Ryan Reynolds re-fires up the 'Merc with the mouth' for a second go on the R rated roundabout in this better than expected sequel to the 2015 global smash hit, featuring a formidable Josh Brolin, and a host of funny supporting performances.
Wade Wilson (Reynolds) 'squeezes his arse (back) into red spandex' to deliver an unadulterated thrill ride of a sequel as Marvel's and everyone's favourite anti-hero.
Right from the off, this sequel surprises. From a without care reveal of the end of Logan (the previous an undoubted most loved film of the X-men universe), to a major plot twist, to a hilarious opening title sequence designed to satirise our own James Bond. Itself featuring none other than Celine Dion (even typing that it seems ridiculous).
The film begins with the audience being treated to a bloody montage of what Wade has been up to while the audience has been away, offering up his expert services to those in need, itself littered with Deadpool's trademark fourth wall breaks and couple with some sizzling narration from Reynolds.
However, a major plot twist (no spoilers here) send our hero on a downward spiral of self-loathing, and force him to re-evaluate his purpose in life. This offers a lovely emotive storyline in a franchise known for it's bullish nature, offering cruel circumstances to a man who can't die (and he really does try).
Upon coming across 'Firefist' (Julian Dennison, embodying his very same character from Hunt for the Wilderpeople), a mutant adolescent with fiery powers and an even more flammable attitude, and reluctantly signing up as a trainee for the real X-men (itself offering the funniest Meta moments of the film) Wade must go on a journey of self-discovery to decide once and for all if he is in fact a 'superhero'.
The film as a whole feels somewhat smoother than its remarkably successful predecessor. Everything flies along at a wonderful pace, with incredibly witty jokes and some of the best and most memorable visual comedy of recent years (you'll know it when you see it) slotted in perfectly between the even bloodier and more violent fight scenes than the original.
Reynolds delivers a typically sharp performance as a character he clearly loves above any other. But unlike the first Movie, in which at times it felt like every joke was being shoved down the audiences throat in such a way to squeeze as much material in as possible, this offering is far less self-conscious. Scenes jump and bound from one to another, with a storyline a lot richer and thicker in plot than the original, while also offering the fantastic sub-plot of Deadpool's creation of the X-Force, that is as funny a storyline any Marvel film has produced (see if you can spot Brad Pitt's electric cameo).
Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) as X-Force member Domino and Rob Delaney as Peter, the living embodiment of anyone who has ever thought of what it would be like to be a superhero, both have incredibly solid turns in the film, But it's Brolin's portrayal of time travelling ex-soldier, Cable, that give the film it's pivot.
Brolin, fresh off the worldwide success of Avengers:Infinity War, in which he steals the show as Villain Thanos, appears here in the flesh as a soldier, from the future, hell bent on avenging his future family killed by the older version of FireFist. The on screen chemistry between Brolin and Reynolds really paves the way for the success of the film. The 'classic deadpool' exchanges are taken up a notch and given a fresh look with straight talking Cable thrown into the mix.
Overall, Deadpool 2 is no doubt a triumph from, and may well be one of the rare occasions that a sequel trumps it's original, in acclaim rather than box office in this case, as the juggernaut (no pun intended) of Avengers continues to smash box office records.
It my go more under the radar than it may have done, but as well as offering a thrill ride of a film and arguably the greatest post-credit sequence in Marvel history (very satisfying, for those, like myself who loath Marvel's earlier attempt at the character), Deadpool 2 may well go down as the undoubted blueprint of how to tackle the issue of a sequel.
4/5
