Deadpool 2 (2018)

When I watched the first Deadpool, I ended up giving it a 6/10. It was funny, it was violent, it entertained me, but I don't really remember much of it. I felt like it was loaded with jokes and references and meta-humor, to the point where it felt like overkill. I also don't really remember what the plot was, something about an experimental cancer cure and a kidnapped girlfriend, I don't know. I took my time to get to Deadpool 2, and I was pleasantly surprised at the fact that I preferred a sequel to the original.

This time around, the plot is crammed with a lot more, involving revenge, redemption, and time travel. Things are a bit convoluted, and the movie breaks the fourth wall at times to acknowledge this. If you strip away some of the clutter, I felt like this story was just a stronger story than in the first movie. I liked seeing more of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, I liked more of Weasel and Dopinder, and I really liked the additions of Cable and Domino (hello to my latest crush, Zazie Beetz).

The last movie suffered from too-much-jokes syndrome, and I think taking a few moments of levity helped. I still laughed out loud a bunch, I still liked the meta-references, but giving a few breaks here and there strengthened things. What really stood out was the ability to really strip away the jokes at times, bringing actual heart to the character and his relationships, all without ruining the pace of the movie. One moment Wade Wilson is struggling to cope with loss, the next minute he's going full Winnie the Pooh.

I'm interested to see the future of the franchise. The typical approach is for a trilogy for individual characters, then appearances in the larger universe ensemble pieces. With Deadpool, though, they really could just keep doing random one-off stories for as long as Ryan Reynolds wants to. Bringing in the time travel aspect with Cable really opens things up to do literally whatever they want.