‘Deadpool 2’ REVIEW: The X-Force is strong in this one

It’s kind of weird when an actor in one universe appears in another, or in Josh Brolin’s case, when an actor in one universe appears as a different character in the same universe. Has the galaxy that is Hollywood run out of weathered, monosyllabic, muscular, undefeatable types? Was Ron Perlman unavailable? Perlman did mention in a Cinemablend story that he thinks he was born to play Cable. Unfortunately for the guy, Thanos has all the Infinity Stones and can pretty much do anything he wants.

In 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool 2, Brolin, who nailed the role of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, also plays Nathan Summers a.k.a. Cable, a telepathic mutant from the future — and he wants to kill a kid. You can count on Brolin to deliver the kind of determination and lack of empathy required from such a character, heck, he’s done it before. But, in both cases, and in spite of shortage of dialogue, Brolin pulls through as more than a caricature, with or without the fancy backstory.

Deadpool 2 is the film debut of X-Force, a very different version of the super group from the X-Men comics. We’ve seen this from the trailer, which showed Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool leading the team instead of Cable, Terry Crews of White Chicks fame, and African-American Domino, played by Zazie Beetz. Comedian Rob Delaney and IT’s Bill Skarsgard were also with the crew. And while we tried desperately to guess who played whom, in the back of our minds we knew trailers of superhero films are created for the sole purpose of throwing us off. Fans can expect no less from the Deadpool 2 — that, and being consistent.

“Breaking the fourth wall” is what made the first Deadpool film fresh. Reynolds does that better than that guy who is no longer in House of Cards. Deadpool 2 is just as self-aware. References and body parts are thrown around in equal measure. Meta jokes and jabs at DC aside, it positions itself, through Wade Wilson’s narration, as a family film and banks on the mutant-looking-for-a-place-to-belong storyline. That mutant looking for a place to belong is Russel Collins, a kid who can shoot fireballs with his hands, played by Kiwi actor Julian Dennison.

Collins is also the kid that Cable wants to kill, and unlikely hero Deadpool wants to stop him. Without giving anything away, Deadpool forms his own team to save the boy. The film introduces the new team of mutants, the X-Force, a less morally upright version of the X-Men that will reportedly have its own spin-off. If the X-Force movie does better than Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.’, not Arrow’s, because CW’s was so much more badass even without the bells and whistles, obviously), that means more screen time for the crew, including Cable, who is reportedly up for four appearances in the franchise.

Was the movie successful in getting an emotional response from the audience? If disgust is an emotion, then, yes. It’s what the film was going for anyway. When you feel like you’re starting to get “allergies” in a pollen-free movie theater, you know a punchline is coming. Deadpool the movie is a lot like Deadpool the character — a jackass with a heart. Sort of. He didn’t have one at one point, a heart. But anyway….

With Deadpool being the biggest R-rated movie of all time, grossing $783.1 million worldwide, expectations of the sequel are high. Will it earn the big bucks? Will it be as graphic? Will it be just as ridiculously goofy? This we know for sure: Deadpool 2 is just what the doctor ordered after Infinity War — The Notebook of superhero movies. Plus, it’s the gateway to future X-Force films. If you plan on seeing those, you have to see this one.