With all the big Marvel movies raking in the dollars at the box office, we’re slowly but surely seeing some of the lesser-known superheroes get their moment in the spotlight. Thanks to Netflix, we’ve witnessed a re-imagining of Daredevil (which is excellent), Jessica Jones (based on the comic series “Alias”), and very soon we’ll see a Luke Cage series as well. One of the weirder classic heroes, Doctor Strange, is also about to get a movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead. But DEADPOOL is likely going to dominate theaters this weekend, bringing to life one of Marvel’s most unusual and quirky characters in a big way. Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza in the early 1990s, Deadpool was originally just a smart-ass assassin who first appeared in New Mutants #98, and later morphed into an insane superhero who was anything but conventional. This new production is actually not the first time Ryan Reynolds played Deadpool, as he originally tackled the role in 2009’s X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, though that incarnation wasn’t all that faithful to the source material, and the movie itself just wasn’t done very well. Thanks to some leaked test footage that instantly went viral in 2012 and got fans super-excited, we now have a live-action DEADPOOL movie, which not only gets the character right but ends up being one of the best Marvel movies to date… for the right crowd at least.

One of the most common characteristics of the comic book version of Deadpool is the character being self-referential, and breaking the fourth wall by taking TO the reader as the story plays out. In the comics, Deadpool knows he’s in a comic book, jokes about the heroes and villains he meets, and never takes himself too seriously. He’s also a pretty violent and disturbed guy. The movie follows these examples, and delivers a live action version that is so true to the books it’s almost scary. The opening of the film makes fun of action movie opening credits, even joking about who is starring in the film by dumbing the credits down to things like “Some hot chick” and “A CGI character” among others, all while a violent car crash plays out in super slow-motion. This should give you an idea of what kind of movie experience you’re in for. We then meet the title character who is in a cab riding to an unknown destination, climbing into the front seat to chat with the driver named Dopinder (played by Karan Soni). As they chat, our hero starts to explain how things came to be, which takes us into a series of flashbacks where we see Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a tough guy messenger who likes helping others despite not having the best morals. He spends his off time in a bar with his bartender buddy Weasel (T.J. Miller), who isn’t above betting hard money on seeing Wade die. Wilson meets Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), a friendly prostitute who is arguably about as damaged as he is. They immediately fall in love, finding in each other something they were both desperately missing. Everything is great until Wade discovers he has aggressive cancer throughout his body, and will be dead very soon. While devastated by this news, he receives a visit from a mysterious man who promises him his organization can fix him and save his life, while giving him abilities he never imagined. Initially Wilson turns the man down, but after a heartbreaking conversation with Vanessa in which he tells her they can’t stay together, Wade eventually calls the man and accepts the offer. He soon learns all is not what it was presented to be, and is strapped down by Ajax (Ed Skrein), who intends to make him a sort of super-powered slave. After a daring escape, Wade tries to go back to his old life, though he’s now horribly disfigured and possessing super strength and a Wolverine-like healing power. So of course he becomes a costumed hero (or in this case anti-hero) looking for the man who made him this way, and trying to decide whether or not to track down Vanessa in his current state.

While there’s action all over DEADPOOL, the movie also features a pretty solid romance about two people brought together and then torn apart. The character even jokes (during his voiceover to the audience) about how this film is a “love story” of sorts. But director Tim Miller finds a breakneck pace for the screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, which never slows down or feels heavy-handed. As a superhero movie, this is one of the most briskly-paced productions ever to come from a Marvel comic book. Ryan Reynolds plays the role as an unhinged funnyman, but manages to find the humanity in it as well, making Wilson a likable nut that finds the right balance of silliness and sympathy. Even his disfigured form has a cuteness to it, especially during a scene where T.J. Miller bombards him with insults about his horrifying new appearance. Perhaps it’s the atypical personality that makes Deadpool such a fun superhero, or just the unpredictable nature of the role, but he’s a great protagonist for a very chaotic story. Morena Baccarin also brings a sweetness to the romance of the story, which works quite well despite being portrayed as an unexpected love between two very dysfunctional people. Her interaction with Reynolds brings forth a definite chemistry that never feels forced or obligatory. T.J. Miller gets some fun moments as Wilson’s sarcastic and less-than-helpful friend, but the few interactions between he and Reynolds are almost always pure comedy gold. Ed Skrein does a fine job playing the cocky villain of the piece, though I would have liked a little more background on his character or that guy’s motivations. Regardless, Skrein brings a strong physicality to the performance, and is in many ways the perfectly confident and appropriate baddie for the piece. Gina Carano is great as Skrein’s very tough right hand woman who is light on words but lethal when needed. Brianna Hildebrand is a fun addition as “Negasonic Teenage Warhead”, a new addition to the X-Men mansion, and Stefan Kapicic does some great voice work as Colossus – both of them joining Deadpool on his mission. Those scenes bring a fun comic book-like team-up aspect to the story that feels like a bigger film without dropping those big movie bucks. There’s even a hilarious joke about how those two are the only two X-Men our hero ever seems to see, as if the budget wouldn’t allow for anyone else to be shown. Oh, and the addition of Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Deadpool’s unlikely roommate, is indeed rather inspired casting.

While this is a character born from the comics, make no mistake, DEADPOOL is not a movie for kids, and parents thinking of taking their kids to it should think twice. This is a film that features sex, graphic sex jokes, male and female nudity, gory violence, some very coarse language, and questionable heroics. To put it simply, this is NOT your typical superhero movie. But if you’re ready for something different, or just like funny adult fare, this is one hell of a cinematic ride. Tim Miller’s directing style really compliments the brutal action sequences, and even the score by Junkie XL has a nice throwback 1980s action feel (see if you can pick up on the “Beat It”-like guitar riffs). While this is a movie that never takes itself seriously nor does it expect you to, I found it to be a refreshing change in this day of overdone superhero releases. It does of course raise the question of whether or not this will change how comic book movies are made moving forward, or at the very least open the doors for more mature styles in making these sorts of adaptations. It should also be interesting to see whether or not Fox attempts to crossover Deadpool into any of their X-MEN movies down the line. Reynolds has definitely redeemed himself after the first attempt at playing the role, and his other failed superhero outing in GREEN LANTERN. Forget all that, as DEADPOOL is a definitive career high for the actor, and pretty much everyone involved.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•