WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
With watching Deadpool 2 opening weekend, I was excited to indulge in yet again another superhero film this Summer. Being a huge fan of Deadpool and its ability to break boundaries in terms of storytelling, I knew Deadpool 2 would not fall short of its predecessor. The film started with a graphic Montage of Deadpool kicking ass, decapitating arms and heads from large criminals throughout the world. Much like its first installment, Deadpool spoke to the audience in a way where we were fighting crime with him.
Ryan Reynolds was magnifying, hilarious, I found myself clutching my stomach screaming “What the f**k is actually going on.” Its shock factor fueled many of its comedic moments. The entire film was comedic relief overload. Despite this comedy, Deadpool 2 did an excellent job in transitioning into serious scenes with a small hint of sarcasm. We see Deadpool develop and his internal battle is filled with comedy as a defense mechanism. However, I do wish Deadpool can develop a character without them stuffing Vanessa into a big fat refrigerator.
I believe with my hypercritical personality, there were many things I absolutely LOVED and absolutely DID NOT LOVE about Deadpool 2.
What I hated:
Like many comic book adaptations, Deadpool 2 fell into a common trope in comic book storytelling. Sticking Vanessa into a refrigerator throughout the entire film in order to push forward Deadpool’s heroic action, they killed Vanessa within the first twenty minutes of the film. I remember looking directly at my boyfriend during this part and whispered, “You have to be kidding me.”
This trope of Women in Refrigerators was coined by Gail Simone. This theme is a criticism of how comic book writers often put women in positions of suffering (killing, injury) as a charging plot device. With Vanessa being killed, Deadpool was able to find the place where he belonged or his overall duty in life. The creators of Deadpool were immediately called out for this plot device and claimed to be unaware of Simone's criticism. However, they soon apologized and gave a heavy explanation as to why they felt Vanessa's death was necessary.
They claimed Deadpool works best when he is suffering, however, I believe there were other routes they could have taken without killing off Vanessa within the first couple of moments of the film. Not only was this theme seen in Vanessa's character, the anti-villain Cable’s journey was fueled by the death of his daughter and wife. Yet again, his wife and daughter were stuffed into a refrigerator to fuel Cable’s actions. Although many do not notice common themes and tropes, I believe it is not only enlightening but necessary to analyze everything we decide to enjoy.
Also, the plot seemed incredibly familiar. Cable went back in time to prevent a mutant named Russell from going down a bad path of revenge that inevitably leads Russel into turning into a vindictive killing machine killing Cable's family in the process. Cable went back in time to kill Russell but was stopped by Deadpool as Deadpool wanted to save Russell from a life of hatred, and promised Cable to take care of Russell to prevent this path from happening. This back in time tactic as a means to prevent catastrophe in the future reminded me of a previous Xmen installment. More specifically, X Men: Days of Future Past follows a similar plot. For example, Wolverine goes back in time to save Raven from a vengeful path towards Bolivar Trask. This does expand on how repetitive some comic arcs can be.
What I loved:
One word, DOMINO. Domino was the highlight of the entire film. I did enjoy their development as Domino. Although Deadpool kept throwing jabs at her confusing superpower (being lucky), she still was able to survive X-Force's deadly landing and not get stuck in the grips of Juggernaut. Zazie Beetz was badass, magnetic, and the only reliable member on X force. As a badass woman of color, Zazie Beetz’s portrayal of Domino was absolutely necessary. In the comics, Domino is depicted with white skin and black hair. I believe Deadpool 2 did an excellent job in casting Zazie Beetz’s for this role.
Deadpool’s death scene towards the end of the film was absolutely hilarious. With the comical zoom in of a seemingly dying Deadpool, Deadpool said his goodbye’s about three times. This serious moment was made light with Ryan Reynolds being incredibly creative in his role.
Deadpool 2 also did an excellent job in its shock factor. When all the members of Deadpool’s dysfunctional theme jumped out the plane to battle with Cable, every single member died a random and shocking death. With Domino being lucky, she was the only one who survived.
Overall, Deadpool 2 was not disappointing. It was a fun film to watch because it was nonstop laughter. My absolute favorite part of the film was its clever post-credit scenes. With Deadpool using Cable's time-traveling device, he was able to go back in time and fix fan issues that have come up during filming. For example, Deadpool went back in time to kill Ryan Reynolds before he signed on to film Green Lantern.
I remembered bursting into tears of laughter. I praise Deadpool for its inclusivity amongst its characters.I hope for their next installment, they refrain from used plots and stereotypes in its characters. I believe this can ensure a higher rating with critics and an even bigger pull in the box office.
