Deadpool 2 film review: Dead funny sequel for masked Marvel clown

It is relentless, occasionally exhausting but frequently hilarious.

Among all the mayhem a very familiar plot begins to present itself.

Cable (Josh Brolin) is a time-travelling, robotic-armed super-soldier who arrives from a post-apocalyptic future to assassinate a 14-year-old mutant (Julian Dennison) before he can grow up to become the fire-spewing psychopath who will kill his wife and child.

As Deadpool points out, this makes Cable into Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator with a tragic backstory and fewer circuit boards.

“You’re an annoying clown dressed as a sex doll,”

Cable fires back, nailing Deadpool’s role as the court jester in a genre that is starting to take itself a little too seriously.

But Deadpool has pledged to protect the boy so he and Cable must trade blows as well as insults.

Deadpool may be a trained assassin with super-regenerative powers but he is no match for Cable’s hi-tech weaponry.

First he makes a disastrous attempt to establish the “X-Force”, a rival team of mutants with a gender-neutral name.

Then he teams up with Domino (Zazie Beetz) whose special power is a constant stream of good luck.

This isn’t the most cinematic of superpowers but John Wick director David Leith puts it to good use in a slick action scene where they fight Cable on the back of a speeding lorry.

But what really impresses is the way the film balances action and humour with genuine emotion.

Deadpool 2 is a true marvel.