Deadpool movie review

Two kinds of people are running to the theater to see the newest Marvel adaptation, Deadpool: those who are buying tickets to see an explicit and R-rated comic book comedy, and those who are buying tickets in hopes of watching a Marvel (anti)hero blockbuster. One movie goer will leave happy.

I’ll admit, I fell into the trap of the blockbuster-loving crowd when I first heard of a Deadpool franchise. What a perfect opportunity to expand on the X-Men universe. What a perfect opportunity to really introduce the idea of an anti-hero in the Marvel universe. However, the more I considered the idea of a “Deadpool” adaptation, the less it made sense to turn it into a movie on par with Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America. Deadpool is a quick-witted, smart-mouthed, sword-wielding, unapologetic anti-hero. A summer blockbuster wouldn’t be a right fit for the character.

The movie follows Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a former Special Forces operative, who now works as a mercenary by being “a bad guy” who gets paid to take down even worse bad guys. After finding out the devastating news that he has terminal, late-staged cancer, his world comes crashing down when evil scientist Francis, “Ajax”, (Ed Skrein) tortures, disfigures and transforms him into Deadpool. The rogue experiment leaves Deadpool with accelerated healing powers, the inability to die, and enhances his already twisted sense of humor. With help from mutant X-Men allies Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), Deadpool uses his new skills to hunt down the man who nearly destroyed his life, all while saving the girl.

To start, let me be clear about one thing: this is NOT a film you want to take your parents, children, or any other person you might feel awkward watching a sex scene with to. This is not a film where ignoring the R-rating is appropriate. It’s a very hard R-rating. I saw several parents with their small children at the theater, and I’m sure they’re still kicking themselves at the failure of researching the movie prior to letting them tag along. Really, the theater employees should be more diligent about warning said parents. But I digress…

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, primarily because of one simple choice. I went into the movie with little expectations, besides the need for an entertaining experience. I chose to see the movie for what it was: a raunchy comedy that will expand on a specific universe, with a niche character. I didn’t expect a bland PG-13 movie created for kids and comic book nerds, where the hero wins, but no one sees any bloodshed, and no one sees what happens later, when the hero gets the girl. I wasn’t disappointed.

The cast was impeccable. Really, there is no other casting choice for Deadpool than Ryan Reynolds. The choice to cast Reynolds was so predictably perfect. Just watch his restaurant comedy Waiting and you’ll see what I mean. Nasty wise-cracking humor is Reynolds’ forte, without regrets. He showed the appropriate range of emotion for someone who’s diagnosed with cancer, and has no choice but to entertain the dangerous and rock-bottom idea of letting strangers mutate him on a genetic level. His pain, love, struggle, and pure disillusionment was believable, and pulled at the heart strings. While the other characters simply lived in Reynolds’ shadow, they still played an important part in the story, and the choice to make Colossus larger than life was a solid choice by the production team.

The cinematography was a match for the plot and themes behind the material. The film was scattered with short cut shots, slow motion emphasis, main character narration, dialogue with the audience, gore, and sex. Lots of gore, lots of explicit sex.

The soundtrack was anything but predictable, and unlike any other Marvel movie I can recall. The movie was filled with 80s love ballads, 90s rap, contemporary rap, Christmas music, 50s classics, and most importantly, Wham! Just the bold and unpredictable mix of songs that you would expect from an unconventional movie.

The only downfall of the movie, was the middle of the movie, which seemed lengthy and slow. The writers made a point to introduce Deadpool’s universe to the non-comic book readers, and it took up most of the middle of the movie. If you can get past the slow build-up to the action, you won’t regret it. The payoff is there.

Deadpool is made for a specific crowd, instead of catering to the normal Marvel lovers. It’s not for everyone, nor should it be. However, as a comic book aficionado, I enjoyed how true to the material it kept. Fun, brave, territory testing, and unapologetic, Deadpool was worth the nine dollars. Comedy fans and graphic novel nerds rejoice, your new favorite movie has arrived.

Living under a rock and not familiar with the movie? See the trailer below: