The Merc with a... heart?

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 2018)

Plot; Mercenary Wade Wilson (AKA Deadpool) attempts to form a team to counter a threat that may not be exactly what it appears.
Like many, I went into the original Deadpool w/little to no history w/the character, but that was the least of the reasons the film felt fresh to me. In the often cookie cutter PG-13 world of the modern comic book movie, Deadpool was an R-rated action/comedy (emphasis on, well, both) that didn't pull any punches. Coming out in the vacuum that is February, it was a surprise smash hit, raking in big bucks and getting praise from audiences and critics alike. W/o that element of surprise, could a sequel equal or surpass the original? Kinda. Maybe. I'm not sure.
Sitting here in the afterglow, it's tough for me to say whether or not I feel DP2 is better than first film. I'm more confident in my feeling that it least matches the original, though it's not a beat for beat match. In some areas I think it nudges ahead. Others it lags a bit. But the sum totals are roughly the same. I think. Again, afterglow. The cast all do a nice job, w/newcomers Zazie Beets, Julian Dennison and Josh Brolin each bringing w/them a key to the film's success. The MVP is of course Ryan Reynolds, who once again holds court as the "Merc w/a mouth".
Humor aside--and the film has a lot of it--what helps DP2 really stick the landing is that beneath the off-color humor and graphic violence beats a heart. The central theme here is family, and it manages to weave that in w/o ever becoming maudlin.
I don't know that I'd call it a better film, but in terms of pure entertainment, I'd rank DP2 ahead of the Summer's other big comic book film, Infinity War.