“You look like Freddy Kruger face-fucked a topographical map of Utah”. Damn, I forgot how good the trailer for the first Deadpool was. Superhero movies have always been hampered in my film-snob eyes by their formulaic dialogue, predictable storytelling, and shy production of scenes which very much rely on sex and violence.
Deadpool was a sublime riposte to the laziness that, in my eyes, had crept into superhero film making. The dialogue was sharp, and Ryan Reynolds was the most fitting superhero casting choice since Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man. The film also had fun with itself- not tackling societal issues with the obligatory, unenthusiastic heavy-handedness which Marvel has invested so heavily in as of late. Instead, it took a recognizable superhero character and put him against a Tarantino-esque splatter of blood and sex, enforcing the real sense of danger the protagonist feels, and providing long-awaited gusto to action sequences.
I’m sure that I will enjoy Deadpool 2 more than I even enjoyed the much-heralded Black Panther. However, I’m excited about this movie because of the first one- I want more of the same. And enough people want more of the same, otherwise they would not have made this movie. As much as I will buy that first-weekend ticket and live vicariously for two hours through Reynolds’ careless rampage, I know in my heart that the sequel isn’t going to be as good as the first movie.
The trailer features the introduction of a child of unspecified origin into the storyline, and Deadpool is prompted into saving him because of the unlikely appearance of a moral compass of some sort. This hints at a degree of alignment with the sequel trope of characters maturing: but what makes Deadpool loveable is his inherent immaturity. Overextending the introspection and morality of the film takes away from the indulgent experience viewers had with the first movie.
Dopinder, the dopey Indian cabbie who doubles up as Deadpool’s transportation, makes a predictable trailer return after his comedic relief set so much of the tone in the first film’s trailer. The thing is, we were seeing these jokes for the first time then, and they were juxtaposed against every other superhero movie, making them fresh. Now, they are set only against the last movie, and while the trailer is still admittedly funny, it isn’t building on anything conceptually from the first film. This inherently makes it a weaker work of art than the original. However, this is just a sub-three minute trailer: the actual product may well be a better crafted, more explosive flick than its predecessor, and I could be forced to eat my words.
Watch the new trailer below:
