Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War is breaking box office records all over the world. It has, so far, raked in $552 million in the United States alone and had drawn more than one billion dollars internationally. That’s certainly no chump change! It’s bringing in a lot of money for Marvel and Disney because people are willing to watch it over and over again, which isn’t hard to believe as critics and audiences worldwide also give it tremendous high praise. All of that praise is highly deserved as it is a fantastic film and, as one of those people who actually paid to see Infinity War twice already, can safely say it holds up even after repeated viewings.

Infinity War is not only one of the best superhero films ever made but just one of the best movies ever made, period. So, what superhero would want to release their own film hot on the heels of one of the best movies ever? I’ve got two words for you: Deadpool… wait. That’s one word, isn’t it?

Okay, let me get this out of the way early and say this is going to be a SPOILER FREE review. I know it’s already written on the top but it just bears repeating and it is important because, strangely enough, there is a lot of things to reveal in Deadpool 2. But I won’t… because this review is SPOILER FREE.

Deadpool 2 once again has Ryan Reynolds taking on the role of the Merc with A Mouth as he faces off against Cable, a no-nonsense warrior from the future. Cable comes from the future and he plans to kill a young teen with mutant abilities. Well, that’s the basic plot in a nutshell but there’s actually a lot more going on but that all I can say without delving into spoiler territory. Suffice to say, a lot more happens in this film and the plot does take a few twists and turns throughout its 119-minute runtime.

Sadly, the twisty plot is one of the weaker points of Deadpool 2. Hate to start the review on a downer but it’s one of the film’s most glaring issues. It’s not a jumbled mess by any stretch of the imagination but Deadpool 2 does tend to jump from story thread to story thread. The film does a respectable job in tying things together as a whole but the entire pacing feels really inconsistent. Let’s just say the story doesn’t hit the ground running but it does a really brisk walk instead.

Thankfully, that’s pretty much the worst thing I can say about Deadpool 2 because the rest of the film is positively delightful in all other aspects. Deadpool isn’t known as the Merc with A Mouth for nothing and he still spouts off a lot of funny lines and breaks the fourth wall very often. Not all of the jokes do land but the majority of them do. They also do come at a blistering rate so you may have to really pay attention and listen really intently to what Deadpool is saying, though. As a lot of the humor is derived from pop culture references, movie tropes, comic books and other superhero films from both the DC and Marvel universes, a person who really into those kinds of stuff will get the most enjoyment out of them. Still, there is enough “normal” humor here for someone who isn’t aware of those things will still get a laugh or two.

Ryan Reynolds once again behind the mask in Deadpool 2 and, once again, he nails the tone of the character perfectly. He manages to give Deadpool the right kind of snark and immaturity that makes him come to life. I can’t really picture Deadpool being played by someone else other than Ryan Reynolds at this point. I just have to pity the poor sap who gets roped into doing the eventual Deadpool film reboots that they’ll be making five or ten years from now. Oh, you know they’ll so something like that!

The rest of the supporting cast also do a superb job with their roles but there are three standouts and those are Karan Soli as the hapless taxi driver and tag along Dolpinder, Zazie Beets as the probability bending mutant Domino and Josh Brolin as the cybernetically enhance soldier from the future Cable. Dolpinder was one of my favorite characters from the first Deadpool as they gave this character a fantastic backstory and in Deadpool 2 he’s back as just as lovable as he was in the first film.

Speaking of lovable, I loved this iteration of Domino as she came off as incredibly confident, almost to the point of being cocky and Zazie Beets pulls off a very convincing performance in this aspect. It may not be in line with the character from the comic but it does work here. And while I’ve already given Josh Brolin some high praise for his Thanos performance in Infinity War, he does play the perfect straight man to Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool here. I honestly wish I could give more praise to the rest of the cast but they didn’t get as much screen time as the three I mentioned.

With the first Deadpool becoming a smash hit, it only made sense that they would give the sequel a much bigger budget and you can see that bigger budget from the action scenes and sets. Deadpool 2 seems a whole lot bigger and more bombastic this time around, with some complex action scenes and better fight choreography. Even though I thought the story can be slow at times, the action certainly isn’t as they’re really exciting and fast paced. The special effects, on the other hand, are kind of inconsistent. As with any other superhero film, they used a lot of special effects and CGI here and while some of them look excellent, like the scenes that prominently feature Domino’s use of her luck mutant ability, there are others that look bad. There are a couple of CGI characters that kind of take a dip in the uncanny valley, if you know what I mean.

As it is the superhero movie coming right after the phenomenal Infinity War, there will be some people comparing that film to Deadpool 2. I think it’s an exercise in foolishness as the two have radically different concepts. Infinity War is more like a traditional superhero film, with the story focused more on the action and seriousness of saving the galaxy. Deadpool is more concentrated in subverting the “normal” superhero film and delivering quippy one-liners and jokes. So comparing Deadpool 2 and Infinity War would be like comparing apples and oranges. What I can compare Deadpool 2 to is the the first film andit’s just not as good as Deadpool’s initial outing.

That’s not to say Deadpool 2 is terrible. Not in the least! But, besides in the special effects department, the first Deadpool is just superior in practically every way by a notch or two. The jokes were better and there were more fourth wall breaks then. The story was more intimate and pacing was better. Even the action sequences were much more visceral and gritty. It feels like the first Deadpool film took a whole lot more risk and they had to get more creative with it because of the lower budget. Deadpool 2 feels a little more aligned with other “traditional” superhero films in the sense that all of the crassness were toned down a smidge. It still earns its Rated-R rating but it’s a much “softer” film when compared to the deliciously violent and dark humor from the first Deadpool.

With that being said, Deadpool’s second outing is still a great watch and a very enjoyable film all around. I actually got the first Deadpool film on Blu-Ray and I am looking forward to getting Deadpool 2 as well once it’s released. If you liked the first film, you’ll like Deadpool 2. If you like good movies (and really, who doesn’t), you like it as well. Oh, and if you hated X-Men: Origins and Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern, you’ll want to stay for the credits scene. Is that a spoiler? I can never tell.

Have you seen Deadpool 2? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!