Deadpool 2

I never read Deadpool. I watched the first movie with a “let’s see what all the fuss is about” mentality, and I did not discover an answer. It wasn’t bad, but I found the humor to be monotone, and the stylistic choices to not be the revolutionary, groundbreaking ideas his fans think they are. It was fine, but it was also enough for me to get the picture. With Disney now incorporating Deadpool into the MCU, I figured we should probably watch this so that, when we get around to Deadpool & Wolverine, we’d have the complete picture. I didn’t expect much more than more of the same, and I was tired of that by the end of DP1. I was surprised to discover that DP2 is an improvement on the first one. This is largely because they actually bothered with a story and a character arc for Deadpool. Doing this — giving Deadpool a reason to do what he does, and lessons to learn — gives the movie a beating heart. No longer was it two hours of toilet humor and fourth wall breaking. With more freedom to tell a story, it also allows more time for the jokes to develop and land better. It also shows a better knowledge of how to apply other styles of humor and not just rely on sophomoric sex jokes. The X-Force scene is a great example of this. Do I get why Deadpool is this beloved character now? No, sorry, he’s still not a character whose cult I understand. Nothing he does — the humor, the meta aspect — is new or unique. The movie’s inciting incident relegates Morena Baccarin to a glorified cameo, and her ability to go toe to toe with Deadpool is tangibly missing. Ditto characters from the first movie like Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Her disdain for Deadpool is enjoyable, and that element is lacking. Despite all odds, I found myself enjoying DP2 more than I expected. I will never count myself among his rabid fans, but I can at least say I don’t feel obligated to go into the third movie for MCU reasons. It now seems like a movie I’ll enjoy.