When the Merc with a Mouth got his first standalone film in 2016, its subversive technique to the superhero genre, a love for breaking the fourth wall, and a full-on welcome of the possibilities of an adults-only rating enabled Deadpool to produce something that was both distinct and unexpected. Since then, thanks to Deadpool’s success or merely as an organic coincidence, other superhero movies have pressed further on all three fronts– Taika Waititi crafted a practically Marvel parody in Thor: Ragnarok, The Lego Batman Motion picture was ruthless in its self-referencing, and James Mangold made excellent usage of the age ranking to provide us the best Wolverine movie in Logan.

It’s this environment that Deadpool 2 finds itself in, with a near difficult job on its hands. It has to not just fix the issues of the very first chapter– its ‘have your cake and eat it too’ approach frequently led it to strike the beats of a basic superhero film, while declaring to send up the category– and prevent the features of “going larger” with sequels, however it likewise needs to deliver on fan expectations in a fresh method, without seeming like a cash-in on the unanticipated appeal of the original. Deadpool 2 does not manage to inspect all those boxes, however it’s clever enough to know why individuals enjoyed the Character so much, and leans into that.

An essential part of Deadpool, the film and the character, were its meta-jokes and ironical delivery. Ryan Reynolds, the actor behind the titular anti-hero, was important to the latter for apparent factors in the very first chapter, and he comprehends his character so well that he co-wrote the follow up with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the co-writers of Deadpool. That’s unusual for movies of this scale, and Fox granting Reynolds more imaginative control caused the departure of director Tim Miller– he apparently desired a more stylised follow-up instead of Reynolds’ focus on the x-rated funny– who was replaced by John Wick and Atomic Blonde director David Leitch.

Deadpool 2 reveals that Reynolds had the right concept, with the movie’s continuous damaging of the significant stress powering some of its best moments, most of which includes fourth-wall-breaking recommendations from Deadpool that poke fun at a selection of pop culture, from running gags involving the DC universe and Frozen, the terms and origins of X-Men, calling Josh Brolin’s brand-new character Thanos since he played him in Avengers: Infinity War, to even the success of the first movie and the past failures of Reynolds himself (right up until the very end in a mid-credits scene).

Where the original skewered superhero organisation, the follow up likewise skewers the concept of superhero team-ups in the humorous style you ‘d expect a Deadpool movie to do. Having taken a trip the world as a worldwide assassin since the events of the very first film, Deadpool returns house and suffers a close blow, and it falls to Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) to revive his spirits by making him an X-Men trainee. However he soon gets himself into more problem, and when a time-travelling cybernetic soldier Cable (Brolin) travels back in time to hunt a young pyrokinetic mutant Russell (Julian Dennison, from Hunt for the Wilderpeople), he has no option but to obtain involved.

Understanding he’ll need more than his own capabilities, Deadpool hires other mutants to fight together with him– they include the likes of Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Bill Skarsgård (It), Lewis Tan (Iron Fist), Rob Delaney (Catastrophe) and a split-second cameo from a famous actor we don’t wish to ruin– and offers the group a gender-neutral name: X-Force. But it’s not the cast and the characters they play that are fascinating– other than when it comes to Beetz, whose role as Domino is enjoyable thanks to her uncommon not-so-super superpower: luck– but rather how hilariously Deadpool 2 overthrows what you expect from a superhero group montage, leading the way for among its most unexpected moments.

Regrettably, for all the film’s efforts to overturn the formula, Deadpool 2 is still rather routine fare in other locations. For one, the plot and the method it advances is straightforward; it borrows from Rian Johnson’s 2012 sci-fi thriller Looper, which performed it better. Two, the sequel deals in worn-out tropes, clichés, and outdated stereotypes: there are cases of fridging, middle-aged white men bring deep scars, and backgrounding the inclusive supporting cast. Though Negasonic is revealed as freely lesbian this time around, she’s barely in the movie; and her Japanese sweetheart is given three words to speak on repeat.

Three, regardless of having Leitch as the director, a former stuntman whose previous films are much better known for their stylistic action choreography instead of plot intricacies and character work, Deadpool 2 cannot light up in that specific element. Except a couple of sequences involving Domino showcasing how fortunate she is and a face-off in between Deadpool and Cable, much of the action is generic. And 4, the sequel, similar to its predecessor, has little to state thematically and takes the most on-the-nose approach of communicating its message through narration: it’s about the family you choose, simply as in the Fast and Furious franchise, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Luckily, the movie isn’t made worse in India by the CBFC (or the censor board, as it’s often called). In the face of everybody’s expectations– including this critic– Deadpool 2 is nowhere as severely censored in India as the first one, which is fantastic. The very first non-muted delivery of the f-word was greeted with shock and surprise at the premiere screening, and the movie likewise keeps much of its gore and violence, with few noticeable cases of things being blurred or outright cuts. That audiences in India can delight in an A-rated motion picture on the cinema the way it’s suggested to be seen is uncommon indeed.

Even with its previously mentioned problems, Deadpool 2 is an improvement upon the initial. That’s thanks to its understanding of exactly what makes the character so likeable– the blend of humour thanks to constant self-awareness– despite his bloody actions, in combination with Reynolds’ mastery of the character that seems like his 2nd skin, and a desire to be emotionally sincere sometimes in the middle of all the joking. There are a couple of things all that meta-referencing can’t solve– a bland CG fight or narrative shortcut is still that, even if Deadpool indicate it– however when it’s such fun for the most part (minus a rough second act), it’s tough not to be swept away.

Deadpool 2 is out May 18 in the US and around the world. There are two mid-credits scenes, feel free to leave after those.

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