Deadpool 2 (5 Stars)

"Deadpool 2"  has a difficult job. The first film was such a perfectly constructed showcase for Ryan Reynolds that simply doing the same thing again wouldn't have been enough. Fortunately, the sequel doesn't try to be a bigger version of the original. It is a different kind of Deadpool film, while retaining everything that made the first one so much fun.

Wade Wilson is still the same foul-mouthed, fourth-wall-breaking mercenary, but this time he's given a more conventional superhero problem to deal with. Cable, a time-travelling soldier from the future, arrives with a mission to kill a young mutant called Russell before he grows up to become a mass murderer. Deadpool decides that protecting the boy is more important than worrying about what he might become, and naturally things get increasingly chaotic from there.

Ryan Reynolds is still the heart of the film, and he hasn't lost any of his comic timing. What makes Deadpool work so well is that beneath all the wisecracks he's actually a surprisingly sentimental character. The film can move from an outrageous joke to genuine emotion without either side feeling out of place.

The supporting cast is excellent. Josh Brolin makes Cable a suitably intimidating opponent without turning him into a humourless villain, while Zazie Beetz is terrific as Domino. Her mutant ability, which amounts to being extraordinarily lucky, is used for some wonderfully inventive action sequences. Colossus is back too, still trying to persuade Deadpool to behave like a proper superhero, with very little success.

Then there's X-Force, which provides one of the film's funniest stretches. I won't say too much about it, because the joke works much better if you don't know exactly what's coming. It's a good example of the film's willingness to set up a conventional superhero sequence and then completely pull the rug out from under it.

There are plenty of other jokes, references and fourth-wall violations, and some of them are wonderfully ridiculous. The film knows that the audience is familiar with superhero conventions, so it can play with them rather than simply following them. At times it feels as though the writers are competing with each other to see who can get away with the most outrageous gag.

Deadpool 2 is bigger than the first film, but it doesn't lose its personality in the process. It has more characters, more action and a considerably more complicated plot, yet the central appeal remains the same. It's a very funny film with a surprisingly warm heart.

The first Deadpool is difficult to follow, but this is about as good a sequel as you could reasonably hope for. It isn't trying to replace the original. It's simply another opportunity to spend a couple of hours with one of the most entertaining idiots in superhero cinema.

Success Rate:  + 4.7

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de