I went into this movie with minimal expectations. Let me correct that. I went into this movie hoping they wouldn’t focus group the hell out of the first movie and churn out a sequel that was essentially Deadpool Xtreme. I had an open mind to whatever direction they wanted to go in and just prayed they wouldn’t jump the shark. I left the theatre and let out a giant “oh thank god”. That’s not to say I don’t have my issues with the movie, but none that ruined my overall movie experience. Most of my gripes come with loving the actual books these characters are based on and the “artistic” choices the people in charge make. This movie was funnier and geared towards the super hero movie fan. There were nods to us comic nerds, but you can tell their target audience was the movie goer. They took most of what you loved from the first film and stayed true to that. This storyline they tried to incorporate a more “Marvel” type movie by adding more mutants and another major comic character in Cable (Josh Brolin) and this is where the movie failed. They tried adding some flavor to an already good dish and ultimately just sprayed it with ketchup. It didn’t ruin the meal, but it would have been just fine without it. The story arc is pretty weak and tired and really is just a driver for superhero jokes and great fourth wall breaks.
Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) loves this character and it shows. It seems as if it is an outlet to just let his internal monologue run free. Josh Brolin, who already solidified himself in the Marvel Universe as one of the best villains ever, takes on a different type of role that features more of himself. I found the performance lackluster, but given his past work I will attribute the shortfall introduction of a major character into film on the directing and the lack of imagination on how to use a complex character in a slapstick comic movie. Basically studio laziness. Zazie Beetz (Domino) was a refreshing new face that played off Deadpool far better than any supporting character has so far.
As stated earlier, if you are a fan of the first movie, and just enjoy the super hero genre, you will love this movie. If you are a bit more nerdy than most you will no doubt be frustrated, but distracted from it with a barrage of jokes that seem to be written for you. As if they tapped into the Facebook ad algorithm and read your thoughts on what jokes to tell. The gore and cursing were held back a bit more in this movie to where I would say most teenagers could leave without mental scarring. And after watching most of your heroes turn to dust (its been long enough I don’t feel bad), it was good to go to a purely fun superhero movie. Go see this movie if you enjoyed the first. It is a poorly thought out story with tons of surprises wrapped in classic Deadpool comedy. You will laugh out loud multiple times and audibly say “no they didn’t” before you even get comfortable.