Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Deadpool 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 22, 2018

If the ineffable charm of Ryan Reynolds can help lift a property as questionable as even the recently reviewed National Lampoon's Van Wilder 4K, that may be an indication both of how powerful Reynolds’ charm is, as well as how low the bar can be set in terms of the dreck he’s sometimes found himself in. Deadpool 2 may not have quite the kick of Deadpool, but it easily tops the “quality bar” alluded to above, offering another pretty raucous assortment of hilarity, “meta” pronouncements, and adrenaline pumping action sequences. The film is bookended with two laugh out loud references to Logan, with Reynolds’ Wade Wilson initially lambasting the “hairy” Marvel superhero for riding Deadpool’s coattails, and then, in a series of just jaw droppingly funny vignettes interspersed as the closing credits begin, returning to confront Wolverine again (more than once in a way, but that won’t be spoiled here). In between these highly amusing moments, Deadpool 2 traffics in the usual fare of superhero films, with Wade dealing with an unexpected tragedy which throws him into a tailspin, only to rebound (more or less, anyway) as a “trainee” with the now politically correct renamed X-Force.

One of the chief plot points of Logan is used to both comedic and dramatic effect in Deadpool, but for those who have yet to see either of these films, without overtly detailing things, let’s just say that even superheroes have to “ride off into the sunset” someday. That may seem like an “impossibility” for Wade, who is of course gifted (cursed?) with near miraculous healing powers, but Deadpool 2, despite what Deadpool refers to in just one of many fourth wall breaking moments as “lazy writing” on the part the scenarists (which includes Reynolds, by the way), crafts a conceit whereby mutants who have been incarcerated are outfitted with a little “necklace” that short circuits any “superpower” proclivities they may have.

Deadpool is encumbered with just such a disabling device only after he’s marauded through a bevy of bad guys (the film has a good fifteen minute prelude before the opening credits), which in turns leads to the central tragedy of the film. With his life in a tailspin, Deadpool attempts to “one up” Logan (in a manner of speaking), which then leads to him being rescued (again in a manner of speaking) by Colossus. There’s the cheeky humor typical of this still nascent franchise bubbling just underneath some already fairly dark material, but the upshot of it all is that Deadpool manages to heal emotionally, at least a little bit, by forging a new “family” with various mutants.

His new status as a “trainee” with the X-Men, er, X-Force leads him to a showdown with an out of control young mutant named Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), who insists he be called Firefist, which may give a clue as to his particular superpower. Russell had been a “resident” (inmate?) at a “reeducation center” run by the martinet zealot headmaster (Eddie Marsan), and he’s none too happy about the abuse he’s suffered. Deadpool rather unexpectedly manages to get through to the kid, who is destroying things right and left, but Deadpool himself has a bit of an overreaction when he finds out about the abuse suffered by Russell, which soon leads to both Deadpool and Russell being outfitted with those aforementioned neck adornments, with both of them being shipped off to the Ice House, a kind of maximum security prison for the most incalcitrant mutants.

Meanwhile, a time traveling soldier named Cable (Josh Brolin) shows up at the facility and starts blowing things up, with Deadpool coming to the understandable conclusion that Cable is after him. It turns out of course that Cable is actually on the hunt for Russell, since Russell evidently grows up to be a very bad boy indeed. Cable has not so coincidentally suffered a tragedy very similar to Deadpool’s, linking the two characters even before certain plot machinations makes the two unexpected partners. Into this morass of competing motivations another potential nemesis is unleashed when the petulant Russell decides to team with Juggernaut, who is also being held at the Ice House.

While the above gives the general outlines of Deadpool 2, as with the first film, this follow up is stuffed to the gills with sight gags, and one especially funny sequence comes when Deadpool and Weasel (T.J. Miller) attempt to recruit a new team to work with Wade. That leads to the introduction of one of this film’s “new” major characters, Domino (Zazie Beets), whose “superpower” is nothing other than luck, something that Deadpool repeatedly insists can’t be a superpower. While Domino gets her fair share of butt kicking scenes in the film, some of the other recruits don’t fare nearly as well, as documented in one of the film’s most hyperbolic but admittedly hilarious sequences that serves as a prime example of Murphy’s Law, Deadpool style. The film kind of repeatedly goes to "nothing is sacred" mode, but much as with the first film, it's actually unabashedly appealing, at least to those with somewhat jaded viewpoints about so-called "tent poles".

This release offers two versions, with the Super Duper Cut running around fifteen minutes longer than the Theatrical Version. It has some excellent new bits, as well as at least one soundtrack change that may ruffle some feathers, but it's one of the rare instances where an alternate version is actually a lot of fun on its own merits. What's kind of interesting about the alternate cut is how different lines, or sometimes even words, are in scenes that are in the theatrical version, along with bits that aren't in the theatrical version at all.

Deadpool 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Deadpool 2 is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Despite this evidently having been finished at a 2K DI (per the IMDb), unlike the first film, which was (again according to the IMDb) finished at 4K, I found this to be a largely pleasing upgrade in both detail levels and palette nuances. (As with the 1080p Blu-ray versions, I noticed no differences whatsoever in quality between the two versions included with this release.) What repeatedly struck me in the early part of the film in the 4K presentation was the contrasting and combination of (intentional) teal tones with reds and greens. Some of these new highlights are quite evident in the brief Hong Kong sequence early in the film (one which kind of cheekily seems to quickly reference Edward Hopper's immortal Nighthawks), but it's evident again somewhat later in the bathhouse sequence. There are nice upticks in elements like the ribbed pattern of Deadpool's suit (though it once again looked like the chest area was on the verge of some "jitters" as I mentioned in the Deadpool 2 Blu-ray review ). Fine detail in things like the little tufts of pill on the shoulder of Wade's cool blue sweater in the early bar scene are also quite precise and natural looking. There's a bit of fuzziness in some of the interiors of Wade's apartment (aside and apart from the intentional softness of what I term the "Hallmark moments" which also take place there). Some elements unique (or perhaps prolonged) in the Super Duper Cut, like the grilled window behind Russell as he's being "re-educated" also are arguably even more detailed in the 4K version. There are also what looked to me like a higher prevalence of gray tones in the background, including in some sequences that have a slightly more desaturated look in this version, as in the sequence where Deadpool meets Russell.

Deadpool 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While I'm scoring the 4K version's Dolby Atmos track, as I did with the 1080p Blu-ray DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track, I have to say that I found some of the Atmos engagement on this version to be on the subtle side. It's certainly in evidence, including right off the bat with the pre-imagery "click and flick" of a cigarette lighter, but this struck me as a somewhat less "showy" Atmos track than I personally expected. That said, this offers the same ubiquitous (even cacophonous at times) surround activity that the 7.1 track does, and some of the set pieces, like the big "runaway bus" sequence, have excellent placement in all of the channels. Once again, fidelity is spot on, dynamic range is very wide, and all elements are delivered cleanly and clearly with no problems whatsoever.

Note: As with many Fox releases, the audio specs can be different on the 1080p Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs. The specs above are with regard to the 4K UHD disc(s), though the English Descriptive Audio listed is only available on the Theatrical Version in 4K.

Deadpool 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The theatrical cut ports over the Audio Commentary by Ryan Reynolds, David Leitch, Rhett Reese and Paul Warnick from its 1080p Blu-ray counterpart, while the Super Duper Cut in 4K is similarly supplement free, like its 1080p Blu-ray counterpart. The 1080p Blu-ray of the theatrical version includes all of the supplements detailed in our Deadpool 2 Blu-ray review.

Deadpool 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's one set of earnest sequences involving the aforementioned tragedy in Deadpool's life that Deadpool 2 returns to which may strike some as "Hallmark moments" in an otherwise pretty scabrous outing. The fact that Deadpool 2 is actually able to get away with these, as well as a couple of other kinda sorta heartfelt moments, is one of the key elements of what makes this rough and rowdy new franchise so enjoyable. The humor here is as bitingly sharp as in the first film, even if this follow up can't muster the same built in surprise factor that the original Deadpool had going for it. These 4K UHD versions of the film offer noticeable upticks in detail levels and some interesting new tweaks to the palette. The Atmos audio is admittedly fantastic sounding, but I found it to be a little less bombastic than I had been hoping for. Highly recommended.