Ever since the first leaked footage appeared online the expectation for the Deadpool movie has been immense. The character first was shown on screen in the less than stellar X-Men Origins: Wolverine where Ryan Reynolds had a small and pretty unmemorable turn as the merc with the mouth. The revised version we now get is a world away from that and it is all the better for it.
Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a gun for hire. A former special forces operative turned mercenary who now threatens people and sorts problems for money. Into his life comes Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). The pair fall madly in lust and eventually love. Just as happiness seems a possibility, Wade is diagnosed with terminal cancer. His only hope is an experimental treatment offered by a shady organisation. What this does is to turn him into a mutant with self-healing properties. Unfortunately it leaves him looking like a hairless scrotum. This pushes Wade to track down Ajax (Ed Skrein), the mutant accountable for his now altered appearance.
This is all that modern superhero movies are not. It is totally over the top with its sex, violence and humour and doesn’t give a damn if it offends or upsets people. It has a 15 rating in the UK and could easily have slipped to an even higher rating given the graphic content. A bit more swearing would probably have done it. Set in the same universe as the X-Men, the character of Deadpool is unlike anything you will see coming from the Xavier school for gifted youngsters.
Ryan Reynolds totally embraces the role of Wade Wilson. The character is an individual who has no filter. He says whatever he thinks at all times. It is frequently hilarious when you can keep up and fully understand the US-Centric references. He totally becomes the character and with his scruffy look he is a world away from the matinee idol we have seen in so many rom-coms.
The supporting players are equally good. With the higher rating there is more room to fully explore the dark side of the characters. Vanessa is much more than a match for Wade in terms of attitude and wit. It is nice to see a strong female character that doesn’t rely on a man to be her reason for being there. The other notable inclusion is Ed Skrein. His personality is basically a moustache twirling bad guy and he is great in the role. The inclusion of Colossus (Stefan Kapacic) and the brilliantly named Negasonic teenage warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) feels a like they have been inserted to link the film to the X-Men franchise
The story itself is a little bit light. It is essentially an origin story and as such there is not much to it. The revenge element stretches it out somewhat. What compensates for this is the kinetic pace of the film. The writing is very clever. It is filled with wisecracking and comic asides giving Reynolds the chance to really show off his comedic skill. Interspersed is the full on blood and guts (sometimes literally) action scenes. These are faultless in their execution, cleverly choreographed and manage to include Deadpool’s unique brand of humour into them including frequently breaking the fourth wall.
Overall, a fresh and irreverent superhero film that totally satisfying. Highly recommended.
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