2206. Deadpool 2 (2018)

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin

Director: David Leitch

Running Time: 119 mins

Deadpool 2 is an American film and the sequel to Deadpool. After suffering a major trauma in his life, Wade Wilson decides to bring together a group of fellow rogue mutants to help protect a young boy from Cable, a ruthless cyborg from the future.

The release of the first Deadpool was a brilliant breath of fresh air in an increasibly saturated genre, and one that had everyone laughing their heads off at the fantastically foul-mouthed superhero. Two years later, it’s hard to just be a breath of fresh air, and that’s why I was so impressed with Deadpool 2, as it’s yet another absolutely hilarious movie, and one that really holds its own right the way through as it pushes forward with the unique and endlessly enjoyable quirks that made the original such a success.

I remember having a great time with the original Deadpool, but its in-your-face humour that almost relied on the R-rated superhero gimmick at the time seemed to me as if it would struggle to hold up in the sequel. In that, I was completely wrong, because Deadpool 2 brings back that fantastic R-rated comedy – and actually improves on the first film – as well as provides a very entertaining story complete with a much bigger and better cast, and genuinely brilliant action right the way through.

Let’s start off with the best part of the whole movie, the comedy. If you’ve seen the original, you’ll know what you’re in for here, however the great thing about Deadpool 2 is that it picks its strengths and plays to them absolutely perfectly. So, the fourth wall breaking that worked so well last time out is back in even more blatant fashion, with Ryan Reynolds’ hilarious commentary throughout once again proving incredibly refreshing and hugely funny, while some of the weirder, more choice humour that really defined the previous film is once again front and centre, but often written into context even more effectively, something that I was really impressed by.

If you weren’t a fan of the first film, then you may be sceptical with the sequel, however I think that this film’s comic abilities are far superior to the original. Not only is it simply far funnier, but there’s a lot more to the humour, and some of the more juvenile and one-dimensional gags that annoyed many in the original aren’t as present this time round, meaning it’s an even more enjoyable watch.

So, Deadpool 2 succeeds massively when it comes to making you laugh, but there’s more to it than that. Above all, I was hugely impressed by the action throughout. The original had some fun action set-pieces, but none really had that big blockbuster wow factor. This, on the other hand, features two or three massive action sequences that are full of wow factor, as director David Leitch manages to create slick and exciting action that blends in perfectly with the film’s quirks and comedy, which is exhilarating to watch at times.

As far as the story goes, there isn’t an immense amount of depth, but the immense likability of Wade Wilson as a character is what gets you into the story, and the various hijinks that he gets up to over the course of the movie are what make it such an engaging watch.

What’s more is that the addition of a whole host of new characters is almost universally successful. Coming from a very small cast that only featured four or five main characters, Deadpool 2 explodes into life with the introduction of a whole range of fellow superheroes and villains, as well as couple of new humans too, pretty much all of whom bring something different and enjoyable to the table.

And on top of that, the performances are pretty fantastic right across the board. Josh Brolin does a great job as Cable, bringing a surprising likability and sense of humour to a character that at first seems excessively dark for the film, while Zazie Beetz is hugely impressive as Domino, proving both hilarious and again likable in a role that at first glance doesn’t have all that much to her.

Of course, Ryan Reynolds is hilarious as Deadpool, and he steps up the energy levels this time round, making for even more hilarity, while returning stars including Morena Baccarin and T.J. Miller are just as great as they were in the first film, even if their roles aren’t quite as central as before.

Overall, I had an absolute whale of a time with Deadpool 2. Above all, it’s a hilarious comedy that will keep you laughing from beginning to end, but it’s also a properly entertaining blockbuster with great action and likable characters, complete with great performances and directing that manage to take a premise that could have been so easily repetitive, and make it feel completely fresh once again, and that’s why I’m giving it an 8.4.