Delivers the Hilarity, Vulgarity and Action-Packed Fun That I Wanted

Rating: 9/10 (11 May 2018)

I was able to see Deadpool 2 at an advance screening. Deadpool shook things up and delivered offbeat fun when diehard fans were looking for something new from the genre. I thought it was a surprisingly well-rounded movie that perfectly encapsulated its hero and lovingly poked fun at both itself and other genre tropes. It was among my favourite movies of 2016. When it comes to bringing the laughs, I think Deadpool 2 is just as funny as the original entry. There's even more meta jokes, the same gleefully dirty spirit carries over and some unexpected payoffs left me cackling. They build upon some of the previous memorable bits (I admire Ryan for being so willing to relentlessly skewer his filmography) without it going stale. Luckily, they didn't ruin the movie by putting all the funny bits in the trailer and there's plenty to enjoy. They weren't afraid to push the envelope with the humour and stick around past the finale for a truly epic bit that rolls during the credits.
We've got all your favourite players back from Deadpool and I want to credit the writers for giving the opportunity for the characters to grow. Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is his typical wise-cracking self but he's found happiness and the change in his relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) has really impacted his outlook. Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) return as X-Men members and while they're familiar, they're attitude does change towards Deadpool's antics. We also get back Dopinder (Karan Soni), Weasel (T.J. Miller) and Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) as the rest of Wade's crew and they all bring something new or hilarious to the film. I also really liked the new members of the cast; Cable (Josh Brolin) and Domino (Zazie Beetz) lived up to the hype. Cable has more depth than I expected and a highlight of Deadpool 2 was how they worked in Domino's ability into the action. They were so creative in how her abilities changed the way the action flowed. I also really liked the character of Russell (Julian Dennison) and how they used him in the movie. He becomes the driving force of the plot and they shape his character in a way that finds a nice balance between too soft and too arrogant. If I had any complaints, Eddie Marsan's character is one of the weakest villains I've seen in the genre, he has little dimension and his screen time is limited. I also preferred the treatment of a few of the original characters in the initial installment (Negasonic and Blind Al were stronger in the first movie). Keep your eyes open for a couple of surprise appearances by a few famous faces in the X-Men lore.
Director David Leitch is well known for his work in stunts and co-ordinating memorable action set pieces. This has carried over into his directorial efforts, I had a general knowledge of this going in, so I was expecting big things. Again, this movie rose to the task. It equals the original and, in some ways, surpasses it. I've already mentioned Domino, Colossus has a standout fight in the finale of the movie, the direction the movie decided to go with the initial X-Force mission was very surprising and I also liked Cable and Wade's first fight in the prison. The movie doesn't have a signature scene like the 12 bullets opening in Deadpool but there was never a moment that I was bored when the severed limbs were flying. Leitch and his team definitely got the job done and they balanced the humour and the thrills superbly.
Ryan Reynolds followed up his signature turn as the foul-mouthed mercenary with an equally impressive performance. He's joined Hugh Jackman and Robert Downey Jr. as the benchmark of acting within the genre and I question if anyone else could even come close to him playing this character. Morena Baccarin still has great chemistry with Reynolds and their relationship remains as sweet as it did before. Brolin is appropriately cast as Cable, he lived up to high expectations and was appropriately gruff. Zazie Beetz is great as Domino, her casting was met with a lot of criticism but she's funny and I wish we had spent more time with her. Karan Soni carried over his charm from Deadpool as did Brianna Hildebrand. Julian Dennison did a solid job as Russell, I hadn't seen his previous work, but I can understand why so many people were excited to see him. Terry Crews, Bill Skarsgard, Lewis Tan and Rob Delaney were all good as the new X-Force members. Delaney was the standout as Peter. I also liked Stefan Kapicic and Leslie Uggams in their respective supporting parts.
One of the more surprisingly successful parts of the original Deadpool movie was the love story between Wade and Vanessa. It was surprisingly effective, and I dug the direction they took with it. Deadpool 2 is a story about family and while it still worked, it didn't tug at my heartstrings like the emotional core of the first one did. This isn't the fault of the actors or even the writers, it just didn't have the same impact.
In my opinion, this is a great sequel. It delivers a potent mix of both action and comedy. I was impressed that they refused to rest on the laurels of the original adventure and tried to do something new with it. If you found the first one too crude, too violent or too meta, I don't think this one will work for you. Its a movie that stands on its own, but you get the same creative expression as you did in the first one. I wouldn't say this is better than Deadpool, but it is on that same level for me. Its not perfect so I can't go all the way to a 10 but my actual rating is 9.5/10.