Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison

Director: David Leitch

Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes: After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Miami’s hottest bartender, while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.

Review:

Speaking honestly, I really enjoyed the original Deadpool when I first watched it.  It felt like a fresh and original concept in a world that has been taken over by the family-friendly Marvel Cinematic Universe and the dark and gritty DC Extended Universe.  So, can the sequel match the legacy of its predecessor two years later? While maybe not as good as the original, Deadpool 2 combines the unique sense of humor that only Ryan Reynolds can pull off and combines it with a new supporting cast that flourish in their roles.

The film follows Deadpool (Reynolds), in the aftermath of a home invasion that kills his fiancée Vanessa (Baccarin).  As a result of these events, Deadpool tries to become a part of the X-Men and finds Russell (Dennison), an angry teenager who is being abused in an orphanage for young mutants.  After Deadpool takes extreme measures to help Russell, both of them are sent to a prison for mutants where they first meet Cable (Brolin), a cyborg who has traveled from the future to kill Russell.  Now, Deadpool must put his life on the line to protect Russell.  One of the things that the Deadpool series does is it elevates the typical comedy that we see in superhero movies to an R-rated level.  Many of the gags and sarcasm land and while some of them do not, this is almost entirely due to Reynolds’s love for the role.  Outside of Reynolds, one of the nicer additions to the cast is the creation of the X-Force.  I did not anticipate the way that they would be utilized and it such as pleasant and funny surprise when their plot was revealed.  That crew had some seriously talented people and to throw the audience off in such a way is a major risk, but the payoff is incredible.  Specifically from the X-Force, the MVP of the movie has to be Domino (Zazie Beetz).  Her superpower of luck is used in a way where it makes sense but is not overpowered enough to make her invincible.  That coupled with her chemistry with Deadpool provides a hilarious back-and-forth and makes it so Deadpool has someone equally as sarcastic and funny to go against his viewpoint.  The one area where the film falls short is where it tries to be serious.  Specifically, the aftermath of Vanessa’s death and the impact it has on Deadpool shifts the tone in a way that can be distracting at times. The thing that separates films like Deadpool 2 from other superhero movies is that they are not serious and it is all about Deadpool and his outrageous shenanigans.  By trying to add a layer of complexity to this character, it takes away from the point of his character in the first place.  When they tried to develop a deeper level to Deadpool in the original movie it was done as a part of the story, but in Deadpool 2, it is the catalyst for the story.  This takes away from an otherwise fun and enjoyable movie, as I am sure this is something else that could have gotten us from the beginning of the film to where the film ended up.  Outside of that, Brolin gives his second strong antagonist performance of the year after Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War as Cable.  Brolin comes out right from his first scene as an intense and determined villain and at this point we should expect nothing less from him.  He is in a unique position where his serious nature actually meshes very well with Deadpool’s laid-back persona and allows the film to progress very fluidly.

Overall, while not quite as funny as the original, Deadpool 2 shines through its creative story decisions and a better ensemble cast than the original.  The film never takes itself very seriously and even though it covers some pretty difficult topics, it does so in a way that many people will enjoy.  It is very rare that I find a movie where I am hard laughing at some of the jokes, and fortunately much like the original, Deadpool 2 adds the fresh comedy on top of well-choreographed fight scenes and CGI that naturally blends into the world around it.

Overall Score: 7.5/10