An Improvement Over The First Deadpool

Rating: 8/10 (18 May 2018)

I want to say I hold the unpopular opinion that I felt the original Deadpool film wasn't perfect, or very good. I felt it was just a decent superhero film that was exactly how I think a Deadpool film would have gone down, but it didn't do anything more and didn't extend past that. To me, the first Deadpool relied too much on shock factor. Sure, I got some chuckles, but I left the theater watching the original Deadpool slightly disappointed, hoping the humor would be much better. With that said, I left Deadpool 2 feeling much more satisfied with the characterization and humor. In Deadpool 2, shock factor is no longer the primary vehicle that drives the film, making plenty of room to flesh out the film's ultimately clever writing, pacing, and story.
Deadpool 2 sees the return of our favorite Merc with a Mouth, who finds himself protecting a young Russell Collins (AKA Firefist) from the time-traveling mutant Cable (portrayed by Josh Brolin). DP2 doesn't need to try hard to be funny, and they pull no punches when it comes to the biting self-referential jokes and pop culture references, whether it comes to dishing on the DC Extended Universe (as a DCEU fan as well, I really appreciated those) or even the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The otherwise formulaic story is substantial enough to drive the plot, and has significantly improved in characterization and writing with strong supporting characters and villains, particularly in fleshing out the relationships Deadpool has with Firefist and Cable. Many of the vulgar and flat-out incredulous jokes are paced perfectly within their respective moments, and happen with respect to the plot, not the other way around (as I felt the first Deadpool sometimes had done). This comedic structure helped give DP2 a more refined direction in story and humor. Cable serves as the perfect contrast to Deadpool; the writers weren't afraid to give him some of his own snarky lines, and Josh Brolin delivers them so seriously and in character that you laugh at his lines as they bounce off of Deadpool.
Overall, Deadpool 2 is the most unlikely buddy comedy family film of the year, with enough serious moments to drive the story but far more jokes to not take itself too seriously in the process. With humor adapting to the plot instead of the plot being driven by the humor, DP2 is a refined improvement over its predecessor, and becomes all of the things the first film should have been.