Welcome back to Sound Off!, a semi-regular column where members of Speculative Chic gather together to chat about the latest BIG THING in entertainment. This time, break the fourth wall and discuss Deadpool 2, which premiered in the United States on Friday, May 18, 2018.

Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After all, while we are all individuals, even mutual love of something (or hate) can come from different places: you may find everything from critique to fangirling to maybe even hate-watching.

Now, join J.L. Gribble, Nancy O’Toole Meservier, and Casey Price as they talk about Deadpool 2. [Note: The first two reviews are spoiler free, but Casey ruins all after the big red warning!]

J.L.: I’m not quite sure what I expected from the first Deadpool movie, but I definitely got it. I expected more of the same from Deadpool 2, and what I got this time was an absolutely blast. This movie was hyper-violent, laugh-out-loud funny, and full of all the fourth-wall breaking I could handle. As someone who thoroughly enjoys all things meta, I was looking forward especially to much mocking of Logan/Hugh Jackman and for Deadpool to call Cable “Thanos” at least once. I was supremely satisfied on both accounts.

Because this movie went to such ridiculous lengths during its advertising, there came a point that I wasn’t sure what would actually be in the movie. Of course, this means that everything I thought for sure wouldn’t make the cut was absolutely a relevant plot point to the storyline, and then some.

Deadpool 2 did not pass the Bechdel test (note my shocked expression), but one of the highlights of the film for me was definitely the character of Domino. She was fun and brash and, despite hints of a tragic past, did not carry the weight of anger and angst that we see in so many other female superheroes. As much as Deadpool mocks her power of “luck,” the ways in which her luck manifests through multiple epic fight scenes is some of the cleverest writing I’ve seen on screen in a long time.

In fact, all of the writing in this film was top-notch, which is not something you necessarily expect from such a ridiculous franchise. I might even dare to say “award-worthy,” except we all know how much the big awards hate superheroes. And fun.

To wrap it all up, the timing of this movie’s release was near-perfect. This was an excellent palate cleanser after the angst of Infinity War, and just what I needed to remind myself that at least some of my favorite superheroes are indestructible.

(Cue Deadpool leaning in from offscreen to gleefully remind me that Wolverine died in Logan.)

Nancy: The first Deadpool movie is one of my favorite superhero movies of all time. Every time I watch it, I find myself amazed at how expertly the film manages to balance the rapid-fire humor with action, romance, and even horror elements. Going into Deadpool 2, I knew that there was no way that it could be as good as the first one. And you know what, it’s not. But that doesn’t change the fact that I still had a lot of fun.

Deadpool 2 is a movie that that’s not afraid to take your expectations and take a huge metaphorical shit on them. Unlike what the trailers strongly suggest, this isn’t necessarily a “putting the team together” type of superhero romp, with a bunch of Deadpool’s trademark humor thrown. There’s a lot more going on here. And yes, there are times, early on, when the results can make the film look aimless (not to mention that there are certain decisions that made me awfully grumpy!), but when the film does end up finding its focus, it really works, even if some of the CG looks pretty rough for a movie in this budget tier.

What does end up working consistently, from beginning to end, is Deadpool himself. Ryan Reynolds is clearly an actor that gets Wade Wilson as a character — from his infectious sense of humor to his complex place on the morality scale. After seeing him tackle the character twice now and succeed with flying colors, I can’t honestly picture anyone else ever playing him. Another thing that works well is the humor. While the biggest laughs come from Deadpool himself (OMG the references to other superhero media are amazing!), he doesn’t necessarily hog all the spotlight, with pretty much everyone getting a few good jokes in. And while the side cast isn’t always necessarily used to its fullest, everyone seems pretty well cast here. I was particularly happy to see the return of Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead. For the newcomers, Josh Brolin doesn’t blow me out of the water like he did as Thanos, but I was happy with his performance as Cable. Also, I ended up liking Russell, played by Julian Dennisson, a lot more than I thought I would based on the trailers.

Deadpool 2 doesn’t live up to the standards set up by its predecessors. The story isn’t as strong, and the cast isn’t balanced as well. But just like the first Deadpool film, it’s an incredibly gutsy movie that’s not afraid to play with the audience’s expectations. As per usual, don’t leave the theater when the movie stops! There are a couple of mid-credit scenes that are both hilarious and important, plot-wise.

Cable demands your silence! (Spoilers below the poster.)

Casey: Deadpool is easily one of my favorite movies. I tried hard not to have too many expectations as I went in to see Deadpool 2. I vowed to judge it for what it was, rather than be petty about what it wasn’t. I shouldn’t have worried.

What I got from Deadpool 2 was more. More ridiculous humor, more sarcasm, more delightful little Easter eggs, and more characters to love.

My one beef was that Vanessa didn’t get to do much in the movie except die and then hang out waiting for Wade in the afterlife. Yes, it’s a comic book universe, and nobody can really stay dead forever, but I love Morena Baccarin. I was really looking forward to seeing her in action this time around. Also, the gravity of her death was kind of diminished for me when Cable and his trusty time-travel gadget showed up. I figured that they’d find a way to bring back Vanessa, and they did, but not until the after-the-credits coda. I’m not sorry that she ultimately survived, I just want to see her actually get out there and do something.

Now that that’s out of the way, I had a great time with this movie. I loved the opening montage of Deadpool in his “nine to five” routine (and somebody needs to get me an action figure of him in that stripper disguise — complete with the heels, of course). The quips were as on-point as the first film. I cackled when Wade pulled up the floorboard and retrieved some cocaine…right next to the “cure for blindness” that he mentioned to Blind Al way back when (which begs the question…IS this a cure for blindness? Because you can never tell what’s actually real when you’re in a comic universe).

Josh Brolin was perfect as Cable. He was a great foil for Wade, and his touching sacrifice to use the last charge on his time travel device to make sure that Wade lived was incredibly noble. I hope that we see more of him.

The X Force…the tragic, ill-fated X Force. I love that the movie poked fun at the whole “let’s make a super team!” trope with the entire team, except Domino, biting it HARD on their first mission. I was so amused when the as-yet-unseen Vanisher hopped out of the helicopter with everyone else. That seemingly empty parachute just going along with everything else was a great sight gag, until it turned out that the Vanisher was real, and yes, that was Brad Pitt you saw getting electrocuted.

As for Domino, she is exactly what this franchise needed. She can keep up with Wade quip for quip, hold her own in battle, think on her feet, and has a marvelous sunny outlook on life. I suppose that when one can manipulate luck, one gets that personality.

I waited two years for this movie. I wasn’t a bit disappointed. Now, when’s the next one?