Leigh Paatsch review: Deadpool sequel doesn’t disappoint

FEEL free to issue one long, satisfying sigh of relief — Deadpool 2 is every bit as great and grotesquely funny as the original.

FIRST of all, feel free to issue one long, satisfying sigh of relief.

For Deadpool 2 is every bit as great, grating and grotesquely funny as the original.

Perhaps even more so once this two-hour sequel takes everything up a notch in a superior second half.

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A scene from the new Deadpool 2 film. Picture: Supplied

Now take a deep breath and relax. Well, maybe not relax, but don’t go into Deadpool 2 expecting the same reckless rush to hit you right between the eyes from the get-go.

The new movie isn’t as nervy, needy or desperate to leave an instant impression like its predecessor.

This Deadpool, comparatively speaking, takes its time to carefully build momentum before busting out the berserk big guns you’ve come to see.

When Deadpool 2 does really hit its stride in its searingly silly second hour, the results speak for themselves.

While relatively measured in its release of reckless energy, the sequel does not mess with what made the title character — and his alter ego Wade Wilson — such a radical departure from any costumed crime fighter we have seen before.

Deadpool — the man, the motormouth and the mess of contradictions — continues to subvert, invert and, yes, pervert the natural order of screen superheroes.

This image released shows Ryan Reynolds in a scene from Deadpool 2. Picture: Supplied

A lengthy pre-credits opening begins with Deadpool dissing Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine for dying in his own movie (Logan) last year, before then attempting to blow himself to smithereens in a room full of combustible commodities.

The reason why Deadpool (played once again by Ryan Reynolds with just the right/wrong notes of panache, arrogance and rapid-fire wit) has such a definitive death wish is something we cannot go into here.

So let’s fast-forward to the part of the plot where a strong, diverse and fascinating array of new characters are thrown into the fray.

Primary villain duties are handed to Cable (Josh Brolin, also the principal bad guy in the recent Avengers: Infinity War), a time-travelling mercenary who has arrived in the 21st century to end the life of someone who may one day one day become a mass murderer.

Then there is Russell (Julian Dennison, aka the chubby kid from the NZ hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople), a teenage mutant still learning to master his skills as a fire thrower.

A still from Deadpool 2, the latest in the Marvel franchise. Picture: Supplied

Shioli Kutsuna, left, and Brianna Hildebrand in a scene from Deadpool 2. Picture: Supplied

As a bond of sorts begins to develop between young Russell and the older, not-so-wiser Wade/Deadpool, an all-new mutant fighting force dubbed the X-Force (one of many jabs Deadpool takes at the X-Men franchise throughout the movie) gathers around them.

A skydiving sequence that details the first assignment for the X-Force is one of the truly hilarious sections of Deadpool 2. It is also here that we meet the new movie’s breakout character: Domino (played by Zazie Beetz of TV’s Atlanta), a feisty femme fighter whose only superpower is luck.

(Also be sure to keep your eyes trained for a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it reveal during the aforementioned X-Force sky dive. A previously invisible member of the team turns out to be played by a major movie star you’ll never guess the identity of.)

Even at a generous running time of 120 minutes, Deadpool 2 still packs a stack of fresh, fast and furious material into the mix, which all but guarantees hard line fans will up for a repeat viewing sooner than later.

As for the trademark, trash-talking torrent of jokes that drew so many towards the Deadpool franchise in the first place, let’s just say the humour remains as vicious as it is viscous: the best lines cut straight to the funny bone, yet stick in your mind long afterwards.

Deadpool 2 opens tomorrow (Wednesday) in cinemas around Australia.

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DEADPOOL 2 (MA15+)

Director: David Leitch (John Wick)

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, Bill Skarsgard, T.J. Miller, Rob Delaney.

Rating: ***1/2

More trash, more flash, more splash