After too many years of Ryan Reynolds’ attempts of getting his favorite comic book hero on the silver screen, it finally happened. Against all odds the incredibly risky project hit theaters and quickly became acknowledged as one of the raunchiest and most entertaining action comedies in recent memory.
With Deadpool, the Marvel cinematic industry disrupted a long streak of creating squeaky clean family friendly action films. Making the change to take on an R rating, Fox Studios held nothing back. Unlike any superhero movie prior, Deadpool goes all out in every way possible. From its astonishingly crude humor to it blood spraying violence the movie is a game changer for the industry, and it’s a fresh one at that.
When mercenary Wade Wilson is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he is recruited to undergo a life changing surgery in hopes of freeing himself from the illness. After the surgery turns out to be a scam which gives people superhuman abilities via torture, the newly disfigured Wade takes on the alter ego Deadpool and vows revenge on those who changed him. With Deadpool’s new ability essentially being immortality, he heads out into the world, swords in hand, slicing his way to the top of the criminal food chain.
Along with his power to heal himself, Deadpool has the before unseen ability of being aware he is in a comic, or in this case a movie. Spawning here is the source of many of the film’s gags. Deadpool frequently interacts with the audience, giving insight into the story and his own twisted mind. Even going as far as making references to the actors in the X-Men films and previous Deadpool cinematic appearances, the film’s act for being incredibly self aware is done in inventive and refreshing ways.
Technically, Deadpool also triumphs. In the age of risk free action films, where the threats in the stunts are nonexistent, this movie feels raw and exciting. While there are CG enhancements throughout the film’s set pieces, special effects do not obscure when the bullets and fists start flying. In movies like 2015’s Kingsmen and the latest Mission Impossible, jump cuts in action sequences stick out like a sore thumb. Whether Deadpool had these highly editing fight scenes or not, its action looked clean and slick. Despite Deadpool’s immortality, the stakes felt high and made for great comic book violence.
Unlike almost every mainstream comic book hero movie, the violence is a hard R, but what is surprisingly even more edgy is the humor. Sex, drugs and racial humor, the ‘merc with a mouth’ says it all. Is it offensive? Most certainly, but a Marvel movie with this many “in your face” profanities is just what the movie needed to be.
Bringing forth most of the inspiration for the project, Ryan Reynolds delivered some of cinema’s most uproarious humor and above one of Hollywood’s greatest montages. Deadpool needed to do only one thing, and that is to have been simple and fun. It accomplished its goal with great success, kicking of what should be Marvel’s most entertaining franchise.
8/10
