Deadpool 2 has the unenviable task of following a film whose success was built almost entirely on the element of surprise, and it responds to that challenge with characteristic self-awareness: it knows it cannot replicate the shock of the original, so it tries to do something different instead. David Leitch, replacing Tim Miller, brings a more polished action sensibility to the material and an emotional ambition that the first film only gestured toward. The result is a sequel that is in some respects better than its predecessor and in others messier, a film of real highs and real lows that never quite coheres into the sum of its parts.
At a Glance
Director: David Leitch
Runtime: 119 minutes
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand
Release: 2018
Critics Rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5 stars, a messier but more emotionally ambitious sequel)
Audience Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 stars, bigger, bolder, and worth the ride)
Review Breakdown
Plot
Wade Wilson is living his best mercenary life when a tragedy forces him to confront questions of purpose and family. When a young mutant named Russell Collins becomes the target of Cable, a time-travelling soldier from a dystopian future, Deadpool finds himself in the unlikely position of protector. The X-Force sequence, in which Deadpool assembles a team of heroes who are almost immediately and catastrophically killed, is one of the funniest extended gags in the franchise's history. The film's structural weakness is its pacing, which is uneven in its middle section, and a climax that resolves its emotional weight through a time-travel device that is funny in execution but somewhat deflating in its implications.
Characters
Reynolds is as committed and as funny as ever, but the sequel gives him emotional material to work with that the first film largely avoided. Josh Brolin's Cable is the film's most valuable addition, a straight-faced, humourless soldier whose absolute seriousness is the perfect foil for Deadpool's anarchic energy, and Brolin plays the dynamic with a deadpan conviction that makes every scene they share a pleasure. Julian Dennison is excellent as Russell, finding the character's anger and vulnerability with a naturalism that makes him the film's most sympathetic presence. Zazie Beetz's Domino is a delight, a character whose power is used with real comic and action inventiveness and whose screen presence suggests a character the franchise would be wise to develop further. The X-Force cameos are perfectly cast, with Brad Pitt's blink-and-you-miss-it appearance as Vanisher one of the film's most purely joyful moments.
Tone
Leitch maintains the irreverent, fourth-wall-breaking register of the original while pushing the emotional stakes higher. The film is funnier in places than its predecessor and less consistently funny overall. The tonal shifts between grief and broad comedy are more pronounced here, and the film does not always navigate them with the precision that the original managed. When it works, it works brilliantly; when it does not, the seams show.
Meaning / Themes
Deadpool 2 is, beneath its comedy, a film about found family and the lengths to which people will go to protect those they love. The theme is handled with more sincerity than the genre typically manages, and Dennison's Russell gives it a specific human face that prevents it from remaining abstract. The time-travel resolution is the film's one significant thematic miscalculation, undoing consequences that the story had earned and suggesting that the film was not quite willing to commit to the dramatic weight it had been building.
Direction
Leitch brings a more polished and kinetic action sensibility to the material than Miller, and the film's set-pieces are generally more impressive than those of its predecessor. The convoy sequence is a particular highlight, staged with physical clarity and inventiveness that demonstrates what a director of his calibre can do with the material. The X-Force skydiving sequence is staged with a comic precision that makes its escalating catastrophe feel both inevitable and surprising. The climax resolves the film's dramatic tensions through time travel in ways that are funny but undercut the weight of what has come before, a structural choice that is the film's most consequential misstep.
Cultural Reception
Deadpool 2 received strong reviews on its release and was a major commercial success. Critics praised Brolin's performance, Beetz's star-making turn as Domino, and the X-Force sequence as a standout comic set-piece, while noting the uneven pacing and the time-travel resolution's thematic deflation. It is now regarded as a worthy if imperfect sequel that demonstrated the franchise's capacity for emotional ambition while confirming that the element of surprise was an irreplaceable part of the original's appeal. The Super Duper Cut, released on home video with additional footage, is generally regarded as the superior version of the film.
Final Verdict: A very good sequel that is messier and more emotionally ambitious than its predecessor, with a stronger villain, a more interesting supporting cast, and action sequences that demonstrate what a director of Leitch's quality can do with the material. Reynolds is as committed as ever, Brolin and Beetz are excellent additions, and the convoy sequence stands as the film's action highlight. Better in parts than the original, less perfectly calibrated as a whole.