If any film is a testament to the power of social media, it’s Deadpool. Originally, 20th Century Fox were not interested in putting so much money into a project they considered a risk. It was only after some test footage leaked a couple of years ago and the resulting outcry from fans to get the movie made, that Fox eventually relented.
The film follows Wade Wilson, a fast talking, ‘sort of’ mercenary who, after being diagnosed with lots and lots of cancer, puts himself forward for a new experimental procedure that will allegedly ‘cure’ him. Of course, the whole thing is run by evil psychopaths who eventually turn Wilson into the 4th wall breaking vigilante, Deadpool.
The undeniable star of the show is Ryan Reynolds. In the same way that Robert Downey Jr was born to play Iron Man and Hugh Jackman was born to play Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds was absolutely born to play Deadpool. Reynolds has been trying to make this film for over eleven years and you can really see this passion dripping off the screen. He’s tailor made as the sarcastic, hilarious anti-hero who’s sense of humor is uncompromisingly offensive and vulgar. You can’t help but grin throughout the entire film when you see someone who is playing a character they genuinely love.
Reynolds is not the only one doing his job though. T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand and Morena Baccarin all serve as welcome secondary characters. They are not spectacular by any means but they all do their jobs well. Ed Skrein was also surprisingly good as the main antagonist. His performance as ‘Francis’ (Ajax) was quite chilling. I felt myself really disliking him which is simply a credit to Skrein’s performance.
As has become the trend with superhero films in recent years, it is also incredibly funny. Although it’s not quite the innocent, wholesome humor of Guardians of The Galaxy or The Avengers. There’s blood, there’s profanity and the very meta humor Deadpool fans are used to. Deadpool, for those of you who don’t know, knows he’s a comic book character. He often breaks the fourth wall and addresses us, the audience, directly. There are lot’s of jokes about Fox, the X-Men universe and it all lands perfectly. You get the sense that the team that put the film together really understood the character of Wade Wilson and knew what they had to do to translate him onto the big screen. In a world of saturation of comic book films, Deadpool feels like breath of fresh air within the genre
There certainly isn’t anything revolutionary in terms of the film’s plot. It’s a standard revenge/love tale of how someone did the protagonist wrong and now he is out to settle a score. You’ve seen it a hundred times before. However, Tim Miller does put a fresh spin on it as we jump back and forth between the fully formed Deadpool and Wilson’s journey to becoming the merc with a mouth. It’s not major, just a nice touch.
The action is also filmed well. There is no camera shaking or ferociously quick cuts. Miller does a good job of letting us see the action and keeps the films look clear and fresh.
In reality, it’s amazing this film has even been made. By the sheer luck of some leaked footage and the resultant pleas from fans, we have one of the best superhero films ever made. It is in no way meant for kids, this is a solid 15 rated movie and for good reason. However, with the success it is currently having, both critically and financially, we can only hope that this will wake studios up to the fact that, there is a market for a non-PG superhero. Celebmix urges you to go out and support this film, as it’s success could well be pivotal to the future of how studios look at superheros.
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