Behind the film

'Deadpool 2' is a comedy first and a superhero film second, and it is meant for viewers who enjoy profane, self-referential humor and are comfortable with graphic violence. The jokes break the fourth wall, mock the genre and sometimes mock the film itself. It is a sequel that expects its audience to have seen the first film, and it rewards familiarity with the style.

David Leitch directed, taking over from Tim Miller, who made the first film. The writing credits go to Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds also stars as Wade Wilson and voices Juggernaut. The cast includes Josh Brolin as Cable, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Julian Dennison as Firefist, Zazie Beetz as Domino, T.J. Miller as Weasel, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al and Karan Soni as Dopinder. Tyler Bates wrote the music and Jonathan Sela was the cinematographer. Reynolds' involvement as writer as well as lead is a large part of why the film's voice feels so consistent, since the humor is built around his comic persona.

The sequel outperformed expectations for an R-rated comic-book film. 'Deadpool 2' earned roughly $786 million worldwide on a $110 million budget, a strong return that confirmed the first film's success was not a fluke. For a film that relies on a niche tone and an adult rating, the number shows how large the audience had become.

It follows the 2016 film 'Deadpool' and belongs to the broader X-Men film series, with mutant characters and references that draw on that history. Viewers who have not seen the original should start there, because the sequel assumes the audience already knows its hero. Critics and audiences generally received it well, with praise going to its jokes and its action more than to its story. It is a loud, crude comedy with a surprising amount of attention to the emotional thread running beneath it, and viewers who enjoy that mix will probably find it more satisfying than the usual superhero sequel.