If I have to tell you who or what a Deadpool is then this movie is not for you. Following on the heals of the surprise box office success of the first Deadpool20th Century Fox green-lit a serious R-rated superhero film Logan, and the audience rewarded with another resounding financial success. Given those two data points it is hardly surprising that the sequel toDeadpoolwould not only be green-lit but a substantial budget increase, allowing for more special effects, a larger cast, and an expanded scope. The question is can Deadpooljustify a larger cast, more special effects, and an expanded scope?

The answer is yes.

Where Deadpool fulfilled the customary checkboxes for a superhero origin story, Deadpool 2delves deeper into the character and he tortured transition into a semblance of a hero. Playing a familiar theme, an invincible time-traveling cyborg with a murderous mission, Deadpool find himself bereft of his usual emotional support and grappling with the meaning of family.  In this respect, defining family and what it means, Deadpool2shares significant genetic material with the aforementioned Logan. Where Loganapproached the material as a western tragedy Deadpool 2utilizes the sharp incisive tool of parody and satire to dissect their themes and characters.

As with the first film this sequel revels in set piece action sequences, graphic bloody violence, and fourth wall shattering commentary. The comedy comes as quickly as the bullet hits and broken bones, from the first sequence to the parody of Marvel’s post-credit buttons, Deadpool 2never forgets the funny, while weaving also a story about something, about the things that give life meaning. The movies never dragged and never felt long, sprinting from the start to the finish.
If you enjoyed the first Deadpoolthen you need to see this one in the theater.