Deadpool 2 (Dir David Leitch, 1h 59m)

 It's fair to say that the original Deadpool, all the way back in 2016, changed cinema. The R-rated film returned with a vengence, not least in comic book movies, as proved by Wolverine's swansong, Logan, and the upcoming Venom, that matches comic book concepts with grittier and more realistic violence. Comic book movies had to match fan-service of a reverent nature with a more self-referential, more deprecating humour. And in the midst of this...Deadpool comes again. If Deadpool proved that the concept of a self-aware, fantastically violent, foul mouthed, but ultimately lovable unkillable superhero could work on a budget of about ten minutes of the average superhero flick, Deadpool 2 brings us more of the same, in truckloads. It's bigger, funnier, smarter, and dare I say it, better than the original.

If the first film proved that Ryan Reynolds was the perfect match for Deadpool, (real name Wade Wilson), then Deadpool 2 cements it-it's almost unthinkable, only two films into playing the character (Wolverine Origins doesn't count...) to see, or hear, anyone else play Deadpool. Even under heavy prosthetics, and especially under the iconic mask, Reynolds is expressive-the costume becomes a part of him, not the other way round. Moreover, Reynold's physicality as Deadpool, both in fights and just in general, is some of the best non-verbal acting I've seen in years. There's a perfect example of this in an excellently shot and extremely funny truck-chase,with Deadpool bent over, ass in the air, using the corpse of a man he's just killed to operate the brake and accelerator, with the camera flipped for a good chunk of this scene before Deadpool realises exactly how difficult this is and changes position. It's thirty seconds of a two hour movie and it sums the character up perfectly, a perfect mix of swaggering action bravado, comic timing, and Wade's unique sense of humour

Moreover, with John Wick's Leitch now directing, the action scenes are choreographed even better than the first film, and with a budget nearly three times that of the original, they're bigger, bolder and bloodier. In the opening scene alone, Deadpool mows down four separate groups of criminals in memorable, and incredibly violent ways, remarking, in the last, that a man running past camera really is on fire-even though each of these scenes lasts just over a minute, they again are excellent little character pieces, with Wade running his mouth off throughout.

However, whilst the first film, mostly on account of its tiny budget, kept things close to Wade, this film certainly expands its scope, without losing the Deadpool focused centre of the film. With Deadpool suffering loss after a personal tragedy, he finds himself, after a botched suicide attempt, in the care of the X-Men, (well, two of the X-Men, Colossus and the incredibly named Negasonic Teenage Warhead), and shortly after, on a mission, caught up in the attempts of futuristic supersoldier Cable (Josh Brolin, in his second Marvel appearance this year, after playing 8-foot tall demicidal gem-collecting philosopher warlord Thanos in Infinity War) to kill a troubled young mutant Russell Collins (Firefist). What follows, surprisingly for a film with a hero as sardonic and cynical as Deadpool, is a film, for all its superhero trimmings, about family.

The relationship between Russell (played by Julian Dennison) is remarkably antagonistic, as well as sharply critical of the concept of abuse of power-the film does not play down the abuse that Russell suffers at the hand of his anti-mutant orphanage, nor does it play down the overtly religious angle of this. As a result, Russell is a vengeful, cold, and antagonistic figure, threatening to burn down the school he's hated, kill its headmaster, and attain real power-it's strange to say it, but not since Mad Max: Fury Road have we had a film that critiques toxic masculinity, and its effect on young men as well as Deadpool 2. Yet, by the end of the film, not only Russell, but Wade, have begun to find a home in their bizarre little group that Wade, rather unoriginally, dubs X-Force.

Cable, for his part, is a man bent on revenge, trying to kill Russell before he "grows a taste for killing", and eventually murders his family. Cable is an interesting figure, and, much like Thanos, Brolin brings a remarkable depth to the character-one can understand his motives, even if one disagrees with them. If Deadpool was lacking anything, it was a foil to Reynolds, and Brolin's utterly poker-face Cable is a gruff, unsmiling, if ultimately sympathetic figure to Wade's clownish ways, and his soft-spot does show in one of the film's most unexpected scenes.

Around this trio are a whole panoply of superheroes, from Colossus, who provides an unexpected shoulder for the grieving Wade to cry on, to Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who now has a girlfriend in what seems like an overdue first, to the X Force themselves, ranging from Domino, an eternally lucky smart-alec, and the sole survivor from a botched rescue of Russell that offs the rest of the team in impressively darkly comic over-the-top deaths, to the less fortunate, ranging from the acid-spitting Zeitgeist, to an utterly powerless man called Peter-the fact that almost all of what amounts to cannon-fodder are played by well-known actors only adds to the whole sense of the film

Because, at the end of the day, Deadpool is still, for all the darker, and more responsible themes that Wade is thrust into during this film, a satire of comic book movies, as well as movies in general. I have not laughed at a film this hard since the first Deadpool movie. From Wade's whole persona, a devil-may-care mercenary who shoots his mouth off almost as much as he fires weapons, to Reynold's nigh complete transformation into the character, to the innumerable touches that range from a James Bond-esque opening complete with utterly ridiculous visuals accompanying a song sung by Canada's next finest export after Mr Reynolds himself, Celine Dion, to a shameless parody of every ominous cinema choir ever (I won't spoil exactly what they sing), to an extended death scene that seems to last forever, with superb comic timing and dialogue, to innumerable pop-culture references that drop at perfect points in the film.

Deadpool 2 is a nearly perfect film. Nearly. There are a couple of details, from the "fridging" of a major character to push Wade forward, to the film's slightly blase view of death and violence at what, in other films would be serious moments, but the package, the complete Mr Wilson, if you will, is such that these feel necessary. Wade's worldview is comically nihilistic, yet in this film he finds, loses, and finds again something to live for. Rarely has a film been so enjoyable, so perfectly weighted, so fun. That is the key thing about Deadpool, as a franchise-it's fun. This is not to say that the Disney Marvel films are not fun, and in the wake of Thor Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1 and 2 , Deadpool 2 feels like it's in the vanguard of a seachange in superhero films.

Not everything has to be serious. There is something, after all, comic about comics, the idea of people in silly outfits with made up names fighting each other in between dealing with the mundane every-day life of living with powers that are not always useful. Deadpool 2 grabs that concept with both hands, hugs it tight, and, pulling its mask up, gives it a loving kiss on the lips. I loved this movie. Every ridiculous second of it. If you loved the first Deadpool, you need to see this, because you will go away even happier than the first film. Guaranteed.

And thus, in honour of this beautiful Canadian-uh, beautiful ridiculous film, I've invented a new category for my film reviews, which I'll retroactively add to a couple of other films that I've reviewed over the past year and a half, films I not only think you need to see, but that I think you need to own, and rewatch time and again. I dub this:

Rating: Must See: Personal Recommendation. 

.