Whenever I said I disliked the original "Deadpool", a lot probably assumed it was because of the absurdist, raunchy humor and hard core violence, but that was always far from the case. My issue with it was that for something being hailed by both its fans and itself as "different" from other CB stuff we were getting at the time, aside from its R rating, it was no different than the average superhero origin, down to the completely unironic and played straight British bad-guy who's so forgettable that if they didn't make a painfully dull running gag about his name, I would have forgotten it by the time I walked out of the theater.
If anything, I wanted more of the hardcore violence and raunchiness that was occasionally teased throughout the (incoherent, if you've read my previous review of the original) narrative, and during a small period of time when I started reading about how the creators didn't want to go full out and stay low budget to be more like the original, I figured all hope at realizing this world's potential was lost.
Enter David Leitch, un-credited co-director of "John Wick" and the leading man behind last years surprisingly terrific Spy Thriller "Atomic Blond", taking the wheel of the material (as well as now getting a rightful co-writing credit by the lead star, someone who clearly understands the character better than the two he's forced to work with) and cranking it up to 11 to create not just a film that's miles better than its predecessor in terms of general technical craft, but one of the funniest movies of the year so far.
Where as the original had the occasional chuckle due mostly to Mr. Reynolds' delivery, this had me in hysterics from it's opening gag and continue to go further and further, getting funnier and funnier as it goes along. Some gags (particularly one involving a classic "sword cutting bullets" move done before in other action films) felt like something out of my favorite comedies like "The Naked Gun" in terms of taking a regular cliche and turning it on its head. Even the insults, making a return, feel much snapper, thanks mostly in part to Mr. Reynolds getting a writing credit, allowing some of the weirder sides of the character to rear his ugly head, all for the better.
There's even gags within the action that feel much more streamlined and focused compared to the original. Where as there the gag there was mostly just shock of the fact there was blood and people's limbs getting chopped off, here we got some that rely a lot of violent slapstick that utilizes the title character's superpowers and other moments of going against what you'd expect to happen with the shocking gore acting as a much better punchline because of what was previously set up and not just for the sake of being there to get the R rating (one of these is complete with an awesome cameo by one of my favorite actors).
Helps as well that it understands that, as funny as Deadpool is, he's nothing if he doesn't have someone to work against, so we got a ton of new awesome side-characters as well some returning ones that were minor highlights in the original now steal the show here, with "Hunt for the Wilderpeople"'s Julian Dennison as Russel, Josh Brolin's awesome Cable, and Zazie Beetz's terrific Domino, who steals every single scene she's in.
Plus, unlike the original, in which you could see every single beat telegraphed a mile away (was told out of order for no reason than to stretch out the narrative rather than add more to it), I actually had no idea where this one would go next and manages to throw in a couple fun surprises in the mix to keep up the pace, leading up to a third act that's equally satisfying/hilarious and shockingly heartfelt.
The only thing I think that's worth complaining about is, well, as unpredictable as some aspects of the narrative are, the major reveal of why Cable is there and why he's after Russel can be seen a mile away and doesn't really get played for any laughs, and there's a couple of hilariously awful shots of Cable's bare chest that straight up looks like rubber plastic (that again, I don't think are meant to be played for laughs). And I could've done with more of Mega Sonic Teenage Warhead and her awesome Girlfriend, because, Lesbians make every movie better (fact), and Domino should've been introduced earlier so I could've had more of her, but aside from that, this movie is a ton of fun.
If you didn't like the original because the violence and humor of the title character outside of the origin bullshit, then I'd say this is a safe skip (and if you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend checking out "Infinity War" instead, or renting "Black Panther" if you haven't seen that either), but if you were like me and wanted more of the absurdist and violent nature of the title character, then I'd say it's worth a shot.
