Somehow, ‘Deadpool 2’ is more vulgar and offensive than the original … and that is 100% complimentar

When it was announced a few years ago that Fox would not only be bringing Deadpool to the big screen, but that the “Merc with a Mouth” would be doing so with an R-rating.

“There’s no way it works,” I thought to myself. “To make enough money they can’t alienate the under-17 crowd that way.”

I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong. And after “Deadpool 2” opened last weekend to $300 million at the worldwide box office, I have over 1 billion reasons to be wrong.

Ryan Reynolds stars as Deadpool in Twentieth Century Fox’s “Deadpool 2.” (Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox. TM & © 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Not for sale or duplication.)

In “Deadpool 2,” Ryan Reynolds returns to the lead role of Wade Wilson and the aforementioned antihero, Deadpool. This time out, the disfigured, fast-healing mutant mercenary is balancing domestic life with girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), and a full-time gig killing bad guys around the globe.

However, when a professional failure comes back to bite his personal life on the backside, Pool spirals down a self-destructive (literally) path that only his mutant buddies Colossus (voice of Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) can help him escape from.

That escape includes helping out with an X-Men mission to save a young mutant named Firefist (Julian Dennison) from making a catastrophic mistake. But they’re not the only ones hot on Firefist’s trail, as a time-traveling mutant named Cable (Josh Brolin), is also on the case, but for entirely different reasons.

First, if you found the first movie to be too vulgar and offensive for your sensibilities, or right on the border of Too Much Town, you’re probably going to want to just go ahead and skip DP2. Basically, it felt very much like the creative team (director David Leitch, and writers Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Reynolds), knew that based on the success of the first film, and anticipation for the sequel, they had more leeway to ramp things up a notch. And they do – the jokes are cruder, funnier, and louder. I also get the impression that there’s much more in the pipeline that they’ll now be able to get away with.

Second, don’t blink because there are a lot of fun cameos and bit roles – many in the mutant roles – that you might miss if you’re not paying attention.

Third, Julian Dennison is outstanding as the young, angsty mutant struggling to harness his powers while trying to reign in his emotions. The kid has some serious chops, despite a rather short resume. Don’t believe me? Check him out in “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”

Julian Dennison as Russell/Firefist in Twentieth Century Fox’s “Deadpool 2.” (Photo Credit: Joe Lederer. TM & © 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Not for sale or duplication.)

Fourth, I’m not as big of a Josh Brolin fan as many others – I mean, if you take “The Goonies” out of the equation – but there’s something about his demeanor and presence that really makes you think the awful things his characters are about to do are justified. If you can see things from the villain’s point of view, I think that’s the mark of success.

Josh Brolin as Cable in Twentieth Century Fox’s “Deadpool 2.” (Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox. TM & © 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Not for sale or duplication.)

Fifth, despite the fun cameos and solid secondary performances, “Deadpool 2” really starts and ends with Ryan Reynolds. In order for Deadpool’s words and actions appeal to anyone other than the most ardent comic fans and complete sociopaths, the character needs to charming and cheeky. That is Reynolds in a nutshell. He can (usually) make even the worst characters palatable – Chris in “Just Friends,” and Will in “Definitely Maybe” come to mind.

Finally, while I enjoy the non-stop jokes and vulgar punchlines, sometimes they came at the expense of telling a more complete story. For instance, a few less jokes and a bit more background on Firefist, would’ve rounded things out nicely.

I feel that the first film, while it dragged a tiny bit at times, did a better job of balancing the jokes, action, and story, whereas the follow-up is pretty much full throttle from beginning to end. If next time out they figure out a way to keep the pedal down while still telling a story outside of the jokes, I’ll be a happy camper.

Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Colossus in Twentieth Century Fox’s (Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox. TM & © 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Not for sale or duplication.)

That said, there’s very little to dislike about “Deadpool 2 – it’s fast, action-packed, funny, and (most of the time) tells an interesting story.

All of that adds up to, dare I say, the best Marvel movie so far in 2018 (apologies to “Black Panther” and “Infinity War”).

★★★★ of ★★★★★