Deadpool 2 (SPOILERS)

He's Back...

Love him, hate him...it doesn't matter. What matters is that the Merc with the Mouth has returned for more wild, wacky escapades. After suffering through a showing that did a massive disservice to the character, Ryan Reynolds got the showing he deserved when the first film came out in 2016. Now, in the year 2018, we have gotten the follow-up to that venture, and was it as good as, or even exceed, the original? Honestly, no, but that doesn't stop this movie from being an enjoyable ride all on its own, and in this post, I will break down what made Deadpool 2 work so well, and what didn't:

UPS

1. Ryan Reynolds still soars as the titular antihero. He retains his witty nature from the first film while also adding some real, raw emotional depth to an otherwise wacky character. It serves to bring a more nuanced performance to the table and one we will not soon forget. 
2. Josh Brolin is awesome as Cable. Though this wasn't his year-defining role (we already know what that was,) Brolin still delivers a solid interpretation of this character, sharing great chemistry with Reynolds and the other members of the cast while having a very dark and tragic backstory surrounding him. Overall, great character who provided some interesting morally grey areas to explore. 
3. There were some neat cameos and surprises in this movie. For example, they actually managed to get the cast of the new X-Men trilogy to stop by for a hilarious gag, and even Brad Pitt got a cameo as an Invisible Mutant who joins the X-Force only to hit a live wire, but the biggest and the best, of course, is that of the MOTHERFUCKING JUGGERNAUT!!! Yep, that's right, he, like Deadpool, got a chance at redemption and it paid off tremendously. 
4. This movie was surprisingly emotional. For starters, Deadpool loses the love of his life, Vanessa, and then there's Cable's whole backstory involving the death of his family at the hands of Russell. These moments truly pushed the movie into darker and edgier territory, and while that kinda came at the cost of some good humor, it still proved to make the movie that much deeper and tense, so it served its purpose well. 
5. Finally, 2 out of the 3 post-credits scenes in this movie were glorious. If there was any better way to laugh at and mock the shortcomings of Ryan Reynolds, THIS was the way to do it. 

DOWNS

1. It wasn't as funny as the original. While I was fine with the darker elements of the plot, I still think it could've had a lot more humor to balance those elements out since this is, well, Deadpool. It doesn't help that it rehashes a lot of jokes from the original, so while a few standout scenes held a laugh here and there, I wasn't too impressed. 
2. The other post-credits scene. Aside from those two mentioned above, this one kinda ruins the movie by having Wade go back in time and save Vanessa, which essentially undoes the whole freaking plot. Again, this is Deadpool, so something that outlandish is plausible in his universe, but still, as he said, that's just lazy writing...
3. No Stan Lee cameo. Granted, the guy is going through a lot right now, but still, his presence is sorely missed :(

OVERALL

I liked Deadpool 2 despite the first one being better. It's always good to see this character in action and I can't wait to see what he does next.

And that's it for this post, guys. Tune in for more on the way :)