Great fun all around, deeper plot than the first, slightly better than the first.

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2018)

After watching this film I can say two things, Ryan Reynolds was born to play this role and R-rated superhero films are absolutely kick-ass. 'Deadpool 2', much like the first, knows exactly what type of film it's trying to be and absolutely owns it. It's quite definite now that the first installment was not a fluke and I am already eager to see Reynolds back on screen as Deadpool again. The film opens with a moment that was very surprising and took me well off guard. This is a spoiler free review but I will say that what happens early on in the film offers our hero a new challenge on many different levels. That's what sequels are all about, giving the main character challenges greater than in the first, and the writers did that perfectly. I will say when I found out director Tim Miller was not returning to direct this sequel I was nervous for where it would go and if the tone would stay the same. When I discovered David Leitch (director of 'John Wick' and 'V for Vendetta') was set to helm the sequel my worries disappeared, and rightfully so. Leitch completely embraces the tone from the first film and did an incredible job directing this movie. He did such a good job that I hope to see him back at the helm of another potential 'Deadpool' film down the road.
The film is flat-out hilarious, one of the reasons the first movie was so much fun was because of its sheer dark comedy and that was back in full force in the sequel. 'Deadpool 2' was extremely funny and it made for yet another fun time at the movies. Keep in mind, not all the one liners in this movie land perfectly and that is expected in a film like this, but overall there is not much of a gripe regarding that. 'Deadpool 2' is able to do something that it didn't do in the first - a balance of heart and comedic tone. Let's face it, these films thrive when it's time for some comedy but this film was able to adapt a more serious, emotionally touching tone than the first and it brought Reynolds' character, 'Wade Wilson', down to earth a little.

The rest of the cast in the movie did an incredibly good job. Josh Brolin as 'Cable' was bad-ass to see on screen. It felt like it took a little while for Brolin to actually start kicking ass in this film but whenever he is on screen, he is quite entertaining. I felt as if the movie should've explored 'Cable' a little more but as the movie progresses you do learn more about this character and it was fulfilling in that way. Zazie Beetz as 'Domino' in this film was rather good and she provides some good action sequences as well as some subtle wit. 'Colossus' and 'Negasonic' are both great in this movie as their characters continued from the first movie, but I wished they explored these characters a little more. I personally found Julian Dennison who plays 'Russell Collins/Firefist' to be the one clear weak spot in this film acting-wise. His role in the film is rather important as he pieces together the big challenge that Reynolds must face but I did not like their chemistry nor did I enjoy his isolated moments in the movie.
'Deadpool 2' got a huge increase in budget from the first film so this movie was clearly a much more extravagant and CGI centered film but there were times when two CGI characters went head to head that I did not fully buy into the special effects being used and I won't go as far to say that it took me out of the film, but it was a notable weakness. The rest of the action sequences in this film are awesome. Much like the first movie, there is gore... and a lot of it. The fight scenes in this movie with Brolin and Reynolds are ridiculously awesome and quite a lot of fun to watch.
The Big Plus: Ryan Reynolds as 'Wade Wilson/Deadpool' is truly the role he was born to play. Incredible stuff from him and he is a thrill to watch yet again... Also, make sure to stay for the mid-credits montage.
Where it lacks: I would've liked to have seen more development from the secondary characters but to keep runtime down I understand why it was pretty much all 'Deadpool' based.
83/100 for me!