Directed by David Leitch

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Julian Dennison, Terry Crews

So I've always found Deadpool one of the most annoying characters ever. I know, I think that's the idea, but for me he's just unbearably annoying. Having said that I was pleasantly surprised at the first film, and how much of an achievement it was for Ryan Reynolds and co to make it. It had it's problems but overall the more I watch it, the more I like it. Reynolds makes the character, I prefer Nolan North as Deadpool, absolutely - but you have to take what you can get with Reynolds, he clearly loves the character and material and it's good to find someone with the passion for it.  And... having said that, whilst I don't think Deadpool 2 is bad as such, it's just a bit... too much, and too try-hard. 

The story takes place when Wade Wilson undergoes his latest venture which winds up in him getting in a spot of trouble where he meets a dangerous mutant boy called Russell (Dennison) who is been sought after by a dangerous time travelling cyborg, Cable (Brolin) who plans to kill him. Deadpool sets up a team of mutants including newcomer Domino (Beetz) to help him rescue the boy and along the way, possibly become a real hero.

Deadpool 2 succeeds with it's large cast. At first I was concerned with the amount of characters that were being included, since this is a Deadpool movie, I didn't want it overstuffed but thankfully it works. Reynolds, Beetz and Brolin especially, all work together really well and their dialogue and banter bounces off eachother really nicely. And with that, we get some great action. Director David Leitch is of course really savvy with action due to his work on the John Wick movies and it does show here. There's some nice set pieces with and sequences with Domino in particular that I really liked.

Humour wise however... this film is really hard to talk about in that department. Whilst the first film I felt relied on dick jokes and such, this film does stray away from that - but it really disappointingly relies too much on Deadpool just being Deadpool. By that I mean, it's pretty lazy. The dick jokes seem to be replaced by pointless name dropping and references that really feel Ready Player One, in that these are just done and don't feel earned. Just shouting out that Negasonic Teenage Warhead looks like Eleven from Stranger Things (this kind of thing makes up so many of the jokes) get's really tedious and just isn't funny. Furthermore, jokes that are repeated from the first film get really annoying as well, it's reliance on replicating the success of it's predecessor really shows.

I don't think all the humour is bad - there was one moment in particular where Deadpool and Cable fall down a snow covered hill and bounce around all the way to the bottom - and keep on bouncing along the ground. It felt very Airplane! and Naked Gun, and I thought it was one of the most interesting jokes in there, I really laughed at it! But the rest of the cinema didn't. Part of me felt bad for laughing, yet the reference 'jokes' got all the laughs. Humour is subjective of course but it really puzzled me. It didn't feel right laughing at a clever joke like that when nobody else was, and it made me evaluate this film further.

Tonally it's a bit of a mess too. Where the first film had it's more emotive moments it didn't take away  from the comedy at all, there were still nicely charismatic moments in and out of the serious bits. Here? There are so many emotive moments that don't feel Deadpool at all, and it took me out of it, especially towards the end where it just goes on and on. With a really predictable plot to boot, it was really hard to get attached to this film, which brings me to the conclusion.

Deadpool 2 does try to be different, and it succeeds in that, but by being very lesser in quality to the first film. I wasn't excited or expected much for this film in the first place but I at least wanted a surprise, but unfortunately didn't get that. It's solid sure, but it doesn't work as much as a sequel compared to other superhero sequels out there. If I seem too negative, I will say this. The helicopter scene, as shown in the second picture above, is the best scene in the film. I won't say much, but it's great. See for yourselves. 

3/5