Deadpool: Lives up to Hype and…Don’t Get Greedy That’s Good Enough

In the vein of tongue-in-cheek super hero films/spoofs, Deadpool ups the ante as one of those splendid films that lives up to the hype. Imperfect as it is, this is swept quickly beneath the rug in favor of playing along with this self-aware, dark, violent comedy.

Premise: A military operative turned mercenary is subjected to a terrible experiment that leads him to become alter ego Deadpool. Result: A fun spoof on super hero films that is as smart as it is violent (oh and raunchy).

Skeptics need only wonder how many times Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) can deliver the same film before somebody, anybody, could finally stop him. But unlike recent and not so recent catastrophes (Green Lantern, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where he actually played the same, albeit vastly distinct, character) this film seems retrofitted to Reynolds and his self-deprecating, irreverent, machine gun style humor.

Directed by Tim Miller, Deadpool is a revenge thriller with a plot essentially lifted from just about everything, proving that content is often hardly about the material and everything to do with the delivery. Pitting our protagonist (anti-hero) against the likes of Ajax (Ed Skrein) and Angel Dust (Gina Carano), with support from wayward allies like Colussus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) – two “X-Men who look like Chinese knockoffs”- as well as pal/sidekick/idiot Weasel (T.J. Miller), the film delves into the nature of vengeance and sadness all the while using humor as its real weapon.

On the road to revenge, additionally, is the road toward/away from Love, in this case that of Vanessa (Morena Baccarin); while cliché in every way, the material feels fresh and exciting as every moment feels more irreverent than the last. And the violence that interweaves throughout the plot and raunchy humor is well-orchestrated action: quick, impactful, and exhilarating without ever feeling superfluous.

Ultimately, everything is fun in this film; there are enough jokes and battles and hot people to keep anyone’s attention for the long haul. The performances, however, are what really sell this in the end. As explained prior, not since Van Wilder have we seen Reynolds work the screen so effortlessly and effectively, landing the majority of his jokes largely because this film seemed fun for him, director Miller and the cast rather than simply a pallid homage to fanboys everywhere.

Baccarin is a perfect muse, having long been the object of fanboy obsession, she can share in the ironies of this film and deliver on what is expected from her time and time again. Skrein and Carano, ostensibly the “straight-men” in this film, don’t ever take themselves too seriously while not seeming slapstick or pointless mimics of their lead counterparts. Carano, in particular, is surprising as she actually works in this film. And Miller does what Miller does best…T.J. Miller.

In the end, Deadpool is worth the watch from beginning to end. It won’t change your life and likely won’t have as lasting an effect as similar films like Guardians of the Galaxy, but for a good time out it is a must see, at least once.

Rating: 8 – An expensive red wine and juicy steak