Unlike the first Deadpool, its sequel is a somber affair, shedding the humor for deep introspection and riveting character development. Of course, you know I’m fucking kidding: Deadpool 2 is more of the same, and if you’re a fan of the original, you’ll probably enjoy it nearly as much.
Ryan Reynolds returns as the snarky, foulmouthed anti-hero, who this time forms the X-Force (or some weird, bizarro-world version of the X-Force) to counter the arrival of the time-traveling vigilante Cable (Josh Brolin, playing his second major Marvel character in as many months) in an effort to save a teenage mutant (Julian Dennison, Hunt for the Wilderpeople), who is on the verge of becoming a supervillain.
T.J. Miller is back again, too, and oddly the filmmakers didn’t slip in a last-minute dig at the much maligned actor.
Deadpool 2 strains for good jokes a little more than its predecessor, unsurprising given how much Deadpool managed to catch lightning in a bottle, finding that perfect balance of outrageous humor and legitimate action. That’s a hard balance to maintain, but Deadpool 2 largely pulls it off—albeit with a few more tedious stretches where you can tell Reynolds is straining to evoke laughter.
Still, the movie has plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes and off-the-wall antics that work more often than not, and features some decent action sequences as well. Introducing the humorless Cable into the mix was a risky move, but Brolin serves as a good straight man to Reynold’s shtick.
The two post-credit scenes are well worth the wait as well (note, there is no final post-credits scene, although there are some humorous musical numbers).
Deadpool 2 isn’t as good as the original, but it’s still highly entertaining, funny and well worth the price of admission.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.