“From the studio that killed Wolverine?” Come on, you can do better than that. How about, “From the studio that expects us to forget about Daredevil, Elektra, Fantastic Four, and Fant4stic?”

With the first Deadpool being one of the highest-grossing R-rated films ever, a sequel being made was as inevitable as Deadpool throwing another sex joke in the film. And initially, I thought the chances of it sucking was just as high.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the first Deadpool, everything other than the character himself was rather predictable and fairly by the numbers. Good for a 109 minute long character film, but rather bad for a second movie. Troubled production news didn’t help either, as the initial director left the project due to differences in ideas.

Yet despite the America-sized smug grin that’s probably on Ryan Reynold’s face right now, I have to concede the truth: Deadpool 2 is f***ing fantastic.

Starring the guy who once was Green Lantern and directed by the guy who made a Keanu Reeves action film that did not suck, Deadpool 2 follows the “hero’s” journey of Wade Wilson, aka Deathstroke – I mean, Deadpool – and the shenanigans he has to go through as a mercenary. Oh yeah, and there’s also a guy from the future with a metal arm, aka Terminator + The Winter Soldier + the actor who played Thanos in Infinity War.

The biggest thing about this film is of course the comedy. I think we now have to create a new classification of comedy under the title “ONLY DEADPOOL.” After all, only Deadpool can take shots at lazy writing and get away with it. Only Deadpool can cue dubstep to play in the middle of his fight scenes. Only Deadpool can lovingly fondle a muscle man made of metal. And only Deadpool can take shots at the DC universe and NOT incite war on reddit.

But it’s not like the other characters are devoid of comedy either. In fact, some of the best comedic moments come from the newly formed X-force, including the lucky girl Domino (Who says luck can’t be cinematic?). The X-force scene in the middle is possible where I laughed the most, and I get the feeling that would be the case for many. Well, that and every scene with Dopinder in it. You’ll see what I mean.

Yet what’s more noticeable about the comedy this time around is just how well it’s balanced, because the actual story of Deadpool 2 this time around takes a fittingly dark and surprisingly heartfelt tone. In all honestly it should have clashed like neon green against black with the comedy, but they meshed quite well together, to the point where I could organically go between crying and laughing so hard that the guy next to me had to perform the heimlich maneuver on me to get the popcorn out of my throat in an instant.

…thank you by the way, unknown guy next to me.

Perhaps that’s due to the fact about just how good of a character Wade Wilson is here. He’s a wisecracking mercenary, but he’s also a man with scars beyond his “avocado having sex with an older avocado”-looking face. And it plays off incredibly well with the new character Cable, and their dynamic is what drives the main branch of the story.

That, and another new character named Russel Collins, aka Firefist, and – could you come up with a lazier name for a character, Stan Lee? What they choose to do with him is honestly quite brilliant and integral to Wade’s character arc, but I’d rather have you guys see it for yourselves than spoiling it.

Fox was also far more bold with its budget compared to the last one, with each fight scene being louder and more bombastic than the previous. Now they can afford to have a truck chase, skydiving, a CGI brawl, a duel in a prison with dubstep in the background – bet Cable hates that. No, this isn’t a Transformerskind of thing where there’s just noise onscreen; each scene is vibrant, full of color, humor, and most of all, energy.

And that’s what I’d call this film: pure, undiluted, energy. If the first film was more of an introduction and a reassurance that Deadpool onscreen is a great idea, this film counts that you’re fully in for the ride and sweeps you along.

Honestly it’s difficult to be in a critical mindset when watching this film, which is probably why this review is rather vague. I would say more about just how many times this film made me laugh, gush, and even feel a bit of heart, but that would spoil too many great moments for you guys, and I don’t want that. Believe me, I would go on far longer than my college essay if I chose to recount every moment I loved from DP2.

Is it a “better” film than the first? Who knows, and honestly, who cares? If a film is this enjoyable, then it’s fulfilled its job as a film. Deadpool 2 is a triple-layer cake of laughs and adrenaline, and I believe anyone can get at least some bit of enjoyment out of it. So stop reading some random guy on the internet, get off your seat, go to the theater, and watch this movie.

PS: Stay for the mid-credits. You’ll thank me later.

Final Verdict: A+