This Guy will forever thank God for Blade: Trinity. Yeah, I said it. Blade: Trinity was a gift. Yes, it’s a terrible movie. Just absolute trash. Like Itchy and Scratchy & Poochie Show levels of bad. That said, it is directly responsible for our beloved Deadpool coming to the big screen, not once, but twice now with Deadpool 2. As the story goes, a producer saw the Merc With The Mouth behind Ryan Reynolds performance as Hannibal King, and dropped a stack of Deadpool comics in his lap. Telling our Canadian boy he seemed tailor-made for the role. And now, just 14 short years later, totally vindicated. Some fans worried his shtick would get old fast, and lead to diminishing returns. But I say ‘nay.’ Deadpool 2 delivers on the hype of its predecessor, and goes balls to the wall in the best ways. Shirt-cocking it the whole time.

“We’re gonna go get our fuck on!”

Deadpool 2 picks up two years after the first. Wade Wilson has made a successful career as Deadpool, acting as a mercenary worldwide. Slicing thugs, dicing mobsters, occasionally chainsawing sex traffickers. After one of these jobs brings an awful tragedy to Wade’s door, he decides that a major crossover event may be in order, and forms the X-Force. Of course, Deadpool and his new friends draw the ire of Cable, a time-traveling badass with murder on the mind, and a sick gun that goes up to 11. What follows is a ludicrous display of slapstick, references, cameos, and ass-kicking action to an occasional Dubstep soundtrack.

After the insane box office banging Deadpool wrought two years back, Fox was a little more liberal with the cash flow for the sequel (its budget reportedly doubled the original). That means, more action, more gun fights, more CGI, and Wade never forgets his gun bag this time around. It was really refreshing getting to see Wade really let loose with less limits. While Deadpool was a great first outing for the character, it did feel much smaller than it could’ve been. Wade has always been a larger than life type of character, and it was nice to see that on the big screen finally. And, in true Deadpool fashion, we can still have bullets flying and swords clanging constantly, without falling into the cliches (which the first film suffered from slightly). Not a single scene is wasted. Even when there’s is a huge CGI brawl at one point, it just fits.

Deadpool 2 is much like Judgment Day is to The Terminator. It’s bigger. It’s badder. But it doesn’t lose any of its heart and soul. There’s always a solid joke or reference or OH MY GOD THE MOST UNEXPECTED CAMEOS EVER to remind you the kind of story this is. It’s terrific.

Of course, superhero sequels mean larger casts, and Deadpool 2 brings in some awesome support for the Merc. Dopinder, Blind Al, and Weasel are all back in full. Dopinder now with a lust for blood after killing his love rival in the last film. Colossus and Negasonic return as the seemingly sole inhabitants of the X-mansion. X-Force recruit, Domino (Zazie Beets) is an absolutely priceless addition to the cast. Her ultra-lucky ass-kicker steals the show multiple times, and fits right into Deadpool’s more zany tones than she would in say, X-Men where the character originated. And of course, Josh “Thanos” Brolin’s turn as the time-traveling Cable is just awesome! he brings the necessary gravitas and stoicism built into the role. But he also has the dry wit and comedic timing to hang with Reynolds’ Deadpool, just how they mesh in their comic run together. Brolin really is shining in these new roles, absolutely nailing two classic characters in the span of a year.

“We need them tough, morally flexible, and young enough to carry a franchise for 10-12 years.”

Of course, Reynolds himself is still the glue keeping this whole beautiful mess together. His natural charisma seeps through his red mask and reaches right out of the screen, just as Deadpool does, repeatedly. Reynolds received a writing credit this time around, meaning a good portion of his dialogue may be attributed to him, which is really cool to see. He’s taking as much ownership over his already iconic role, as Hugh Jackman did for his Wolverine. And he continues to show us all different facets of the character. We get the one-liner dropping badass from time to time. Sometimes, it’s the seemingly inept psycho. And other times we get to look behind the mask, and see a deeply broken man, looking to be whole. Reynolds has had more opportunity to display true acting talent since taking up the Deadpool mask, than in the last five years.

If you think you’ve seen the trailers and know how Deadpool 2 will go, you don’t know shit. This movie doesn’t give it away in the teasers. The best jokes have not been heard. The best action has not been seen. And there are more twists than you’d expect for a comedy superhero flick. I will just advise ahead of time, yes, there is a post-credits scene. You will still be surprised. Trust me. Go in as blind as possible (Deadpool has the cure anyway, next to his cocaine) and enjoy.

This Guy Scores It: 8/10