Deadpool (2016)

 

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Released: February 12, 2016. Directed by: Tim Miller. Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein. Runtime: 1hr, 48 min.

The wait for the man in the red suit is finally over. It’s not Santa Claus – but the merc with a mouth himself, Deadpool. And it’s everything I’ve dreamed a Deadpool movie would be.

It’s fun and consistently entertaining. The strong pacing and the film’s fourth-wall breaking enables smooth transitions in the well-written screenplay. As a bonus, it’s heartfelt.

It’s an R-rated dream, challenging the likes of Kick-Ass and The Punisher as one of the most violent super hero films. Though, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is more like a super vigilante.

Wade Wilson was Special Forces before he became Deadpool, signing up for treatment that’s said to cure his cancer. It turned him into an ugly, super human, immortal ass-kicking machine, which led him to leave his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) in heartbreaking nature.

I was hooked from the film’s opening credits – a flipped car frozen in motion, as the camera takes us through a variety of items. The clever film induces big laughs in the most violent situations. The movie and violence work because of its over-the-top nature, and director Tim Miller really makes the humour hit in his directorial debut.

Deadpool, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead in Deadpool. (Source)

The way the non-linear storyline weaves throughout the present and how Wilson became super is an intriguing style for a super hero film, which meets a balls-to-the-wall revenge tale.

Wilson has pledged revenge on Francis (Ed Skrein, The Transporter Refueled), who is responsible for the way Wade looks. Which, as the amusing T.J. Miller’s character Weasel describes, it’s like “Freddy Krueger face-f**ked a topographical map of Utah.”

Francis, whose villain name Ajax is more threatening, is a strong villain. He’s as sadistic as he is unrelenting. His power is a curse – where the super serum that Wade was put through turned Francis into someone who could not feel pain.

His right-hand woman is Angel Dust, a villain with super strength portrayed by former MMA fighter Gina Carano. She’s kick-ass, even though she can’t act her way out of a paper bag. For me, she’s the film’s biggest flaw.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool (Source)

Wade enlists two X-Men to take down the baddies. One is Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic), an iron man with super strength; and the other is a trainee called Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). She has explosive powers, and is described as a “moody teenager” in Wade’s amusing vision of opening credits.

Deadpool’s great self-referential humour featuring digs at X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Green Lantern make this a winner. It also feels so fresh and unique.

Even when it falls into a standard hero versus villain battle at the end, the humour and ambition add a fresh spin. The pure beauty of the film is Wade Wilson and how well Ryan Reynolds does as the character.

His comedic timing fits the badass character as well as the red suit fits him. Reynolds’ ability to act so effectively with his voice brings an energetic aspect to the performance, and he seems to be picking his roles better since his entertaining turn in The Voices. It seems like a promise for better things for Reynolds.

He knows he isn’t a hero and he just does his thing and it’s awesome. The hero is harshly judged and his ugliness gives him a vulnerable layer that makes him relatable. The memorable action scenes and soundtrack complement the mood so well, which is the cherry on top on this glorious movie.