​FILMS

deadpool

This is one Marvel comic book character you can marvel at!

2016 review number 23:

Deadpool: (Action/Science Fiction/Comedy): 80 out of 100: Irreverent, twisted comic book hero (or antihero): check. Self-deprecating humour with references to actors and other movies: check. Action-packed scenes filled with blood-splattered violence: check. Ryan Reynolds at his wisecracking best: check. Gratuitous nudity with a cameo appearance by Marvel comic book writer Stan Lee as the strip club DJ: check. Booming sound effects and amazing visual effects that make this a movie to be seen on the big screen: check. Customary comic book movie after credits scene: check. Unconventional comic book movie that is bound to annoy and frustrate tame, unadventurous viewers: check. 

 

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a former Special Forces operative turned mercenary who protects women from would-be stalkers. One night he meets female escort Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) in a strip club and they become romantically involved for about one year. His life is shattered when he discovers that he has multiple organ cancer. He undergoes an experimental procedure to cure his cancer but the serum injected by Francis aka Ajax (Ed Skrein) proves to be torturous and life changing, leaving him with special healing powers and a disfigured face. Not wanting to upset Vanessa, Wade leaves her and lives with a blind woman named Al (Leslie Uggams). With the help of X-Men Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Colossus (voice of Stefan Kapicic), the masked vigilante Deadpool as he is now known, seeks revenge and will stop at nothing to acquire a cure for his disfigurement.

 

The opening credits such as 'Directed by an overpaid tool" played over the song Angel of the Morning by Juice Newton are a precursor for the unconventional comic book antics to come. There's flashbacks, flashbacks within flashbacks, the protagonist talking to the camera, raunchy sex scenes, nudity, excessive profanity and extreme violence including severed body parts, all features that you don't expect from a comic book superhero. People expecting the 'normal' movie based on a comic book will be disappointed. Let yourself go and you're going to have some fun.

 

Ryan Reynolds makes up for the atrocities of his previous portrayal of a comic book character in The Green Lantern. He's in excellent form here, showcasing his comedic talents which even include poking fun at himself. He lives and breathes the part of Deadpool and is sure to please fans of this 'superhero'. The in-jokes involving the X-Men characters are just one of the many highlights of the unorthodox comedy strategy employed by the writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wenick. Credit must also go to the director. This is Tim Miller's first feature length film. He is better known as a visual effects artist and it's evident in his direction how much he knows about this field. Even the CGI creation in Colossus is a character you have to admire. 

 

Ryan Reynolds gets most of the best lines. The other human characters are adequate more than exceptional. They are merely pawns to Ryan Reynold's King. There are a few flat moments when the over-the-top humour doesn't always work and the violence becomes gratuitous. And of course if you're a prude, you won't be feeling comfortable during some of the scenes.

 

This is unlike any superhero movie seen before. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted and those who are easily offended. It's a fresh take on the comic book movie genre, breathing life and vigour, and most importantly, making up for the disappointment of the previous Marvel movie in Fantastic Four.

 

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, Brianna Hildebrand and T.J. Miller

(108 mins)

Parental advice: Coarse language, violence, nudity, sex scenes and adult themes

Additional scene during or after credits: Yes, during the credits there are animated scenes of some of the characters. After the credits, Deadpool is talking to the camera, with several lines borrowed from the after credits of Ferris Bueller's Day Off about the upcoming sequel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuH3zDs2y3s (Movie trailer)

 

(Reviewed on Thursday 11th February, 2016)

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