Deadpool Review

deadpool-gallery-03To start, I am not an avid fan of superhero films. I have a select few that I enjoy watching, and “Deadpool” has been added to that list of movies.  “Deadpool” is ballsy, willing to go more indepth into areas where most superhero films wouldn’t even consider doing. With so many Marvel and DC movies trying to imitate the massive success of Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” by making each movie way too dark/serious, it is really refreshing to see a film that breaks the mold and goes beyond what the “typical” Marvel movie should be.

“Deadpool” makes fun of its genre, goes over-the-top with language and violence , yet it still maintains great pacing and comedic writing supported by Ryan Reynolds’s hilarious performance as Deadpool, resulting in one of the most surprising.

“Deadpool” is about an ex-special forces operative named Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) who is ex-special forces is diagnosed with terminal cancer. After recently discovering his true love in life (Morena Baccarin) named Vanessa, he does not want her to suffer from his death. Therefore, Wade is approached by a mysterious man to receive a cure. Wade is taken to a special lab, but he does not receive the promised treatment. After going through a series of different torture methods and injections that lead to Wade’s disfigured face, the laboratory blows up. Wade is determined to get back to Vanessa. However Vanessa is kidnapped by Wade’s torturer, Ajax (Ed Skrein). With his loved one gone, Wade sets out to kill Ajax with his new alias, “Deadpool”.

 Director Tim Miller’s “Deadpool” is extremely violent. Armed with two Deagles and katanas, the film has some of the best fight scenes in superhero film history, coming behind Matthew Vaughn’s “Kick Ass” and Anthony and Joe Russo’s “Captain America: Winter Soldier”. Sure this film doesn’t have massive explosions and New York City being destroyed to smithereens, but the movie uses its intentional R-rating for taking shootouts and car chases to another level. Bodies fly, brains explode, three people are killed with one bullet to the head, bodies are impaled, and so much more. My favorite has to be when Deadpool kicks a goon’s head like a soccer ball. Sure, every single piece of violence doesn’t have that much meaning in the film other than entertainment factor, but the way Deadpool deals with action always shows a small part of his personality better than what any “Avengers” action scene does with flying Aliens and lasers. Marvel and Hollywood in general should use “Deadpool” as an exemplar on how to deal with action. With a mere 58 million dollar budget compared to “The Avengers” budget of 220 million, the action in “Deadpool” makes any other generic Marvel movie look like a joke.

Of course, “Deadpool” wouldn’t be as successful as it was without the collaboration of the director and the writers with talented actor, Ryan Reynolds. “Deadpool” has so many jokes. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick provide Deadpool with an unlimited supply of punchlines, references, and one-liners with a hint of dark humor. The jokes are never tiring, and they have you laughing at the most randomest moments. Some of the jokes don’t necessarily fit with the film, but that’s the point. Deadpool is awkward, but he’s also charismatic, which is why he’s so fun to watch despite his constant barrage of puns. Another thing I loved was Deadpool breaking the fourth wall. It’s a superhero movie, and “Deadpool” recognizes that, and when it needs to do, it will acknowledge the error with some silly one-liner.

By the way, “Deadpool” is an action-romance-comedy. While going into this movie, I thought they were going to just use the romance subplot to incorporate a bunch of sex scenes. And yes, that is true in some ways as there is a sex montage in the film, but it also allows space for character development, and it really makes the viewer care about Deadpool’s reasoning to go after Ajax, and his desperation to get treatment for his cancer. Also, it gives space for more puns and crude humor elements.

The soundtrack for “Deadpool” is composed by the talented, Junkie XL aka Tom Holkenborg, composer of “Mad Max: Fury Road”. Yet again, Holkenborg strays away from the stereotypical superhero film soundtrack that incorporate emotional orchestrals. Instead, he  makes the score  “fun”, yet “epic” using 80s sounding synths, reminiscent of the days of 80s action films.

However, “Deadpool” is no where near a cinematic masterpiece or a perfect film. I thought that the film had a very weak villain, and I thought it could use more action scenes. Another qualm I had was that the film didn’t really provide for any development and reasoning for the use of characters such as Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead.

Having said that, “Deadpool” is a masterpiece in terms of a superhero movie. It’s smart, likes to take risk, and erratic. Considering it’s low budget, it trumps so many Marvel and DC blockbusters. Overall, “Deadpool” is a fun movie for the family, perfectly mixing in elements of humor and over-the-top action. It truly is a unique superhero film, and it’s a shame that we don’t get to see more movies like these.