For anyone who felt the first Deadpool movie lacked depth, this sequel kills off Deadpool’s girlfriend in the opening scenes, sending the gobby, indestructible superhero down a path of self-destruction. That is until a Terminator-style set-up sees Deadpool play protector to a wayward mutant child of whom he saves from instant death at the hands of Cable (Josh Brolin), a fierce robotic death machine from the future. Most of the running time is devoted to violence and wise-cracking, brushing over important details like, who the hell is Cable? Much of the fourth-wall-breaking pot-shots are aimed at Marvel Studios and their X-Men franchise, or Ryan Reynolds’ haphazard career, and although it’s still funny, many of these gags were in the first film. Also, a recurring dubstep joke and references to Frozen might work for some teenagers, but it’s hardly the most topical of zingers. With former stuntman David Leitch as director (or, as he’s credited in the opening credits, ‘the guy who killed John Wick’s dog’), you would be right to expect the same visceral, grounded pugilism last seen in Leitch’s Atomic Blonde. At times, the film delivers on that promise, but Marvel’s devotion to CGI is never too far behind, and the giant mutant battles and weightless destruction does sometimes overwhelm the film. However, as long as Reynolds remains sassy and smug without being too overbearing, then there’s still life in this spandex franchise.

AKA: Once Upon a Deadpool (USA cut version).