MOVIE THEATER REVIEW: “Deadpool 2” stars Ryan Reynolds (R.I.P.D., The Proposal), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War, Sicario), Morena Baccarin (Gotham [TV series], Serenity), Zazie Beetz (Atlanta [TV series], Applesauce), Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Shopping), Brianna Hildebrand (Tragedy Girls, The Exorcist [TV series]), T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley [TV series], Big Hero 6), Karan Soni (Safety Not Guaranteed, Office Christmas Party), Leslie Uggams (Roots [TV mini-series], Black Girl), Stefan Kapicic (Counterpart [TV series], Tears for Sale), and Rob Delaney (Catastrophe [TV series], Burning Love [TV series]). It was directed by David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, John Wick), while the screenplay was written by Rhett Reese (Zombieland, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Paul Wernick (Life, Deadpool), and Ryan Reynolds. Wade Wilson (Reynolds) returns as the Merc with a Mouth in this follow-up to the 2016 comedy-superhero flick. When a half-cyborg named Cable (Brolin) comes from the future on a mission to kill, it is up to Deadpool and a newfound team to stop him at all costs.

Finally, I saw a film on opening night…and it was “Deadpool 2.” Why? Well, I guess the question is “why not?” The trailers seemed alright and the reviews were solid, so there shouldn’t be harm in watching a raunchy flick at 7 p.m. (considering how midnight releases are no longer a thing). Before I dive into this analysis, let me make one thing clear: if you enjoy comedies for comedy-sake, then you are going to enjoy this. However, if you are looking for substance, you may be barking up the wrong tree. We all know “Deadpool” is about jokes-over-story. The first release had a narrative with a goal in mind (kill Kevin), but outside of that it was mainly a meta, f-word fest of all things crazy. Now, “Deadpool 2” goes bigger and bolder, throwing shade to even more topics and breaking fourth wall more times than anyone can count. It was an insane thrill-ride with no stops, and it tended to go all over the place. Without spoiling it, the film is essentially a string of jokes traveling a mile a minute. There’s pop culture references galore and plenty of pot shots at Ryan Reynolds as an actor to keep you delighted. I laughed, way more than I did with the first feature, and will admit to having more fun. Everything that took place, between starting the X-Force and fighting Cable, were all made for the butt of a joke; as long as you approach this flick knowing that, you’ll have a blast of a time. The performances are solid, the score is interesting (for lack of a better word), the visual effects are awesome, and the cinematography is radical. Really, it’s just mindless entertainment that is wickedly well-made. Stepping away from the jokes, however, and we have a problem. For starters, the plot is completely formulaic. It resembles the first feature, starting with Deadpool telling a story to catch you up to speed and seeing him walk the tightrope of what’s good and evil throughout the runtime’s course. Nothing was unpredictable outside of most of the jokes (which were, for the most part, probably improved), making a rather flat adventure when taking away the colorful humor. Even the villain wasn’t as spectacular as I wanted him to be, just like the first film (though Cable is a heck of a lot cooler than a guy named Kevin). You could argue against my opinion, because he does receive a good amount of character development that doesn’t make him one-dimensional, but I would’ve preferred him to be more ruthless than he ended up being. My same issue with “Deadpool” is resonate with its sequel: just because you make fun of cliché plot devices doesn’t mean that it’s an excuse to have them yourself. Of course, this movie tries to develop its characters further, even by having some emotional moments, but they are few and far between. I liked the chemistry amongst these characters and the jokes were hilarious for the most part, but the story didn’t hold enough meat to award it anything major. On top of that, there were a few times where this movie crossed the line. Hardly do I ever make light of films that do this, but “Deadpool” became sacrilegious quite a few times, starting with a distasteful “Passion of the Christ” joke. Like I stated before, I won’t spoil anything for you all, but the joke that was given certainly wasn’t need to be taken in the direction it went, and since then the movie poked fun at Christianity a few more times (in some scenes, Deadpool called himself God). Some of you may consider me a nut or anal about this stuff, but to me it was unsettling and uncalled for; no matter how foul-mouthed and unfiltered Deadpool is as a character, I know there’s some writer typing this crap up when he looks at the screen to crack a joke (and filmmakers to call “print”). There’s my soap box moment, sorry about that. Overall, “Deadpool 2” does a better job at making me laugh more than its predecessor; it’s even a heck of a lot more entertaining. If only it built on the first one’s mistakes and made for a more heartier story, we’d be dealt a more wonderful experience. FINAL SCORE: 84%= Juicy Popcorn

Here is the trailer: