Deadpool kills superhero clichés

Deadpool kills superhero clichés

Review: Deadpool 2
Directed by David Leitch
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz, Terry Crews, and Julian Dennison

In a year saturated with superhero films, Deadpool 2 stands out for skewering the conventions of its own genre.

As with the first film, the merc’ with a mouth breaks the fourth wall, talking directly to the audience and making references throughout to the piece’s “lazy writing.” It’s an interesting trick, as the same studio to flood the market with so many superhero films has also made a blockbuster title making fun of this genre.

The plot revolves around a time traveller named Cable, who aims to kill a young mutant child named Russell before he can go on to become a murderer. To protect Russell, and hopefully prevent him from ever killing, Deadpool forms his own new team, X-Force. The concept of redemption, then, is core to the story.      

Of course, as with the prior film, Deadpool 2 comes with a content warning. As well as coarse language and sexual references, the film is one of the most violent superhero movies ever. Anyone likely to be offended by these kind of references would be better off giving Deadpool 2 a wide berth, and the film is definitely unsuitable for children.

None of this, however, is to suggest that Deadpool 2 is without merit and it is worth looking past these elements to its core message, which is surprisingly wholesome in its way.

The additional details in the many Easter eggs is what makes Deadpool 2 one of the better Sony Marvel films. From jokes about the way that controversial Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld draws, to cameos from obscure characters, there is plenty of fan service to go around.

As with any of these films, it’s advisable to stick around during the mid-credits sequence for additional scenes.

Jonathan Foye is Insights’ Editor

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1 thought on “Deadpool kills superhero clichés”

  1. As a Christian, I am highly offended that this movie got reviewed in such a well-regarded publication.

    Now that we’ve got the obligatory eyeroll over and done with…

    Well done on tackling something that is well outside the cookie-cutter Christian mold. Deadpool the first was a breath of fresh air when it came around, and this time I would expect nothing less than Mr. Pool to ask someone to hold his beer as he went to blow the expectations he himself set with his previous outing.

    Deadpool is a redemption story. It’s a Christian story. He may just be the antihero those of us who feel like outliers need as a role model to aspire to, but never to emulate. Unless it’s at SoD over Cards Against Humanity.

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