Title: Deadpool
Directed by: Tim Miller
Screenplay by: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Year: 2016
The comic book character Deadpool has had quite a history with the film industry in the past couple years. It is unanimously agreed upon that the character was grossly misrepresented in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the rumor of film based on him was still circulating. Then the test footage was "leaked" a few years back and everyone lost their minds. Sure enough, with universal approval of the test footage, a feature film was greenlit almost immediately, with Ryan Reynolds reprising his role as Deadpool. Does Deadpool do the Merc With a Mouth justice?
Wade Wilson was something of a local mercenary when he found out he had cancer. An experiment to help cure him gives him extraordinary healing abilities but leaves him physically scarred. Donning a red suit and the name Deadpool, he seeks revenge on the man who ruined his life.
Ryan Reynolds has wanted to make this movie for the past eleven years, and his dedication and commitment is represented by his performance. Reynolds is perfectly cast as Wade Wilson. He knows this character inside and out and his charming charisma brings Deadpool to life. A lot of times in the film, it feels as if he is improvising his lines, which demonstrates his understanding of the character as well as his talented comedic abilities. Morena Baccarin is great as Wilson's girlfriend Vanessa. She has great chemistry with Reynolds, which adds a weird sense of validity to this strange romance. Ed Skrein does a good job as the typical British villain, but the film addresses this in a comedic fashion. T.J. Miller plays Wilson's right hand man, Weasel and he too works well with Reynolds. He has plenty of jokes that fly at high speeds, one right after another.
On a surface level, the story for Deadpool is quite conventional. Good guy's life is going well, bad guy ruins good guy's life, good guy seeks revenge, you get the picture. But Deadpool does more than enough things differently to make it more unique, even when compared to other comic book movies. I am not going to sit here and pretend that Ajax is the most multi-layered and complicated villain, but the film does give him a bit of a motivation and I would not deem him a one-note character, which is more than I can say for other comic book movie villains. But one of the most surprisingly well-done aspects of this movie is the romance. I know, I cannot believe it either. This deranged, disturbing, and crazy romance is in fact completely engaging and oddly believable. Most comic book films stumble when it comes to the romance, yet Deadpool exceeds all expectations in this regard.
Deadpool takes advantage of being in the X-Men universe with some very good jokes and two characters, namely Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. I have a natural affinity for Colossus, both from the comics and the previous films, but this is Colossus' best outing on the big screen. He is much more like his comic book counterpart, being of Russian origin, a larger size, and his metallic skin is almost identical to his appearance in the comics. He serves as a perfect foil for Deadpool. Colossus is a boy scout, always doing the right thing for the right reasons, whereas Deadpool is always serving his best interests and almost never for the right reasons. Negasonic Teenage Warhead makes her debut in this film and I cannot wait to see more of her. Her sassy attitude and constant insults make her a unique X-Men character we have not seen in the films until now. In addition, some of the best jokes come from poking fun at the X-Men, with my favorite involving a nod to Professor X. I will leave it at that.
Alright, time to talk about the titular character. Deadpool has been given a glorious treatment this time around. The film is fully aware of how he was mishandled in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, so they let Deadpool do what he does best; talk. Deadpool spouts so many creative quips, insults, and jokes that it is impossible to catch them all in one viewing. Deadpool feels so well realized this time around that you instantly forget about his previous film appearance. He is appropriately violent, crude, and never stops talking (which is a positive in this case).
Speaking of violence, I might as well get to talking about the action. The action sequences in this film are spectacular. They are tremendously engaging, jokes are flying every which way, and they are tons of fun. There is plenty of blood, dismemberment, brutality, it is all there. The film did not achieve its R rating solely because of language. There are some gruesome moments that are handled with a surprisingly light tone. The highway scene and final fight are the highlights of the film because they exhibit the best action as well as some of the best humor.
I might as well get this out of the way as well; Deadpool is one of the funniest films I have seen in a very, very long time. I cannot recall the last time I saw a movie this hilarious in the theatre. The humor might not be for everyone, but I find it hard to believe that anyone could find this film humorless. The comedic timing, the in-jokes, the characters, everything culminates to create a laughter-filled film. For those not in the know, one of Deadpool's signature abilities is to break the fourth wall and communicate with the audience, regardless of the medium. In this film, he breaks the fourth wall on multiple occasions and all succeed, especially the end credits scene. You will have to see Deadpool a few times just to catch all the jokes, because on a first time viewing (and even a second) you will be laughing so hard you cannot hear some of the follow-up jokes. I can also say that the comedy holds up on repeat viewings. There is not much to spoil in terms of story, but I consider spoiling the jokes in this picture to be a crime.
The soundtrack is on point. Every song matches its respective scene and, like the best soundtracks, enhances the film as a whole. When leaving the auditorium, half of the audience was singing "Shoop" while the other half sang "X Gon' Give It To Ya." Though not my particular flavor of music, I cannot deny how well it functioned for the film.
This movie is also incredibly well edited. There are flashbacks, flash forwards, flash forwards within the flashbacks, etc.. This film could have easily lost the audience in the midst of all this narrative time traveling, but the editors made sure to leave it clear. Impeccable editing, and a bit of help from Deadpool's narration, prevent this film from becoming a jumbled mess. My one minor issue with the film comes from a little bit of a pacing problem. Deadpool is extremely well paced, do not get me wrong, but there was a moment between the second and third act that felt a bit off. I do not know quite what it was, but the pacing felt a bit off, but if that is my biggest complaint about the film then what we have is a marvelous picture.
Deadpool gave the world the single greatest marketing campaign for a film. The trailers were fantastic, the billboards were great, the several ads Deadpool appeared on, such as for The Bachelor, testicular cancer, and social media appearances (just to name a few) were all brilliant. This is an unapologetically violent and hilarious picture, with Ryan Reynolds giving his greatest performance playing a character he loves. The action is electric, the romance is unfathomably engaging, and the humor left me in stitches. Right from the opening credits you know you are in for a good time. I know I have said this a few times recently with X-Men: Days of Future Past and Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Deadpool is one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. This film brought the character to life and has now made him a sensation. Not only that, but this might be one of the funniest movies I have ever experienced. Do yourself a favor and go watch Deadpool. You will not regret it. But whatever you do, do not take the kids.
Grade: A
No comments:
Post a Comment