Deadpool 2 (aka the VPD's longest vacation, part 2)
with Ryan Reynolds. Lots and lots and lots of Ryan Reynolds. And then more Ryan Reynolds. And Josh Brolin, who barely contains his disgust at being in this movie.
The horribly scarred, functionally immortal hitman and relentless motormouth Wade Wilson aka Deadpool continues his r-rated adventures. This time, he's a bit brought down with the death of his beloved girlfriend Vanessa at the hands of one of his almost-targets. Being invulnerable has its downside when you're suicidal and not even exploding apartments or Kentucky-frying entire city blocks will end your misery. Or the misery of those around you who have to listen to you moan and carp at everyone. Nevertheless, loyal friend Colossus and snide non-friend Negasonic Teenage Warhead (worst name ever, btw) of the X-Men are there to nurse Mr. Pool back to health and purpose. They even give him X-Man Trainee status...which doesn't end well on his first mission. Deadpool and the kid from his royally boned mission are sent to the mutant prison The Icebox, located conveniently in the North Shore mountains. With collars that neutralize their powers, Deadpool's abilities are now looking horrible and once again dying of cancer, but the kid still wants to be his buddy. Sorry kid; he's feeling too sorry for himself to be there for anyone. But wait...what's that explosion in the wall? That's just Cable (a pumped-up Josh Brolin); time-travelling cyborg super-soldier from the future, and he's here to kill...the kid? Wait, what? This is enough to snap Wade out of his funk, and Deadpool versus Cable banter and bloody combat commences. Hey...who's in the basement...? And who's really going to be the villain? Watch be reasonably entertained, though I suspect the closer you are to your teenage years, the more fun you'll have.
A step up and forward from the first one. The characters are free of the tedious origin movie stuff, so they can have more fun. Reynolds is clearly having a blast making serious bank while continuing to refine the character (and who wouldn't?). There are fewer and less obtrusive 4th wall breaks, and I thought the humour was less juvenile than the 1st one...though still pretty juvenile. Pop culture references abound, self-referential asides continue, and lots of people get sliced, diced, shot, stabbed, run over, and blown up. Deadpool's briefly formed X Force runs into some problems with wind during skydiving, leading to one of the movie's biggest laughs. Vancouver once again takes a beating as various bridges collapse, the downtown core is reduced to a smoldering crater of car wrecks and body parts, and the cops are all still on their extended coffee break. Still, if there's one superhero we can claim as our own, I'm glad it's this one.
Even if he's still annoying as absolute f***.
