DEADPOOL
Director : Tim MillerCast : Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapičić, Leslie Uggams
Genre : Action/Comics
Run Time : 1 hr 49 mins
Opens : 11 February 2016
Rating : M18 (Sexual Scenes and Violence)
There’s an actual Deadpool movie and we’re reviewing it;
this is a real pinch-me moment for any comic book fan. This X-Men spinoff centres around the
invulnerable, trigger-happy, wisecracking, fourth wall-breaking antihero
Deadpool. When mercenary Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is diagnosed with terminal
cancer, he volunteers for an experimental procedure to cure him and grant him regenerative
super-powers in the hopes that he can live out the rest of his days with the
love of his life, Vanessa (Baccarin). Ajax (Skrein), one of the operatives in
charge of his transformation, intends to torture Wade and lease his services to
the highest bidder. Reborn as Deadpool, Wade seeks vengeance against Ajax and
fears he won’t be able to win Vanessa back after being horribly disfigured,
supported by his bartender friend Weasel (Miller) and blind landlady Al
(Uggams). In the meantime, Colossus (Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead
(Hildebrand) of the X-Men are out to recruit Deadpool to join their band of
do-gooders.
There’s definitely an underdog quality to the Deadpool movie. For years, it seemed
just out of reach, no matter how hard star/producer Reynolds lobbied for it to
get made. Despite repeated attempts by Fox execs to suppress it, it’s seen the
light of day and was definitely worth the wait. First-time feature film
director Tim Miller helms the movie with admirable confidence and the brash,
tongue-in-cheek tone is very faithful to the character’s portrayal in the
comics. Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick of Zombieland fame have crammed the script with more smart-alecky pop
culture references and snicker-inducing double entendres than you can shake a
katana at. While this is still very much a straight-forward origin story decked
out with bells and whistles, it is refreshing amidst the current landscape of
comic book blockbusters which run the risk of feeling samey-samey. There’s a
leanness to Deadpool that serves as a
counterpoint to the bloat of more conventional franchise entries.
Deadpool makes it known loud and proud that he’s far from
a straight-arrow, nice guy superhero. He’s crass, cocky and all-around
unpleasant, which means it might not be particularly easy to get audiences who
aren’t already acquainted with his shenanigans to be in his corner. However, it
is easy to see why Reynolds has such an affinity for the character, who like
him, hails from Canada. Reynolds has been in a string of flops with most
attempts at pushing him as an A-list leading man falling flat, and Deadpool is just the right material for
his particular talents. To put it bluntly, Reynolds can sometimes come off as a
bit of a douche, what with that smirking, handsome mug of his. Deadpool is
unapologetically, 100% a douche. Surprisingly, Reynolds is also able to imbue
the character with a decent amount of pathos and the sequence in which Wade is
being tortured as he undergoes his transformation is genuinely affecting. There’s
also a fight scene in which Reynolds gamely goes completely nude.
The film’s limited budget means not being able to shell
out for a star-studded supporting cast, a fact which is acknowledged as part of
the self-aware humour. While the character is thinly-drawn, Baccarin is
alluring as Vanessa and more than able to keep up with Reynolds’ non-stop
snarking. A montage of Wade and Vanessa’s eyebrow-raising lovemaking
proclivities is just the right combination of being a turn-on while also being
hilariously uncomfortable. Colossus, with skin of metal and a heart of gold,
provides plenty of laughs as well, despite the digital animation used to bring
him to life falling a little short of the standard set by bigger-budgeted superhero
movies. Miller’s comedic shtick can sometimes be annoying (see Transformers: Age of Extinction), but he
tones things down and is able to sell Weasel as a comforting, familiar
presence.
Alas,
the film’s weakest point is its villains, with Skrein unable to bring much
charisma or menace to the role of primary baddie Ajax. As Ajax’s henchwoman
Angel Dust, MMA fighter Gina Carano stands around looking tough and throws
punches when required. With his healing factor and formidable arsenal, Deadpool
never actually faces a significant level of threat from his antagonists, but
battling the bad guys consciously takes a back seat to the character strutting
his irreverent stuff.
Deadpool
gleefully crosses the line at any given opportunity, revelling in the violence,
nudity and profanity like nobody’s business. It adheres to plenty of tropes
we’ve seen before in comic book character origin stories, but there’s
definitely a new spin on things here to enjoy. Sure, there are audiences who
will find Deadpool too smug and
obnoxious for their tastes, which is completely understandable. And there will
teenagers who will emulate the character’s unsavoury manner, thinking it’s the
definition of cool. But if you’re experiencing comic book movie fatigue (and
really, who isn’t at this point?), Deadpool is a delightfully naughty shock to
the system. And yes, stick around for the de
rigeur post-credits stinger which hints at things to come, albeit in the
movie’s own offbeat way.
Summary:
A fan-favourite character finally gets his due. While not as unconventional as
it would like to be, Deadpool is what fans have been waiting for and is
enjoyable in its wholehearted embracing of the source material.
RATING: 4
out of 5 Stars
Jedd Jong
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