Almost as Good as the First

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2018)

There may not be a single superhero franchise more perfect for 2018. Staying irreverent, hilarious, ultraviolent, creative, and downright insane, Deadpool 2 is loads of fun even if it doesn't quite live up to the originals fresh tone.
Bringing in John Wick 2 director David Leitch to take over for Tim Miller, this film improves upon its action and brings in plenty of characters for Deadpool to mess around with, introducing members of X-Force. Which, by the way, made for one of the most shockingly funny sequences I have ever seen in a comic book movie. There's something to be said for making a sequel bigger and better, but perhaps even more impressive is when a film manages to bring a balance of that and resisting the temptation to do so. I loved most of the additional characters, including Domino (who was the clear highlight), Cable, and a few other characters with less dialogue.
With that said, I do think the thing this film was missing was more Morena Baccarin and her relationship with Wade/Deadpool. The film takes a particular direction with this arc and it could be slightly controversial, I was on the fence for most of it with this decision. And while the film is still, in a way, about their relationship, I think it takes a backseat to some newer characters and their arcs.
Without going into too much detail, the film also takes an interesting and bold approach to its antagonist(s). It was another element that I'm still not sure how much I like and how much I feel was a missed opportunity. But even with all of this said, I still found myself entertained from beginning to end, with laugh out loud 4th wall breaks and gags throughout. And I'm really just scratching the surface with how good some of this movie is. There are just a few small things that didn't necessarily hit the right note with me, but this could very well chang upon second viewing.
8.8/10