Instant reactions received to a movie’s test screenings deserve to be dealt with a fair bit of skepticism. That is a well-known fact. However, going by what we have been hearing about Deadpool 2, the sequel which to a lot of people is the big screen equivalent of a home run, there is cause for concern.
Recently, comic book lovers were on high alert after reports came out about Deadpool 2 faring “very poorly” with the test audiences. In fact, the response was so bad that Fox felt that the second solo movie of Deadpool might just fail at the box office. Add this to the reports related to Deadpool 2’s production schedule, the David Leitch helmed film is presently undergoing reshoots, and that has been going on for the last four weeks. After all that, it now appears that the film is in distress.
Adding further fuel to the fire is none other than Jeremy Conrad, the former editor of IGN. If you remember, he was among the earliest people to reveal the news about the unfavorable response to the Deadpool 2’s test screenings. He tweeted about the same and instantly was faced with prospects of legal action from Fox, who compelled him to remove all Tweets related to the subject. Although he complied, he has now revealed some more details on his blog about why the audiences didn’t like Deadpool 2.
Accepted that he hasn’t mentioned the movie in his report due to the legal trouble. However, it is easy to read between the lines. Not only that, We Got This Covered, also quoted another source who can confirm this, acknowledging that Conrad was really talking about the David Leitch movie.
Since he has specifically mentioned the troubled sequences, we can warn you that there might be SPOILERS ahead, so in case you wish to avoid them, you are advised to return from the page. We have warned you.
For those who are still reading this, you can find out below some very interesting details about what Fox has in store for the viewers of Deadpool 2.
To begin with, Conrad says that the first 10 minutes of the movie itself shows a female character getting killed and she is someone “that many people considered the heart of the first film and one of its best parts.” Making things worse is the revelation that she got only one scene before dying. According to Conrad, this leads to the entire “women in refrigerators trope” and might be offensive to some.
Conrad also claims that there is not much of a plot. Elaborating on its directionless narrative, and how the movie is not worth your buck, he said:
Then there’s really not much of a plot. The story basically surrounds a brat kid who someday will kill someone’s family (and that character is a new introduction in this movie). It’s kind of like the kid in Looper who will grow up to be an evil crime lord. In a movie that’s two hours long, that’s a pretty flimsy plot to stretch things across, especially with the heart of the first movie and the person who drove that plot out of the picture.
Eventually, he describes one of the Deadpool 2 villains (we think it is Juggernaut), and fans will be upset to know how he is shown.
Fans of comic books will also be upset at how a long-time fan-favorite (and internet meme) villain is once again treated on the big screen. Oh, this time he looks a little closer to his comic book look (thanks to CG), but they make him disposable with a really stupid death. Two characters notice his pants are ripped exposing his crack, so they shove a sparking power cable up his butt and push him into a pool. Honestly, the best parts of the movie are its post-credits scenes, which involve time travel and an infant Hitler being strangled to death.
Since all this is based on a test screening, which is aimed at spotting the problem areas and fixing them to improve the film before its cinematic release, it would be wrong to say that Deadpool 2 is doomed. It is obvious that the comedy scenes are very difficult to get right, and since there are a couple of new entrants into the fray, Cable, and Domino, the second Deadpoolmovie was any way bound to face more issues in striking the right balance than the first one.
Conrad’s update is certainly a cause for concern, no doubt about that, but, there is still some time before the movie hits the theaters, and we have hope that David Leitch and the team will be able to make amends to create a film which will match the original Deadpool’s stature. That’s a tall order for sure, but, the movie’s trailers and promotions have appeared interesting. Considering the fact that this is one of the most profitable properties for Fox, it would be unlikely for them to fail with this one.
No matter what, the reality will be known soon because Deadpool 2 will release on May 18th, that’s six weeks sooner than earlier expected.