Deadpool

Year: 2016
Director: Tim Miller
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller, Leslie Uggams


Plot: Wade Wilson, a low rent mercenary is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He accepts an offer from a shady looking recruiter who claims his team can eradicate his disease and give him superpowers. But the process severely disfigures him, though it does give him regenerative abilities. He sets out to get even with the people who did this to him. Cue the music.


Review: Deadpool was first introduced in X-Men Origins: Wolverine by Ryan Reynolds as a guy who can't shut up, who then became a supermutant with his mouth sewn shut. A lot of people hated that version, which is why Reynolds worked so hard to get this film off the ground, and I gotta say, it was worth it.

From the promos you've probably seen to death by now, you have to be able to guess that this isn't your regular superhero movie. And Deadpool works just fine that way. While the main theme of the film is vengeance, Wade will tell you that it's also a love story. More than once.

The story, told with flashbacks, narrations and lots of fourth wall breaks by Ryan Reynolds, focuses on Wade Wilson, a mercenary with a hot wife who is dying of cancer. A man offers him to become a superhero and be rid of the cancer at the same time. He accepts, only to discover that they breed superslaves, but it's too late by that point and he is badly disfigured. While he has amazing healing powers, he can't heal from the awful scars his body has taken. So he seeks revenge on the people who did this to him, while being assisted or hindered by a couple of X-Men.

Reynolds and director Tim Miller have clearly done well here. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to sell a superhero film that steers away from the usual path the genre takes. Deadpool is having fun poking at itself, giving audiences a ton of R-rated jokes, violence and dozens of references to other superhero films, including a couple that Reynolds were in before. It's also refreshing that this isn't a superhero film about saving the world, just Deadpool wanting to exact some payback while addressing the audience about how he got here etc. Oh, and the music choices are lovely. It's Like Guardians Of The Galaxy, only intentionally cheesier. I mean, how many films of this genre plays Careless Whisper while the credits roll?

Reynolds is of course, very game for the role of Deadpool/Wade. There literally is no other person who can do it except him. Morena Baccarin is easy on the eyes as usual in the role of Wade's wife Vanessa. T.J. Miller provides some side humour as Wade's best friend, being more normal than the lead character. And yes, there is a Stan Lee cameo.

The weaknesses come in the form of the film's villains. Ed Skrein and Gina Carano are unfortunately much too bland, and their characters are not very well written either, making them quite forgettable. At the very least, they both look good in the action sequences, so that's a mini plus.

2016 is said to be the year of the superheroes and it's starting off very well indeed. I recommend giving Deadpool a shot, especially if you're familiar with the Marvel universe. And of course, stay for the post credits scene. (8/10)