Movie review: Deadpool 2

Ryan Reynolds has very big shoes to fill - his own.

The question on every Marvel fan's mind is: Will Deadpool 2, arriving three weeks after Avengers: Infinity War, be able to knock the Marvel juggernaut off the box-office chart?

The 2016 original was a financial and critical winner, earning over US$783 million (S$1.05 billion) worldwide, and became the highest-grossing X-Men film of all time. It even got two Golden Globe nominations.

Reynolds gives his all as the "Merc with a Mouth" anti-hero Wade Wilson, and the irreverent humour that made the first movie a hit is still there.

Ditto the action, (though with more gore, thanks to Leitch who did John Wick and Atomic Blonde) and X-Men snarking, specifically at Wolverine.

What's new this time is the formation of X-Force, Deadpool's version of the X-Men.

Who they are and what happens to them are for you to discover, but do look out for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo from someone famous.

Zazie Beetz also shines as Domino, a femme fatale whose superpower is being lucky.

Reynolds was instrumental in making Deadpool a success, and this time is no different.

His decision to cast 16-year-old newcomer Julian Dennison is spot-on. The Kiwi's role is pivotal, not only in terms of the story, but also because it is the debut of a plus-sized superhero.

The teen has many stand-out moments - both dramatic and comedic - as a mutant kid with fiery superpowers.

How Reynolds handpicked Dennison is interesting too - after seeing the teenager in Taika Waititi's 2016 hit Hunt For The Wilderpeople.

Reynolds got to know Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, when they co-starred in 2011's Green Lantern.

Having already captured a huge fan base as Thanos, Josh Brolin's turn as Cable, a Terminator-like mutant from the future, will definitely boost his movie superhero street cred.

His beefed-up baddie and Dennison steal the thunder from Reynolds, and that's great as Reynolds' wise-cracking shtick can get annoying after a while.

Stay for the closing credits. You won't regret it.

Ratings: 3/5