I HATE sequels.
Actually, I don’t actually loathe them as most of these “continuations” are pushed out the studio door looking rushed, tardy or show up as
incomplete rubbish.
Then again there are the sequel “superstars.”
One of the best “original vs sequel” was the original “Alien” (1979) which was both technically amazing and terrifying. I actually barfed up my popcorn onto the head of a very pretty young college student when I first saw the “alien chestburster” and then you had James Cameron (“Avatar”) and his far
superior “Aliens” (1986) which pushed the movie franchise “light years” forward with the arrival of the “Queen” Alien.
For a proper sequel to work, it needs to significantly move the major characters onward, with a strong field of both depth and breadth of the character whenever possible.
You will find both in this continuation of the manic antics of Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) in “Deadpool 2,” the third time Reynolds has brought Mr. Wilson onto the silver screen.
Third time, you say?
You may be asking if I have sucked down too many caffeinated colas?
Isn’t this a direct sequel to the original “Deadpool” of 2016, making this number “deux”?
Au contraire, Dear Reader as we cannot forget Mr. Wilson’s short-lived appearance in the ill-fated “X-Men
Origins Wolverine” in 2009.
Thought I forgot about that one, didn’t ya?
However you slice it, Deadpool is back with the same, and not so same, cast of characters which bolted this mutant anti-hero into superstardom. It also helps when the first “Deadpool” film dragged in more than $783 million at the global box office on a mere $58 million production budget.
This sequel was … inevitable.
One thing about Wilson’s Deadpool … even after a two year absence, is that he still doesn’t know how to shut the heck up.
Yackety – Yackety – Yackety – this guy is worse than Warner Bros. cartoon rooster Foghorn Leghorn!
Actually, there are tidbits hints from the first “Deadpool” film that gives away the direction of this updated version: To save the life of his main squeeze gal pal, Wilson made a commitment to working closer with the X-Men and he certainly does that here.
Just think of him as an X-Men “trainee.”
The terrific (and ageless) Leslie Uggams is back as Blind Al, Wilson’s landlady; Morena Baccarin as Wilson’s lady-love, the uber-sexy Vanessa and T.J. Wilson as the bartending (and Wilson’s best buddy), Weasel.
As far as the X-Men is concerned, the Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and the indestructible, armored Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic) also leap back into action with several never before seen mutants, include Bedlam (Terry Crews), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) and Domino (Zazie Beetz) when taken en masse, Deadpool creates a new mutant fighting team: X-Force.
Add to the mix is the time-traveling mutant known only as Cable, played by the stone-faced Josh Brolin, (Thanos from the currently running “Avengers: Infinity War”) who arrives on the scene to rescue.
Sorry but after my recent review of the latest Avengers flick, this film critic is plum out of spoilers!
Suffice to say that Cable beams himself down from the future and all Hades comes along with him during his voyage to present day as he runs smack dab into … guess, who?
Ryan Reynolds is more than up to this sequel’s challenges as the slap-happy Deadpool. You can shoot him in the face or cut off more than one useful body part and Deadpool just keeps on coming.
I didn’t keep a running score in this film but in the original “Deadpool,” the total body count reached 55 with Wilson killing 42 and both Colossus and the Negasonic Teenage Warhead each racking up two of the bad guys.
Gee whiz, isn’t all that maiming, bone-crushing and head banging a lovely, positive, thought-provoking thought?
The current body count is ever higher in this Marvel-derivative sequel—even with the upcoming purchase of 20th Century Fox to the family-friendly Disney which will bring Deadpool into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, two years from now.
Deadpool—be it the original or this “continuation”—is irreverent, sassy, crude and uber-violent.
Oh yes, the profanity rises (or descends) to a new level.
Just saying.
Park all children under the age of 17 with a parent or guardian at the door as no responsible parent would EVER allow a minor child/teenager to walk into a darkened theater and watch this movie.
Yes, Deadpool is back—completely rude, crude and inappropriate—but loads of summer fun for most of the Filipino family.
Questions, comments or travel suggestions, write me at theruffolos@readingruffolos.com