(**1/2)
In the great pantheon of superhero movies, the original Deadpool (2016) took its rightful place among The Dark Knight, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Avengers: Endgame… It’s R-rated niche, visual splendor, graphic violence and potty mouth humor distinguished it. The generic Deadpool 2was a dump. Can Deadpool & Wolverine replicate the first one’s sleazy luster? Certainly, its rampant, filthy, graphic, gross, profane, overwritten dialogue is up to snuff. But curiously the action scenes in this action/comedy/sci-fi movie aren’t as good.
Actor/writer/producer Ryan Reynolds drolly spreads his warped sexual fantasies, traumatic childhood abuse disorder, pansexual-wishful thinking, violent tendencies, wet dreams, pop culture jabs and social observations all over the dialogue. E.g., at one point, as he threatens to complain to a higher source, he deadpans: “I have a black belt in Karen!” His very creative garbage pit of tongue-in-cheek (butt cheek) words, thoughts, phrases, sentences and projections provides the real fuel for this sequel. Reynolds’ Wade Wilson/Deadpool character spews that offensive BS non-stop, for 2h 7m (editors Dean Zimmerman, Shane Reid). So, for Avengers/X-Men fans who’re looking for fun, keep your ears open. The real party is in the freaky chatter.
Those looking for a storyline that’s even more genius than that of previous Marvel sagas, beware. That kind of innovation is not evident anywhere in this script’s long-winded narrative. Reynolds brilliant, demented mind, along with the dodgy brains of the scriptwriting team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick gets spread too thin. Too much time sarcastically breaking the 4th wall and bitching about Disney buying 20th Century Fox and merging two separate Marvel worlds. Too little time on inventive storytelling.
Deadpool (Reynolds) is adrift and licking the emotional wounds he suffers due to Avengers envy. As he looks for the remains of his old friend Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), armed forces sent by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), at the behest of TVA’s agent Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), try to bring him in to their headquarters. After auditioning many Wolverine-type clones, Deadpool hooks up with one drunkard (Jackman). Eventually the two reconstituted anti-superheroes learn that the TVA’s fiendish plot involves severing timelines using a Time Ripper device that could end the universe as they know it. The duo winds up in “The Void,” a chasm land run by the very devious and deadly Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin, The Crown). They have 72 hours to find a solution, or everything goes kaput.
The stale script leads all the characters towards a cataclysmic, world-be-gone, do-or-die ending. Marvel universe fans and the Comicon crowd will watch with bated breath. Action fans looking for next level originality in the genre won’t be impressed. Newbies may be mildly entertained. The throngs of Deadpool and Wolverine replicas and wannabes in the footage become an overused device. Adding supporting roles that border on character cameos—Elektra (Jennifer Garner), Blade (Wesley Snipes), Gambit (Tatum Channing) and others—seasons the soup. But not enough. Proving quantity is not a substitute for quality.
Tim Miller, a former commercial director, gave an arresting style to the first Deadpool. Director David Leitch’s work on Deadpool 2 looked like a hack job. Shawn Levy’s (Night at the Museum) direction of this chapter is somewhere in-between the two. He isn’t an auteur, like Miller. Yet he isn’t completely styleless like Leitch. This footage is kinetic. Lots of high-energy and mind-numbing fights that almost wear out their welcome. Slow motion and freeze frame are used accordingly. Blood spurts, limbs are lost, heads decapitated, hearts speared… It’s the cavalcade of midnight-movie violence fans expect. Not more.
Fight sequences between Deadpool and Wolverine aren’t that compelling because their bodies regenerate so fast, and you know neither will die during these skirmishes. So why bother? There isn’t one action scene that’s as memorable or mind blowing as the upstairs-downstairs-upstairs passage in the gorgeously photographed and stunt-choreographed John Wick: Chapter 4. That’s the new high-bar standard. Levy doesn’t come close. And oddly the most repulsive and humorous scenes are not the violent ones with the tricky stunts. It’s the ones in which a mangy little dog (Peggy, once dubbed “Britain’s Ugliest Dog”), with a tongue longer than Route 66, slobbers all over Deadpool’s face. Ugh. You’ll need PTSD therapy.
Visually all looks OK. Just OK. The netherworld called The Void posed a great chance for the production designer (Ray Chan), art directors (Victoria Allwood, Tim Blake), set decorator (Naomie Moore) and costume designers (Graham Churchyard, Mayes C. Rubeo) to set a time and place that would be wondrous and indelible. Instead, the colors look parched, the sets are bland and costumes too. Also, either the computer-generated images are way too soft, or the cinematography (George Richmond) failed to make these visions clear, vivid and color saturated. In George Miller’s recent Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the director and his amazing tech crew created worlds within worlds that were stunning and unforgettable. No setting, scenery or location in this film reaches that level.
The very impish Reynolds can deliver a biting remark, sexual innuendo, inflammatory dialogue and the most morose thoughts better than any other actor living today. He’s funny as f— and will always be, no matter how good or bad the movie. Jackman is his perfect foil and partner in complete debauchery. They have an undeniable chemistry. They’re the kind of guys who drink up all the liquor in a bar, close the place down and are still looking for a brawl after everyone else has gone home. Macfadyen, Jon Favreau and Morena Baccarin provide great backup support. Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Deadpool’s roommate, throws lots of shade and funny barbs his way. The cast’s comradery is never in question.
The only way this sequel will ever prove its worthiness to the OG Deadpool, and the other high-realm superhero movies, is if it makes a killing at the box office. Profits may redeem what it’s lacking in quality.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idh8n5XuYIA
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.