This is the first 2016 release that I have seen, and by god the year is off to a good start. Deadpool is the sixth film on my most anticipated list, and I could easily see it making my top 10 list of the year. Even with its minor flaws, this film never fails to entertain. Since this is the first rated R superhero film in a while, I am going to respect it by making this a Rated R review, so parents keep your children away.
Time To Make The Chimi-Fucking-Changas!
Let us get this out of the way first, this is by no means a perfect film. There are plenty of people that are blindly praising the film (rightfully so) but I want to set a few things straight. First of all, the plot is very straightforward. If you have seen any of the promotional material, you pretty much know the plot. There are also a few time jumps here and there that are a bit jarring. Secondly, some of the special effects are not that great. It could have been more polished up, but on the other hand the film did not have a very large budget. Lastly I do think the inclusion of the X-men (Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead) felt a little forced. Do not get me wrong, I like both of these characters, but the films’ justification for them is fairly weak. Now that the negatives are out of the way (more like nitpicks) I can focus on where the film shines. The most important positive to this film is that it is fucking hilarious. From start to finish this movie had me laughing. The opening credits are amazing, and the end credits scene is simply phenomenal. Some of the jokes (mainly the ones from the trailers) are not quite as funny, but I would say roughly 90% of the jokes are fucking great. The fucking funniest moments were definitely those where Deadpool became incredibly self-aware, but I also loved his nonsensical and immature behavior. The most surprising aspect of the film is that it also has some great dramatic or romantic moments. There is some genuine tension between our protagonist and antagonist, along with great chemistry between Wade and Vanessa. This is due in part because of the great acting from everyone in the cast.
I’m Touching Myself Tonight
Ryan Reynolds truly excels as the titular character. He handles all the various emotions that Wade Wilson/Deadpool is confronted with extremely well. He knows how to make you laugh, he know how to make you feel his pain, and how to fall in love with him. Simply put, he has a great handle on the character and I hope we get many more films from him as Deadpool. The only other two actors/characters I want to mention are Ajax and Vanessa. Ed Skrein portrays Ajax and he does a really great job at bringing a relatively bland character to life. There is not much complexion to Ajax, but Skrein has so much fun with the role that it is always a delight to watch him when he is on screen. Plus (as mentioned earlier) his character has such great tension with Wade/Deadpool that their rivalry becomes a highlight of the film. Another highlight includes Morena Baccarin as Vanessa. She and Ryan Reynolds have outstanding chemistry. There are very few superhero films that have successful romantic subplots, but Deadpool really does a good job with it. This is of course due to both the acting and writing, but kudos to the filmmakers for making such a critical aspect of the film so great (it is a love story after all).
Closing Remarks
Despite some minor qualms, I really love this film. It is so utterly unique while also relatively familiar. It does not take huge risks, but almost everything it does works very well. I would have been fine with an okay film but a great comic book film. What we have here is a film that is actually quite good, but a comic book film that is absolutely fantastic. This is definitely a film I will see a couple times while it is in theaters.