Movie Information
Release Date: February 12, 2016
Director: Tim Miller
Writer: Rob Liefeld (character), Fabian Nicieza (character), Rhett Reese (screenplay), Paul Wernick (screenplay)
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Karan Soni, Ed Skrein, Michael Benyaer, Stefan Kapicic, Brianna Hildebrand, Style Dayne, Kyle Cassie, Taylor Hickson, Ayzee, Naika Toussaint, Randal Reeder, T.J. Miller, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Morena Baccarin, Justyn Shippelt, Donna Yamamoto, Jed Rees, Hugh Scott, Gina Carano, Cindy Piper, Emily Haine, Aatash Amir, Chad Riley, Paul Belsito, Darcey Johnson, Leslie Uggams, Kyle Rideout
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Production Company: Marvel Enterprises, TSG Entertainment (in association with), Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Language: English
Country: USA, Canada
Budget: N/A
Twentieth Century Fox has had their fair share of attempting to adapt comic book properties. While I feel only one of their films is a homerun, and the other a close second (X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, respectively), the rest are underwhelming disappointments, or epic failures that should be forgotten. Especially with their first try with the titular character in X Men Origins: Wolverine. I wasn’t too hurt though. Deadpool isn’t one of my favorite comic book characters, but he certainly does grab my attention. Besides his unfair mutant powers of instant healing, his personality alone is something you can’t ignore, and it will eventually gain the respect of the masses. He doesn’t care about what comes out of his mouth, which is both shocking and hilarious. So this time, the studio finally took to heart all the positives the “Merc with the mouth” has to offer and delivered an exceptional film that will be remembered as one of the greats for the rest of time!
There’s so much to choose from, but one of the best aspects of the film is it being self-aware. With my personal taste, I can’t stand opening credits, but this time the film was able to immediately set the tone by making fun of itself in how similar it is to films of the same genre. You could argue that comic book films are all the same, but this Deadpool film addressed that notion before you could even conjure up such a thought. It was entertaining, informative, and funny, which strapped you down for the ride you’re about to embark on. Deadpool is also a character that breaks the fourth wall (talks to the audience). I was worried this tool would be overused, but it was executed seamlessly to perfection, while making note of what you the audience member was already thinking.
Now with me getting all excited for these types of films, the main thing I want to see is great action between the characters,though the action only holds weight if it has meaning within the story. Sure there’s been countless tales of someone gaining super powers, or wanting to seek revenge on an evil villain, but what sets them apart from each other are the perspectives they come from and the characters involved. Are the characters interesting? Can you relate? Does it all make sense? These are all questions that must be answered, and the nonlinear story telling from this Deadpool film answered all of them, knocking it out of the park. The audience got flashbacks of history while in the middle of a grand action set piece. It wasn’t jarring or distracting. It was joyous, different, and exhilarating. I was smiling ear to ear, as if a love letter was written to all of my senses. There’s a believable love story and a higher calling of justice that I respect. There were no dull moments, just joke after joke, and so much laughter you might have missed the next one.
Though it doesn’t matter how funny the writer feels the script is. It will all fall flat on its face if you don’t have chemistry between the cast. From my comic knowledge about the character, involving Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/Deadpool) was spot on perfect. I honestly feel like the actual comic book character was written off of his personality. I wouldn’t disagree if I was told there was no script, and the entire dialogue was made up on the spot, because it fit so well. Even Weasel (T.J. Miller) had his moments to shine with clever wit and humor. The villain Ajax (Ed Skrein) was a worthy foe, as well. He fit well into the context and set the stakes of the film.
So with those stakes being set, the action on screen was all I hoped for. I love kicks, flips, action, and mayhem. So my expectations were set quite high. They were all met and even exceeded. A film succeeds with its action and/or fighting when all characters involved are giving all their effort to reach their goal. So when a character has a special ability or power, I want to see them use it to its full potential. In this film this was done miles beyond what I anticipated. Deadpool had a valid reason for wearing a red suit. He made good use of all of his guns and special katanas that were mounted on his back. There was even a nice plot device that limited his use of more weapons that made the finale more enjoyable. The icing on the cake was the involvement of Colossus (Stefan Kapicic-voice) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). I know absolutely nothing about the latter character, but the way Colossus was handled was far superior than his rendition in previous X-Men films. He was actually huge and had a Russian accent, which was something ignored previously. My only complaint with his character, and pretty much the whole movie, was him staying in his metallic form for the whole duration of the film. Him eating cereal at home in the X-Mansion while powered up really annoyed me.
Overall, Deadpool is a dream come true. It’s not too often where you can receive a perfect adaptation of a comic book character that’s so far from the typical public appeal. I’m so sick of characters in these films with weapons to kill, but due to a rating the audience can’t witness the full range of the action. Deadpool swears, masturbates, chops off heads, and doesn’t care if he offends you. The violence isn’t even that over the top, and welcomed by the story it presents. With the studio sticking so close to the source material, and having faith in releasing an R-rated film, this could warrant a new trend in Hollywood when trying to tackle these types of properties. I’m extremely happy with the way the film turned out, and it’s so entertaining, I’ll be at the theater at least five more times.