I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for Ryan Reynolds.
Because of him and a few other brave producers, audiences get a chance to see a breath of fresh air in an aging superhero genre. “Deadpool” is exciting, rude and likely the smartest comedy to be so lowbrow.
For comic book lovers, it may be the ultimate fan service, but for the rest of us, it’s a damn good time. Reynolds tried his hand at the superhero genre before, playing the title role in “Green Lantern” in 2011 and a rendition of Deadpool in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Both of those movies sucked, but it’s clear that the man was really sticking out for a quality take on Deadpool, which is what he accomplished here.
On paper, the idea of an invincible and immature mercenary that mixes extreme violence with a childish attitude is a nightmare for most studios. However, that’s ultimately the appeal of the film; it just would’ve been a disaster in the wrong hands. Lucky for us, two talented screenwriters (Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick), a first-time director (Tim Miller) and a charismatic lead actor (Reynolds) show that dreams can come true.
Flat-out, “Deadpool” rocks. Told as an origin story, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) falls in love with the equally beautiful, equally deranged Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin). Even the standard love element that most of these superhero movies try to shoehorn in is enhanced by Vanessa’s ability to shock us as much as Wade. The fact that, among insane sex and dirty insults, these two characters are able to develop a better relationship than most any other superhero film says something about how far behind all those other movies are from “Deadpool.”
All is well until Wade gets diagnosed with incurable cancer. He is recruited by a scientist named Ajax (Ed Skrein), who promises that he can unlock any dormant mutant powers inside of Wade. Through science or something, Wade gets the powers of his superhero alias Deadpool which are extreme regeneration as well as the ability to break the fourth wall time and time again without missing a hilarious beat.
His powers come at a price, though, which is Wade’s beauty. His scarred and deformed body leads to a pretty lame plot point, which is the film’s biggest weakness. Throughout the entire film, Wade is so confident and cares so little about what anyone else thinks of his crass behavior. Yet without his Reynolds-like good looks, he’s ashamed to return to Vanessa. An odd step back, but I suppose this fun character couldn’t be too perfect.
So Deadpool goes on the hunt for Ajax while going through only a few of the origin story tropes. He gets a costume, but kills every thug he runs into. It’s unconventional, which is just what we need every once in awhile. He’s got a friend (T.J. Miller) and even runs into a few minor X-Men (Brianna Hildebrand and Stefan Kapičić) who serve as additional comic relief, but they all pale in comparison to Reynolds. He gives the Merc with a Mouth all that he’s got; the end product feels like a dream performance.
The ride is occasionally bumpy, but it’s one hell of a blast the whole way through. “Deadpool” is the type of innovation in a genre that every other film will now be compared to, and it’s the type of comedy that is too good to pass up. Blockbusters don’t need too big a budget to be memorable, as this film excellently reminds us. All it takes to work sometimes is a bit of heart, a little thought and a couple of latex crotch shots.
_MOVE Magazine gives “Deadpool” four out of five stars._
