Deadpool (B+) Movie Review
Deadpool stars Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson, a 20-something mercenary who protects girls from stalkers. When Wilson becomes aware of his late-stage cancer, he accepts an invitation from a mysterious organization to be transformed into a mutant, as this will rid him of his cancer. When the organization is not what Wilson thought, he finds himself permanently mutated. Now assuming the name of Deadpool, Wilson tracks down his captor in hopes to reverse the mutation and get his fiancee back.
I was genuinely surprised by this movie. I'm not a fan of the superhero genre. But then again, maybe that's why I did enjoy the film, as Deadpool subverts genre cliches with a good amount of success. But I'm also not a fan of the sarcastic brand of humor being advertised by the trailers for the film.
To my surprise, I found myself being charmed with this film's wacky and crude brand of humor. The sass is still there but it's much more endearing in the film itself than in the trailer. Deadpool is actually a very, very funny film. The jokes are outrageous and a good percentage of them land and they are delivered at a rapid fire pace. But families be warned, these jokes are raunchy.
Ryan Reynolds fully embodies Deadpool, and this will be the defining role of his career. He's absolutely commanding of the screen here. He's likable, watchable, and a total comedic force. T.J. Miller is hilarious in the film too; I would argue that he's as funny as Reynolds. Morena Baccarin plays Vanessa, Wade Wilson's fiancee, and she's quite good also. The film is decidedly progressive in its attempts to portray women as not just damsels in distress (for the most part) and that's admirable. Baccarin gets a lot of laughs on her own and is not just the woman that Deadpool needs to rescue.
Speaking of Reynolds and Baccarin, their love story in the film is actually really well realized and fleshed out! This is a surprisingly good Valentine's Day movie, as director Tim Miller hits all the romantic points successfully and even with flair. There's one sequence that shows the progression of the couple's relationship that felt particularly creative and funny.
And if you're looking for action, Deadpool also does that quite well! There's a welcome lack of shaky cam to the fight scenes and said scenes are stylish and well-choreographed. The opening to this film, the bridge fight sequence, is not only well executed but explosively fun. Somehow, Tim Miller manages to sustain this same sense of fun throughout (almost) the entire film.
For the most part, Deadpool subverts the cliches of its genre with a sly wink to the camera. Reynolds does a lot of fourth wall breaking and talking to the audience while acknowledging how Deadpool works differently than other superhero films. The fourth wall breaking is not excessive but it does remind us that Deadpool wants to feel smarter than its brothers and sisters. I don't think the acknowledging of the audience is necessary. It's a platform for a few jokes but it occasionally comes across as smug, similar to the titular character.
Deadpool also occasionally falls victim to the cliches it wants to subvert, specifically in the third act. There's still a lot of winking and nodding going on but it feels less warranted because the third act is much more "by the books" than the rest of the film. But at this point, you're already invested in these characters and their relationships so it really doesn't interfere with your enjoyment.
Deadpool is a satisfying, hilarious, raunchy and crude, genre-bending blend of stuff that does so many things right. Where it falters occasionally, it's never less than a ton of fun. And you could do a lot worse on Valentine's Day.
FINAL GRADE: B+
MPAA RATING: R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity
I was genuinely surprised by this movie. I'm not a fan of the superhero genre. But then again, maybe that's why I did enjoy the film, as Deadpool subverts genre cliches with a good amount of success. But I'm also not a fan of the sarcastic brand of humor being advertised by the trailers for the film.
To my surprise, I found myself being charmed with this film's wacky and crude brand of humor. The sass is still there but it's much more endearing in the film itself than in the trailer. Deadpool is actually a very, very funny film. The jokes are outrageous and a good percentage of them land and they are delivered at a rapid fire pace. But families be warned, these jokes are raunchy.
Ryan Reynolds fully embodies Deadpool, and this will be the defining role of his career. He's absolutely commanding of the screen here. He's likable, watchable, and a total comedic force. T.J. Miller is hilarious in the film too; I would argue that he's as funny as Reynolds. Morena Baccarin plays Vanessa, Wade Wilson's fiancee, and she's quite good also. The film is decidedly progressive in its attempts to portray women as not just damsels in distress (for the most part) and that's admirable. Baccarin gets a lot of laughs on her own and is not just the woman that Deadpool needs to rescue.
Speaking of Reynolds and Baccarin, their love story in the film is actually really well realized and fleshed out! This is a surprisingly good Valentine's Day movie, as director Tim Miller hits all the romantic points successfully and even with flair. There's one sequence that shows the progression of the couple's relationship that felt particularly creative and funny.
And if you're looking for action, Deadpool also does that quite well! There's a welcome lack of shaky cam to the fight scenes and said scenes are stylish and well-choreographed. The opening to this film, the bridge fight sequence, is not only well executed but explosively fun. Somehow, Tim Miller manages to sustain this same sense of fun throughout (almost) the entire film.
For the most part, Deadpool subverts the cliches of its genre with a sly wink to the camera. Reynolds does a lot of fourth wall breaking and talking to the audience while acknowledging how Deadpool works differently than other superhero films. The fourth wall breaking is not excessive but it does remind us that Deadpool wants to feel smarter than its brothers and sisters. I don't think the acknowledging of the audience is necessary. It's a platform for a few jokes but it occasionally comes across as smug, similar to the titular character.
Deadpool also occasionally falls victim to the cliches it wants to subvert, specifically in the third act. There's still a lot of winking and nodding going on but it feels less warranted because the third act is much more "by the books" than the rest of the film. But at this point, you're already invested in these characters and their relationships so it really doesn't interfere with your enjoyment.
Deadpool is a satisfying, hilarious, raunchy and crude, genre-bending blend of stuff that does so many things right. Where it falters occasionally, it's never less than a ton of fun. And you could do a lot worse on Valentine's Day.
FINAL GRADE: B+
MPAA RATING: R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity