If Deadpool is of a valid indication of what's to come in 2016, we're about to enjoy the greatest year in comic book movie history. Directed by Tim Miller, Deadpool sees Ryan Reynolds return to the role of "The Merc with a mouth" in an attempt to do the iconic Marvel Comic's character justice at the second time of asking. The plot is nothing ground breaking and can be summarised as both a love story and a tale of revenge, but what Deadpool does do is successfully flip the superhero genre on its head whilst deconstructing it to its very core. I loved this movie to pieces.
If anything, Deadpool is a shining example of how a movie with varying tones should feel. It successfully manages to be thrilling in the action sequences, raunchy with its romance on top of being one of the funniest movies I've ever seen in a movie theatre. This movie is a relentless, non-stop laugh riot from the opening credits to the post credits scene. It's filled to the brim with fourth wall breaks that actually work for the film, nods to the comic books and previous movies in the superhero genre and self referential humour which never fell flat.
And while it'd be easy to dismiss this as a pure action-comedy with no real dramatic, emotional weight, you'd be wrong to do so. There are a couple scenes spliced in there which worked on a dramatic level, which made the experience of watching this movie all the more gratifying. Serious credit has got to go to the screenwriters for this. You'll be quoting this movie for weeks to come.
While the movie could've stopped being original after the fourth wall breaks and self referential humour, Deadpool goes one step further to feel even more different from the superhero origin stories we've seen in recent years. I often find that when a movie attempts to adopt a non linear structure of storytelling it kind of disjoints the overall narrative as you're constantly shifting back and forth in time. To my surprise, Deadpool manages to pull this off majestically and worked to keep the movie's humour and action at a steady, consistent pace.
The action sequences were also refreshingly ballsy and violent, exactly how it should have been in a comic book movie with a hard "R" rating. Considering the movie's low budget, the action is filmed brilliantly. There's no shaky cam or hyperactive editing involved, like most good comic book movies the action is filmed with wide takes and excellent stunt work which immerses you into the moment and makes the action all the more thrilling and impactful. On top of this, I thought the CGI in the movie was used cleverly to enhance all the practical stuff, and the slow motion effects never felt out of place or gimmicky.
But what really makes this movie one of the best comic book movies of recent times is Ryan Reynolds portrayal as the character of Deadpool. This is the role he was born to play and when given the right screenplay, he really shines as this character and lights up the film. The character of Wade Wilson, while a complete asshole, is one you can not help but love. His enigmatic personality and amazing sense of humour makes him become a guy you genuinely attach emotions towards, making you want to see him succeed. As I've said before, there's no point in making a movie comedic and self referential if there isn't a solid dramatic base to it. Because you actually care about Wade Wilson and you want him to succeed, the action becomes more gratifying and the humour more rewarding.
This movie surprised me on so many levels but no more so involving the movie's romance. If you knew me personally you'd know I hate romances in movies because they're so stale, re-hashed, clichéd and over-used to the point of exhaustion. Without the romance, Deadpool does not work as a movie. Thankfully, the love story is what makes this movie so good. I really enjoyed Morena Baccarin's performance as Vanessa, and appreciated the writing surrounding her character as not a damsel-in-distress, but a perfectly self sufficient woman. The chemistry between her and Ryan Reynolds is fantastic and brings the relationship to life as something believable and something totally not "Hollywoodised".
The supporting characters in this movie all know their roles and play their roles very well. But the 2 standouts from the supporting cast were X-Men Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. I enjoyed the humour surrounding the "Negasonic" character, and thought Colossus was a very smart choice of a character to utilise as it made for an epic contrast of styles between himself and Deadpool. They don't come across as dead weight and deliver in a lot of the movie's most memorable scenes and spawn some of it's most memorable lines. "In this whole mansion I only seem to run into the 2 of you. It's almost as if the studio couldn't afford another X-Men..."
Finally, Ed Skrein did everything right as Ajax, the movie's primary antagonist for the film he was in. He was nothing truly memorable, but excellently functional for the role he was supposed to play. Maybe he doesn't possess a lot of motivation that the screenplay should've illustrated better and maybe the hero/villain relationship isn't as personal as I wanted it to be. These are my only 2 gripes with this movie, but sometimes I have to hold back and think well maybe sometimes its ok for the main villain to simply be a sadistic bastard with the intent of making everyone's life around him a misery. Sometimes, things just need to be delightfully simple.
And that's what Deadpool is; a delightfully simple movie delivered in the most surprisingly effective ways. This movie floored me as to how funny it was, how well the action sequences were filmed and how well it grasped and satired the current political climate of superhero movies. Thanks to a group of talented and enthusiastic filmmakers who clearly devoted a lot of time, effort and love into this project, Deadpool has raised the bar as to what comic book movies can be and how they can be delivered. This movie is nothing but a love letter to the fans who wished it to be made, and in this scenario we are the victors. I implore you to see this film if you haven't done so already:
Rating - A
Don't forget to stay after the credits... it's a good one trust me!
Thanks for reading,
Matt
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