Deadpool 2 ups the ante

You have probably heard this a lot since the first movie came out, so much so that it may sound a little clichéd to you, but no other character in the superhero genre has had as perfect a casting as Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds is an actor so imbibed into the skin of the character that you will happily buy a ticket just to see him do his usual shtick.

Walking into the theatre, I was expecting a story that was about the "Merc with a mouth" forming a team to protect a mutant teenager from a time-travelling mercenary. But in reality, it is about the journey of self-realisation for Wade Wilson (and Dopinder). There is a surprising amount of emotional thread to keep you hooked into it. I could not help but appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in the movie to pick out such a relatable context and put a superhero spin on it.

The movie starts by reassuring the fans that this is a proper family flick, but in a fashion that does justice to the R-rating. And by the end of it, the movie delivers on its promise in spectacular fashion. The second instalment of the already beloved franchise takes everything that worked in the first film and doubles down on it, albeit with the introduction of something more, including a solid plot.

With new director David Leitch at the helm, Deadpool 2 seamlessly dives into the narrative and takes the fans on a rollercoaster ride, banking on the performances of a brilliant cast, especially Zazie Beetz as Domino. The promotional campaign gave little away, and even played mind games with the kind of role Cable would be playing. I do not want to ruin anything for you, but I will tell you that Cable is given a good enough back-story (or a future-story?) and is instrumental in the film's final act.

But even if you do not care about the story and just want more of the same like the character's first solo outing, you are in for a treat as well. The movie is like Santa Claus, only this time he's handing out pop culture references one after another, an all you can figure out extravaganza. There were times when I missed one reference because I was busy laughing to another delivered seconds ago. Throw in some jabs at other comic book characters, surprise cameo appearances, a sequence with Deadpool regenerating/healing, more fourth wall breaks and you get the perfect movie to blow off some steam after the bad feeling in your stomach you've had since Avengers: Infinity War.

At 119 minutes of runtime, the movie hardly looks to take a break from the exhilarating, over-the-top CGI action with smash-mouth dialogues. But that is why not only movie-goers but hard-core comic book fans as well fell in love with the live action movie adaptation in the first place. DO stick around for the post credits scenes, they are gold.