Bad ass. Smart ass. Great ass.
Deadpool is a 2016 superhero-comedy film directed Tim Miller, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, produced by 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Kinberg Genre, The Donners' Company, and TSG Entertainment, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film is based off of various Deadpool comics by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld. It stars Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin. This is a spin-off of the X-Men franchise, technically acting as a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It is followed by Deadpool 2.
"I know, right? You're probably thinking "Whose balls did I have to fondle to get my very own movie?" I can't tell you his name, but it rhymes with Polverine." -Deadpool
Plot
When mercenary Wade Wilson comes down with terminal cancer, he undergoes a horrific procedure that leaves him deformed, but also gives him superhuman powers. After Wade escapes, he becomes the trash-mouthed anti-hero known as Deadpool. As Deadpool searches for Ajax, the man who tortured him and made him deformed, he tries to work up the strength to talk to his girlfriend whom he left. All this is happening while Colossus tries to recruit Wade as an X-Man.
Comedic Elements / Embracing Deadpool as an Anti-Hero / Action / Ryan Reynolds / Entertainment Value / Usage of Music / Tone / Structure / Ajax Actor / CGI
Positive Aspects
The best thing about this film is it made me laugh. Ryan Reynolds totally embraces Deadpool's meta humor, and it works 100%. The character is absolutely hysterical. I love it when he turns to the camera and makes some crack at the studio or talks about Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds. It makes the movie wildly entertaining. There aren't a lot of movies that have these fourth-wall breaks and meta jokes, but Deadpool does it and does it well.
The film also definitely follows the template of an action-comedy more than a superhero film. It doesn't feel like a superhero film. Deadpool himself is not a good guy. He is a superhero who uses his powers to stop villains, but he kills people...violently. And he enjoys it. And I'm glad that the film embraces that. It could be a big mess if that was not the case, but it is and I am happy.
The action is also perfect. Most of the fight scenes are all either satirical or have a black comedy vibe. It is squeamishly gory and nasty, but in an absolutely hilarious way. The use of slow-mo and freeze frames are great, and the bloodiness and carnage that occurs is great. As for the choreography, it was good. Not anything crazy, but Deadpool does some flippy-kicks, so that is fun.
Ryan Reynolds is also incredible. I know I mentioned him before, but he does a fabulous job with this role. His roles in Green Lantern and X-Men Origins: Wolverine have received a ton of backlash, and it was nice to see him redeem himself with this stupendous performance. His delivery and timing is impeccable. It elevates the comedic elements of this film as well as Deadpool's character a lot.
Out of all the X-Men movies, I do think that Deadpool and First Class may be the most entertaining. The opposite of Logan, this movie does not care. You can tell that the cast and crew behind this film just wanted to make a super fun film that entertains the audience. This film is made for the fans. I always appreciate when Hollywood makes a movie for the fans. And you can tell that Deadpool fits in that category.
Finally, the use of music in this movie are just great. There are popular songs thrown in throughout, but they are put in places where they are played for laughs. I love the songs that fit in throughout these violent action scenes. It continues to show how this film is just meant to be fun.
Negative Aspects
My biggest problem with Deadpool is the inconsistency in tone. The film is told out of order, and I'm going to talk about that in a bit, but it essentially follows two different plot lines throughout the first half of the movie: Deadpool trying to track down Francis as the present day story, and Wade Wilson becoming Deadpool in the past storyline. The plot with Deadpool trying to track down Francis is great, because it is funny and entertaining. However, Wade Wilson becoming Deadpool is very, very dark. It will cut from a dirty joke about Wolverine to Wade being diagnosed with terminal cancer. After that, we go to a hilarious action scene followed by scenes of horrific torture. The first half is a very uneven viewing experience because of that. The second half, I think, is better because it doesn't have the weight of the flashback storyline.
Secondly, I don't think that the movie is structured particularly well. Since the first half of the movie is divided between the actual story and Deadpool's origin, the real story doesn't really get set into motion until about halfway through the movie. We don't really understand Deadpool's motivations and his goals until we are about an hour in. The second half is still fun, but the story is really weak because of this. The only subplot is Colossus trying to recruit Deadpool to the X-Men, and that is way too underdeveloped.
I also did not like the actor that played Francis. He was a bit too gloating and serious for this movie, and I don't think he fit in at all with the other actors. His facial smirk was awful.
Lastly, the CGI in this film is not very good. Colossus legitimately looks like a cartoon. The use of CGI is toned down throughout most of the movie, but when it is present, it's prey hard to look at without cringing.
Final Score
Deadpool has its story and tonal issues, but Ryan Reynolds leads this movie to victory with a hilarious, bloody, different superhero movie.
I will give it a Savory. Age range is 15+.
SWEET N' SOUR SCALE
Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)
"Deadpool"
Fun Factor: 8.5/10
Acting: 7.5/10
Story: 5.5/10
Characters: 8/10
Quality: 7/10
Directed by Tim Miller
Rated R for strong bloody violence, language, sexual elements and nudity, thematic elements
Released on February 12, 2016
1 hour and 48 minutes
Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool Morena Baccarin as Vanessa
Ed Skrein as Ajax/Francis Freeman
T.J. Miller as Weasel
Leslie Uggams as Blind Al
Karan Soni as Dopinder
Stefan Kapicic as Colossus
Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Gina Carano as Angel Dust