Deadpool Review

-Deadpool, Dead On.

Almost six years ago, May 1^st of 2009, fans of Marvel’s cult antihero Deadpool were treated to quite possibly, the worst iteration of the character ever seen. In what world is literally sewing the mouth of the “Merc with the Mouth” shut a good idea? Fortunately for all, the creators of this movie were quite aware of Wolverine: Origins’ disrespect to the character that so many Marvel fans have come to love. Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds knows the character is back in the spotlight and throws everything they’ve got into the character. Unfortunately though, this means that nothing was thrown into everything else such as the plot and the villain. With a depressingly conventional revenge plot and a near forgettable (save for an almost incomprehensible English accent) villain, it’s a shame the writers didn’t put more effort into everything surrounding Deadpool. Had they done so, this movie would have been near perfect.

While everything around him falls short, Deadpool shoots and slices through expectations, yielding one of the most memorable character iterations in recent history. This is mostly in part thanks to Ryan Reynolds performance. He’s confident, charismatic, and fully aware that this Deadpool has to win us all over and he certainly does. While he spends some of the movie in heavy makeup (burnt skin and all), it’s when he’s in the suit that surprisingly enough, Reynolds shines. This suit might as well be pulled straight from a page in a comic and with the help of some minor CGI, Deadpool comes to life. With the use of CGI giving Reynolds’ Deadpool facial expression and Reynold’s ability to bring the physicality of the character to life, I don’t think we’ll see a better version of Deadpool on the big screen.

The best part about Reynold’s performance is that he never shuts up. From the second we first see Deadpool, the jokes flow and flow and flow and flow. From one-liners to critiques of today’s society all the way to meta-jokes breaking the fourth wall, Deadpool is full of comedy. Sure, when you’re constantly tossing out jokes and gags, some fail but for the most part, you’ll be laughing out loud.

There’s plenty of vulgarity and immature jokes but the humor really shines through in the most normal moments of the movie like sitting in a bar, riding in a cab, or watching his blind roommate build some IKEA furniture. It’s quite strange laughing during a Marvel movie while not watching the Hulk throw Loki like a rag doll or hearing the banter between Captain America and Iron Man but a welcome feeling nonetheless. This movie is quite aware that it’s not big like its superhero movie counterparts and takes full advantage of its opportunities to have some normal every-day moments. In fact, this movie feels more on par with a sitcom like Workaholics or Broad City than a comic book movie.

While the movie puts everything it has into the character of Deadpool, the plot and villain fall to the way side. The story is a simple revenge story. Bad guy does this to Wade Wilson and Wade Wilson is angry about it. Bad guy steals Wilson’s girlfriend and Wilson goes after him. There’s nothing special at all about the plot. In fact, it’s arguably the most forgettable story told in a comic book movie. To add to that, the villain, English-accented Ajax is extremely boring. He’s the man responsible for turning Wade Wilson into Deadpool and beyond that, he adds nothing to this universe. He’s very strong and doesn’t feel pain (and subsequently, boring). While the revenge plot serves to let Deadpool be Deadpool (the jokes, the violence, etc.), Ajax serves to fight in an underwhelming climax.

In recent superhero movies, we see the man or woman gain super powers. Then we see a montage of them training. Finally, the movie ends after the superhero fights the villain with these powers. While Deadpool’s plot is boring, it is refreshingly told. Deadpool talks the audience through his journey from Wade to Deadpool in the middle of a hilarious fight. Once he catches us up to speed, we see how he lives his everyday life. It’s here that we’re introduced to the bad-guy-steals-girlfriend-revenge story and here that the movie loses some of its steam, but not enough to stop the train.

The most exciting prospect of this movie is its connection to the greater X-Men (thanks FOX) universe. We get a taste of this with the extended cameos of Colossus (who looks great for a low-budget movie CGI character) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. While they have their moments, they ultimately feel underused. This culminates in the feeling that the writers were highly restrained in what they could and couldn’t use. It’s not their fault but it would have been nice for Marvel and FOX to loosen up on the reins a bit.

Thankfully, one area that this movie isn’t restrained in is violence. Filled with the most gore I’ve seen on the big screen since a Saw movie, this movie borders ultraviolence but that’s a good thing. Those familiar with Deadpool know that he slices and dismembers his enemies, laying bullets into their heads as well. The fight scenes stuffed to the brim with this violence are stylized, utilizing slow-mo to express even more extreme gore, and choreographed perfectly. Not once did I believe that what I was seeing wasn’t actually happening. It’s that well done. One of my favorite scenes comes from arguably the most graphic fight in the movie. With only twelve bullets left, Deadpool narrates to the audience how he plans to use each bullet, showing us in brutal slow motion.

Overall, Deadpool has returned from his slumber with a big bang. This Deadpool is definitively so and clearly Reynold’s character through and through. The character of Deadpool, the violence, and the humor keep this movie standing, while the forgettable plot and even more so villain valiantly attempt to bring it down. It’s a shame that some gears never get going because had they done so, this movie would be almost perfect. Thankfully, Deadpool is dead on. What shines, shines bright.

Final Score: 7 out of 10.

With 5 serving as the score for an average movie and 10 being the best possible score, Deadpool falls right in between. It’s certainly not average and too much holds it back from receiving a 10. It falls right in between yielding a 7.