Popcorn Perspectives by Danny Minton
Week of May 14, 2018
Deadpool 2
Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual references and brief drug material
In Theaters
The foul-mouthed comic vigilante superhero Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson, aka actor Ryan Reynolds, is back in this much-anticipated sequel directed this time by John Wick director David Leitch. When the first film was made it was a risky venture to release an R-rated raunchy super hero flick. But as Deadpool points out early the film, the risk paid off and Deadpool was a smash box office hit. This new adventure is much less of a labor of love and much more like a bunch of friends having fun, full of confidence that their project will succeed. The story begins with our red dead super hero taking apart crime syndicates around the world, only to find himself determined to protect a young mutant who is being hunted by a hitman from the future named Cable (Josh Brolin). Just as in the first film, the humor is rampant and the violence is constant. But if you are used to it, it shouldn’t be offensive to most audience members. That’s not to say the material isn’t offensive. It is certainly not a film for everybody and most definitely not for kids unless you want them to get in trouble on their last days of school for repeating many of the new things they’ll learn. But for desensitized late teens and adults, it’s a wildly entertaining action pic that will make you laugh yourself silly. B+
Black Panther
Rated PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action violence, and a brief rude gesture
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Available on Disc and Streaming
Marvel’s mega-hit about an African king/superhero gets its home entertainment release this week, where it will no doubt grow it’s already legendary profitability. The nice thing about this box office champ is it has earned its stripes. Telling the origin story of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and how he enters the world stage while protecting his own people in Wakanda, the film lets us know all we need to know while at the same time helping us see him in his place in the larger Marvel universe. It is a solid production on all levels. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed) and with an amazing cast of talented actors, the film excites and thrills with tight pacing and a sense of awe. Black Panther is more than just an addition to the Marvel Universe – it is a reinvention if it. A-