Movie review: Deadpool 2
Ryan Reynolds has very big shoes to fill - his own.
The question on every Marvel fan's mind is: Will Deadpool 2, arriving three weeks after Avengers: Infinity War, be able to knock the Marvel juggernaut off the box-office chart?
The 2016 original was a financial and critical winner, earning over US$783 million (S$1.05 billion) worldwide, and became the highest-grossing X-Men film of all time. It even got two Golden Globe nominations.
Reynolds gives his all as the "Merc with a Mouth" anti-hero Wade Wilson, and the irreverent humour that made the first movie a hit is still there.
Ditto the action, (though with more gore, thanks to Leitch who did John Wick and Atomic Blonde) and X-Men snarking, specifically at Wolverine.
What's new this time is the formation of X-Force, Deadpool's version of the X-Men.
Who they are and what happens to them are for you to discover, but do look out for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo from someone famous.
Zazie Beetz also shines as Domino, a femme fatale whose superpower is being lucky.
Reynolds was instrumental in making Deadpool a success, and this time is no different.
His decision to cast 16-year-old newcomer Julian Dennison is spot-on. The Kiwi's role is pivotal, not only in terms of the story, but also because it is the debut of a plus-sized superhero.
The teen has many stand-out moments - both dramatic and comedic - as a mutant kid with fiery superpowers.
How Reynolds handpicked Dennison is interesting too - after seeing the teenager in Taika Waititi's 2016 hit Hunt For The Wilderpeople.
Reynolds got to know Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, when they co-starred in 2011's Green Lantern.
Having already captured a huge fan base as Thanos, Josh Brolin's turn as Cable, a Terminator-like mutant from the future, will definitely boost his movie superhero street cred.
His beefed-up baddie and Dennison steal the thunder from Reynolds, and that's great as Reynolds' wise-cracking shtick can get annoying after a while.
Stay for the closing credits. You won't regret it.
Ratings: 3/5
Movie reviews
TERMINAL (NC16)
Sexy, manipulative, crazy, dangerous, lethal... I am not describing Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn persona in Suicide Squad.
The Oscar-nominated Australian actress is playing someone similar in Terminal, sans skimpy costume and crazy make-up.
This neo-noir crime saga sees her as Annie, a mysterious waitress who gets tangled up with a dying English professor (Simon Pegg), two assassins (Max Irons and Dexter Fletcher) and a janitor (Mike Myers).
Credit goes to Robbie, who also serves as producer, on getting this film moving. She puts her chameleon-like quality to good use and is also in her element as a femme fatale.
The supporting cast is outstanding too, in particular Myers, who brings some mischief and humour.
Unfortunately, what drags Terminal down is its twisty plot, unconvincing storytelling and bad pacing.
It is plagued with inconsistencies, perhaps due to director Vaughn Stein's inexperience in his feature film debut. I was particularly annoyed by a scene in which there is a glaring mistake, which is repeated several times. - JOANNE SOH Rating: 2.5/5
HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES (NC16)
OPENS MAY 24
Set in suburban London in the 1970s, teenager Henry (Alex Sharp) and his two best friends stumble upon an alien gathering while searching for parties.
The aliens, who are preparing for a mysterious rite of passage, captivate the trio and Henry falls in love with one of them named Zan (Elle Fanning), who later leaves her colony.
The lovebirds' adventure of discovering punk culture is laced with a nice dose of quirkiness and humour.
The abstract graphics, evocative cinematography and rousing soundtrack add colour to the romcom, although multiple scenes of the teary-eyed cast come across as cheesy.
Director John Cameron Mitchell could have further developed the alien characters so viewers can better understand their ideologies and motivations.
Nicole Kidman does a decent job in her supporting role as wacky punk matriarch Boadicea and together with the key actors, compel us to empathise with their emotional struggles.
Overall, How To Talk To Girls At Parties is an intriguing tribute to punk rock and sci-fi. It is so weird that it is pretty good. - ANG TIAN TIAN Rating 3.5/5
Still showing
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Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90%
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Child actress Madison Wolfe delivers a powerful performance about a girl who escapes the realities of being a social outcast by protecting her hometown from giants.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 78%
Avengers: Infinity War (PG13)
The star-studded superhero epic is now the fifth highest grossing movie in the world, having made more than US$1.6 billion (S$2.1 billion) worldwide.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 84%
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Rotten Tomatoes rating: 14%
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This coming-of-age tale revolves around a teenager (Nick Robinson) who has to find the courage to come out of the closet and discover the identity of the anonymous classmate he has fallen for online.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%
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David Tennant and Robert Sheehan star in this thriller about two burglars who get more than what they bargained for when they break into a house they thought would be an easy score.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 53%
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