This one has been a long time coming. After years of development hell, and a horribly inaccurate appearance on the big screen, the merc with a mouth has finally gotten his time to shine. It may have taken some leaked footage and pressure from fans to get this movie off the ground, but it was definitely worth it. Besides, desperate times call for desperate measures, even in Hollywood. Fans of Deadpool will be pleased to know that this R-rated comedy doesn't hold back; and more importantly, pays much overdo service to the fans. Equipped with fourth wall breaking, cursing galore, and its fair share of references, Tim Miller's Deadpool provides fans with everything it should have and needed to do.
Set in the X-Men universe, Deadpool follows the story of former mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) and his life as crude anti-hero. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Wilson seeks desperate measures to save his own life. The result of these measures leaves him with mutant powers, as well as a horribly mutilated face at the hands of fellow mutant Ajax (Ed Skrein). The now masked and super powered Wilson seeks revenge on Ajax and co. for ruining his life, and does so in the most humorous and violent ways possible.
My main concern going into this film was that its sense of humor and references would only appeal to a select group of people, specifically comic book and Deadpool fans. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the movies humor was handled in a way that could be enjoyed by everyone for the most part, and much credit goes to writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland) for pulling off that difficult feat. That being said, the movies brand of humor still isn't for everyone, and some of the references may go way over people's heads. I thought the references to the X-Men universe, Green Lantern, and the characters portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine were particularly the most clever.
While the writers and director Tim Miller certainly deserve a lot of the credit for keeping Deadpool's personality and humor intact and accurate to the comics, Ryan Reynolds also deserves recognition. Reynolds take on Wade Wilson in this film is literally right off the pages of the comics, and its almost impossible to think of any one else playing this part. Reynolds does a fantastic job at the fourth wall breaks that address the audience, along with the dirty humor Deadpool is none for, his delivery of all the character's clever one-liners, and even down to his expressions and voice tonality under the mask. Reynolds certainly gives voice actor Nolan North a run for his money as THE voice of Deadpool for now on, and its one of the best superhero casting choices made in the last few years.
The rest of the films cast sort of takes a back seat to Reynolds and Deadpool's huge personality, which was expected from the get-go. There are some characters I felt were slightly underused including Gina Carona's Angel Dust, Leslie Uggam's Blind Al, and to a certain extent Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). Some of the great surprises of the film's cast are T.J. Miller's Weasel, who gets some great scenes of dialogue opposite Reynolds, and of course Morena Baccarin's Vanessa, who isn't your by the numbers superhero love interest (Which is fitting for someone like Deadpool).
Ed Skrein's Ajax ends up being a pretty basic superhero villain, but he does a great job at truly making you hate his character and makes you understand Deadpool's motivation to want to kick his ass. But for me the real surprise performance of this film was the now finally comic book accurate Colossus voiced by Stefan Kapičić, who truly provides a great contrast to the rude and brash personality of Reynold's Deadpool. He gets some great lines and scenes, as well as some hilarious moments of his judgement of Wilson's morals and means for handling situations.
The music of the film is also certainly worth noting as well, and is a pleasant fresh approach to the typical superhero film score. Junkie XL (Mad Max: Fury Road) proves that he's one of the best new composers in the business, and he goes for a very different sounding soundtrack that matches the fun of the Deadpool character, and gives the movie an even more upbeat and unique tone. There's also a great inclusion of other well known songs throughout the film, that are incorporated perfectly and help increase the hilarity of certain scenes rather than just being thrown in there for the hell of it. And props to the Deadpool rap, which even included sound bites of Reynolds' voice and was also cleverly incorporated in the film.
The costume and set design also deserves some attention here, as Deadpool himself may have one of the most comic book accurate superhero suits seen on screen (And certainly in the X-Men universe). The inclusion of the animated CGI to show Deadpool's expressions also was a subtle yet very important addition that helped make Reynolds' portrayal as close to the comics as possible. The CGI for Colossus and classic suit designs for him and Negasonic Teenage Warhead are also very well made and fitting for the film. For being on such a small budget, the film impresses effects and cinematography wise, with only a couple of scenes here and there looking a little dodgy. The action scenes are also of note, as they're all very well filmed and orchestrated to the level of Marvel's recent Daredevil series.
Despite reluctance from the studio and some concerned fans, Deadpool ends up being everything a movie based on this character should be. Its very self aware and doesn't hold back on its humor, and is written in an extremely witty and referential manner. While the plot is a little played out, and some references may only appeal to a certain audience of people, the movie is impressive in every other aspect. Reynolds does the character (And his career) justice with an excellent and hilarious performance, and you can't help but wonder how much crazier things will get in the film's confirmed sequel. First time director Tim Miller also solidifies himself along with writers Reese and Wernick as guys to look out for in coming years, and they provide us with a breathe of fresh air from the standard comic book movies we've become accustomed to.
I give Deadpool 4.5 out of 5 star:
So what did you think of Deadpool? Did it live up your expectations? Is it the comic book movie to beat this year? Let us know below!
