Deadpool Review

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams

Deadpool was one of my most-anticipated movies of the year. If you're a fan of superhero movies, Deadpool is kind of a superhero film. It's essential for any X-Men fans, which I myself am. But much like the Marvel comics featuring Deadpool, this is a very different type of superhero film. It's actually a very unique movie. If you've seen the clean trailers, you can probably tell there is some risqué material, and if you've seen the red band trailers, or the movie itself, you know what's inside. Deadpool is violent, crass, rude, and incredibly inappropriate for children. It earned its R rating. But I found myself really enjoying my moviegoing experience. I had a blast watching Deadpool, and I've seen it twice. I think many people will just fall in love with the vulgar Deadpool and not notice the flaws. It definitely has some issues, but overall Deadpool is a wonderful venture into stylish filmmaking, and a change of pace for superhero movies.

I waited to see Deadpool twice to accurately review it. I was afraid that the hype of the first viewing would change my opinion. It's true, the first time I saw Deadpool was glorious. It's a very mature movie, but I laughed so hard. Upon the second viewing, it obviously was not as funny, as I saw the jokes coming. But I noticed something. The movie is actually surprisingly good when it's dramatic. The story goes like this: Wade Wilson gets terminal cancer and is given little time before he dies. He learns of a program that could save his life so he could go back to his fiancée (Baccarin), only they turn him into a mutant. He becomes a vigilante searching for the man (Skrein) who did this to him. There are a lot of sad scenes with a pretty high level of seriousness between Reynolds and Baccarin. For a movie that probably just cracked a masturbation joke, it surprisingly does well changing the tone. The two of them have an incredible chemistry. It's dirty and sloppy at times, but the viewer can see they really love each other, and are willing to forgive their flaws and move on by the film's end.

 The opening of Deadpool is nothing short of brilliance. An opening credits scene is set to Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning", as generic credits like "A hot chick", and "The comic relief" are situated around a location only identifiable as the camera slowly zooms around and pans out. The opening action scene is pure artistry. It's full of fourth-wall breaks, inside jokes and meta-humor, hilariously gory violence, and camera angles that should belong in an indie film. The acting is also so good, across the board. Ryan Reynolds is absolutely perfect as Deadpool. I'm willing to forgive his horrible first outing as the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and his atrocious Green Lantern. What I think he lacks in seriousness he makes up for with perfect comedic timing. And he sells the drama pretty well too, though it's nothing amazing. Morena Baccarin also grounds the film with her very free performance. She's not a damsel in distress, and she's as foulmouthed as Deadpool. She gives her scenes such grace and elegance that I'd love to see her in this role again. A shout-out is deserved to up-and-coming comedian T.J. Miller as the aforementioned "Comic Relief". His performance isn't serious at all, but it's so funny you will look forward to every appearance he makes.

So where do my problems with Deadpool lie? It's the pacing. Deadpool starts with its best scene, and while the finished product is really great, it always feels like the film is trying to live up to that opening scene. It never reaches that height, and the climax doesn't feel as exciting as the beginning. I also didn't really see Leslie Uggams' role as Blind Al as necessary. I understand she's important to the comic, but I didn't particularly like her humor nor did I think she was really needed. Ed Skrein was also a very good villain, but he just couldn't live up to Magneto or Mystique, or even Phoenix and Juggernaut from the previous X-Men films. I spent the whole opening scene of my second viewing trying to remember what his name was, he made that little of an impact on me. If you haven't seen Deadpool, you probably should if superheroes are your favorite. The inappropriate humor might not sit well with you, but it's a very good movie in my opinion. I'm looking forward to a sequel, and with all the records it's breaking, I think we're bound to get one, as well as see Deadpool joining the X-Men. Also, you'll see the funniest Stan Lee (fans will understand this) cameo to ever exist.

Rating: