Deadpool 2 Pulled No Comedic Punches

(SPOILERS AHEAD!)

Deadpool 2 is a movie that left me in an odd state. Before it came out, I was watching the heck out of Deadpool 2’s promotional content. I was so excited for Peter: he made me cackle with laughter.

And, so, with that in mind, while I think it was rather clever for the movie to turn around and kick anyone who saw the trailer where the sun doesn’t shine, it ultimately marred what should have been a fun movie for me.

Like, I get I’m the same guy who writes horror stories on this website, but, watching Peter try to save Zeitgeist as he was halfway into a wood chipper was so horrific, so disturbing, that my mouth hung open and it took me entirely out of the movie.

I felt sick.

And, it’s an awkward situation and event to happen, because, otherwise, Deadpool 2 was quite funny, and clever—and made me laugh. But it’s not possible to give a glowing endorsement when I had to recover from shocked horror mid-way through a comedy movie. It is, however, a glowing endorsement, and a testament to the strength of the comedy, that I did recover. While humor is subjective, Deadpool 2 achieves mass-successfulness through variation. Sure, I’m not one to find butt jokes, goofy swears, and that scene with Deadpool’s baby legs all that funny, but, the “no more speaking lines” gag and that whole repeated-false-deaths-that-go-on-for-way-too-long thing was infinitely amusing. Visual gags, audio jokes, movie references, meta-humor, and even soundtrack tricks, all blend to make sure that Deadpool 2 could feasibly make anyone laugh at least once during its runtime.

Oh, Deadpool 2, I Just Can’t Stay Mad At You

And credit where credit is due, beyond the general writing, Ryan Reynolds sells this movie hard. He is game for anything, apparently, and commits to the character to the level I accept every line coming out his mouth—even the duds. Nothing is strange or jarring unless it’s meant to be. He may be the perfect actor for Deadpool.

But, he’s not the only one doing a great job. The main cast is good all around. Cable is fun, somewhat multi-dimensional, and the requisite amount of threatening. Firefist appears just the right level of naïve, childlike, yet emotionally damaged.

And then there’s Domino: the best character.

Domino Wins All Her Scenes In Deadpool 2

Her power set is awesome, funny, and something I wish I had, but, the true brilliance of Domino is in Zazie Beetz’s performance. Next time you watch Deadpool 2, pay attention to how she acts in every scene. She is laid-back, calm, and so self-assured. Which makes sense. If you, always, lucked out, how or when would you ever be worried? Sure, Deadpool is our focused-on character—because it’s his story—but Domino is the perfect side-character. Deadpool can’t die, so he can constantly be the punching bag while Domino “lucks” around issues.

It’s a dynamic straight out of cartoons, and I want to see so much more of it.

And that finalizes my opinion on the movie. Yeah, I’m still messed-up from seeing “Sugar Bear” getting hit with acid, but, the rest of the jokes, the sheer gall of that scene from a marketing and trailer standpoint, and the best after-credit scene in all of Marvel, easily, cause me to give it two thumbs up as a critic.

And makes me excited for what’s coming.

The team-up of Firefist, Domino, Cable, and Deadpool in whatever situation they throw them into will be awesome.

I’m down for that madness.

In the meantime, Deadpool 2 is a goofy, edged romp that will help us all stave off the looming threat of “superhero fatigue” for a little longer.

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