in many ways.
Deadpool rocketed past expectations when it hit in 2016. The twisted humour and ultra-violence not only provided a pivotal benchmark for adult classification in superhero flicks but gave the rare achievement of pleasing fans as well as introducing Wade Wilson to a new audience.
Deadpool 2 focuses on a natural expansion of the world created in the first set to a single main event, keeping its eye set firmly on remembering the quirks of what makes the characters and story so appealing. With a plot that could be surmised on the back of a postage stamp (or with a Terminator poster), there’s instead a doubling down on action and irreverence that fills out the screen which uses that simplicity to full advantage while still generating a care and investment for a tale in a heartfelt way.
There’s little arguing now that Ryan Reynolds and Wade Wilson are essentially the same person, throughout both movies their characters weave into one-liners and this sequel only strengthens that bond. Reynolds has a clear love for the merc with a mouth and it’s doubtful that anyone else would be able to come close to the punchy comedy delivery perfectly landed by the red-suited hero.
One of the bigger surprises is how strongly the film’s new additions made their roles be known. Josh Brolin is dead centre for the complexly driven and menacing Cable whilst Zazie Beetz strikes a potential scene-stealer in her portrayal of the plucky Domino who has a brilliant representation of her superpower alongside.
Disappointingly, it’s New Zealander Julian Dennison who doesn’t quite break through this time, playing troubled orphan Firefist (or Russell); his dialogue and character feel more like a semi-committed Ricky Baker from the film’s writers in comparison to his Taika Waititi written role.
The big question remains, is it as good as the first? Well, in ways, yes, and in other ways, it’s actually better.
Deadpool 2 has endless laugh out loud moments and floods every frame with blink and you’ll miss it callbacks and references to not just the Deadpool world but to the fourth wall breaking meta humour we’ve come to expect, so much so it’s likely you won’t even come close spotting them all in the first viewing.
Decidedly pushing the boundaries of the film even further this time, it swerves around the cringe comedy pitfalls and obvious targets and lands directly onto striking commentary of its superhero brethren and films associates at large. Stepping the action sequences up to ten, they polka along a fine line of creating an exciting and striking visual scene that work on their own but in ways end up also as a commentary on action movies and sequences as a whole, continuing that Deadpool theme of everything having a tongue planted firmly in cheek at all times.
There’s so little to dislike about Deadpool 2 that even the minor misses the film may have feel completely insignificant in comparison to the hilarity and fun of the film’s back of the class cynicism and quick punches. This is a sequel that will certainly take more than one watch to soak up; luckily, it’ll also have no problems keeping you wanting to watch it again anyway.
Deadpool 2 is in cinemas now.
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