Deadpool 2 (2018)

Deadpool already used up every meta joke in the first film. What more can the second possibly do? David Leitch answered that question with more people, more explosions, and more self-reference. My rating is ★4.0. Not as fresh as the first, but there are still scenes that only this series can deliver.

What it’s about — The X-Force out to protect a boy

Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), after suffering a serious personal loss, accidentally meets a boy of immense power named Russell (Julian Dennison). Cable (Josh Brolin), arriving from the future, intends to eliminate Russell on the grounds that he will grow up to murder Cable’s family. Deadpool decides to protect the boy and forms the X-Force. The formation process is one of the film’s best scenes. If Deadpool 1 was a film that mocked the superhero genre itself, the second introduces time travel as a premise and begins mocking the series itself. The self-awareness still works because there is real emotion underneath it. There’s an attempt to both move you more and make you laugh more than the first — both exist side by side.

Direction — Action shaped by a former choreographer

David Leitch, of John Wick fame, handles this. The action’s rhythm is far more flashy and precise than the first film. The X-Force parachute scene is the funniest moment in this series, and the climactic confrontation with Cable has good momentum too. However, the emotional beats are longer and heavier than the first film, and the balance between comedy and emotion is somewhat more unsteady than before. Leitch is a director with a choreography background, and action scenes’ flow and rhythm are a particular strength. The first full confrontation between Cable and Deadpool shows a level of precision absent from the previous film. Thanks to this, the pure action film quality surpasses the earlier entry.

Performance — Reynolds, who’s become one with Deadpool

Ryan Reynolds has completely become one with Deadpool. The timing for being earnest while being funny, and suddenly being earnest while being funny, is accurate this time too. Josh Brolin’s Cable is a taciturn, expressionless character that forms a sharp contrast with Deadpool’s ebullience. Julian Dennison’s Russell brings new energy.

What the film says — Loss hidden beneath the meta humor

If the first film was a meta comedy about the genre itself, the second wraps a story about family and loss in its exterior. Understanding why Deadpool wants to protect Russell, and where that resolve comes from, changes how the film’s second half reads. The attempt to carry sincerity within a flood of meta humor is this series’ unusual dimension.

Ratings & reception

IMDb score is 7.6. Rotten Tomatoes freshness is 83%. It maintains a TMDB score around 7.5, and has established itself as the most consistently well-reviewed Marvel film outside the MCU.

What doesn’t work

The freshness of the first film is absent. Watching while already knowing all the meta humor creates fatigue from self-reference. The emotional portion in the middle is longer than expected and disrupts the comedy rhythm. Additionally, the X-Force’s brief appearance and exit — however comedically intentional — can feel like wasted characters.

Verdict

A repetition of the first film, but a case where repetition isn’t bad. The X-Force parachute scene alone made going to the cinema worthwhile. For fans of the Deadpool character, it won’t disappoint this time either. After release in 2018, a longer Super Duper Cut was released, approximately fifteen minutes longer than the theatrical version. Josh Brolin as Cable also appeared as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War the same year — leaving the unusual record of playing two massive characters in two Marvel productions within one year. The series would later join the MCU proper with Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). ★4.0.

Recommended for

• Those who enjoyed Deadpool 1
• Fans of meta comedy that parodies the superhero genre
• Those who enjoy Ryan Reynolds’s sense of humor