The first Deadpool movie in 2016 was a surprise hit. Despite Fox not having faith in the project and being given a limited budget, the film was a success with critics and audiences and broke many box office records. A sequel was without question, but now with full support from Fox and almost double the budget of the first film. But like many surprise hits, there's the question of whether the second time around can be just as good as the first. In my view, Deadpool 2 goes bigger and badder than the first film but doesn't stand out as much.
The first film was a lot more "in your face", certainly like they had something to prove. That makes sense considering that along with the low budget, it was Tim Miller's first time directing a movie and Ryan Reynolds' fourth superhero movie after three flops (Blade: Trinity, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern). Against all odds though, everyone involved in the first film worked with what they were given and turned out something memorable. With more faith and money going into Deadpool 2, in some ways, it does feel like any other modern superhero movie. But because of that, we do get more action scenes on a bigger scale, more characters, cameo appearances, and the return of a past X-Men villain finally done justice in live action. The comedy not only makes call backs to the first film, but pushes the envelope even further. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a movie where I actually had to catch my breath. In a way, I kind of see the Deadpool movies as a mix of real superhero movie and spoof superhero movie. It makes fun of the tropes of other superhero movies from DC, Marvel, and the X-Men series itself (no one is safe), while also doing its own thing.
What does help Deadpool 2 stand out from the original is that there's a lot more emotional depth. In the first one, Deadpool's mission is mostly a selfish one, but here he's a lot more altruistic while still being the wisecracking asshole we know and love him as. It shows real character development Even the ending has potential to go out on the same emotional level as "Logan", which I kind of think they should have went with, but the ending we do get does fit more with the tone of these films.
All the returning cast from the first one don't skip a beat, bringing more hilarious performances. One particular aspect I like is that Dopinder interacts more with Weasel and Blind Al, even wanting to become a contract killer like Deadpool and taking a job at Weasel's bar to learn the ropes.
Of course we also have the new characters. Let's start with Cable, played by Josh "Man, he's having a good month" Brolin. In a way, Cable and Thanos are quite similar. Both believe what they're doing is right and have some emotional resonance to them. The difference though is that Cable is still a straight up hero, even if he's going to extreme tactics. He's a pretty good antithesis to Deadpool, with the gruff voice and serious attitude compared to the witty fun-loving Wade. Is it any wonder these two are best friends in the comics; they complete each other. It's also probably good they didn't delve into Cable's complicated comics backstory, but a subtle hint at his parentage would have been nice; I'll settle for the Hope reference though.
Standing out just as much as Cable though was Zazie Beetz as Domino. The first scene where she uses her powers in the field shows just how badass she is. I also kind of see her as the middle ground between Deadpool and Cable, having fun but not always putting up with Wade's shenanigans.
All in all, Deadpool 2 hits the same marks as the original while going bigger with the action and comedy, adding in more emotional depth than before, despite almost losing itself in the large pool of superhero movies.
