As I’ve
not so subtly indicated before on this blog, Deadpool, aka the Merc with a
Mouth, is my favorite Marvel character to the point where I’m looking at a
framed image as I type this. However, I will say now that I will not pretend to
be an expert on the character, as I have yet to read all of his material. But I
am willing to learn more and have been working on reading more of the early
material by Joe Kelly, as well as more of the side content and mini-series. With
that out of the way, it’s time to talk about the most unique “superhero” movie
yet, Deadpool.
Wade
Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a mercenary who has fallen in love with a woman named
Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Just as he’s proposed to her, however, he finds out
the hard way that he has terminal cancer and agrees to go through Weapon X
testing in the hopes of curing his condition. After going through the process,
he has instead awakened a latent mutation which allows him to regenerate his
cells. He survives an explosion of the testing facility and dedicates himself
to hunting down Ajax (Ed Skrein), the mutant who put him through the Weapon X
process, so he can remove the hideous scars covering his body and live happily with
Vanessa. At the same time, the mutants known as Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and
Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) are trying to convince him to
change his mercenary ways and put his skills to use as a member of the X-Men.
Perhaps
the most interesting thing about the movie is its troubled production.
According to an interview with Ryan Reynolds, he had already been slated 11
years ago as the actor who would play Deadpool in a film appearance. After
learning this, he read about the character, as well as several issues of the
comic, and figured the character would be perfect for the basis of an entire
movie. From that point on, he kept asking Fox to make a movie and they
continually declined. However, he played Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins:
Wolverine with the knowledge that it would be a cameo appearance. But
last-minute decisions from a higher-up resulted in changes to the character of
Deadpool in X-Men Origins, including the infamous decision to sew his mouth
shut, which led to a negative reception of the character’s portrayal among
fans. Eventually, the Deadpool movie entered production on and off for a few
years, but still couldn’t get greenlit by Fox despite having a script fully written
out. During this time, test footage from the film leaked onto the internet and
was met with a positive response from viewers, which finally led to the
Deadpool movie being greenlit by Fox.
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| Wade Wilson as he appears in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. |
But
that’s not all. While it was greenlit, the crew was given the fraction of the
budget that would normally go to an X-Men movie, resulting in additional
villains and action sequences getting axed; Reynolds has referred to the size
of the budget as what would normally be a movie’s “cocaine budget.” Along with
Reynolds becoming a Producer on the film, this budget came with the trade-off
of the crew being given full creative control of the project. As a result, the
crew got to make a “superhero” film with an R rating, which they felt allowed
them to go all the way with the character of Deadpool and not pull any punches.
In the end, the film has not only received positive reception from critics, but
also broke box office records for an R-rated movie and has led to the planned
sequel entering production.
The
hardship put into making Deadpool a reality has definitely been worth it. The
story, compared to many recent Marvel Studios releases, is simple and straightforward.
Wade has a clear mission with a clear motivation and there aren’t really any
side plots to distract from the main one. Not only is the script very tight,
but so is the sense of humor. Though there are a couple places where the sexual
humor went a little far (strictly by my own tastes; I won’t fault anyone for
thinking differently), there’s plenty of fourth wall-breaking humor and many laugh-out-loud
jokes and X-Men-related in-jokes to keep the viewer entertained. It’s rather
amazing, really, that a movie like this could play the “superhero” genre
straight and yet, quite appropriately, treat it like a huge joke. At the same time,
there’s a romance element between Wade and Vanessa that was well-written and interconnected
within the main story rather than a side event.
The
easy to follow nature of the story extends to the action sequences, which
contain excellent choreography and nothing that would really muddle them down.
Deadpool’s skills with guns and katana swords are cool to watch, as are the
abilities of the other mutants, especially Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who has a
very non-standard ability when compared to the rest of the characters. I also
have to give credit to the filmmakers for not feeling the need to level a city
or a continent, or suck the Earth into a yellow vortex, and instead keeping the
damage to within an abandoned junkyard.
The
reason I’ve been putting “superhero” in quotes is because Deadpool, as he puts
it, is super, but he’s no hero. Rather, he’s a mercenary from beginning to end
and would rather kill than spare those in his way. Of course, he also has a
good side, as he demonstrates unwillingness to kill innocents or those he doesn’t
have a personal beef with. Ryan Reynolds was clearly born to play the role, as
he plays the character in a way which perfectly demonstrates his love and
respect of the material. At this point, it’s hard to imagine anyone better
suited to play Deadpool and Reynolds has found a role that can fully show off
his acting abilities.
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| Ryan Reynolds does a great job as Deadpool. |
Morena
Baccarin plays her role of Vanessa quite well. Though I’m aware Vanessa is a
pre-existing character, I can’t really compare her movie depiction to the one
in the comics. However, I can say that Vanessa and Wade had very good on-screen
chemistry, which made their relationship believable given the setting. Baccarin
is also very attractive herself, which compliments Vanessa’s personality nicely
and creates a great love interest for Wade. I also have to give the filmmakers
props for giving Vanessa a unique origin for a “superhero” love interest, as
she starts out as a hooker with a heart of gold before developing a serious
relationship.
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| Morena Baccarin does a great job as Vanessa. |
It’s
also quite refreshing to a have a villain in a “superhero” movie who has no
redeeming qualities and is unquestionably evil. The movie is very to-the-point
with Ajax and Ed Skrein pulls him off very well, which makes his comeuppance all
the more satisfying.
Though
minor characters, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead are no less important.
The relationship they build with Deadpool in their attempts to recruit him, as
well as their contribution to the climactic fight scene, makes them very
enjoyable to watch. Humor is also derived from the contrast between Deadpool’s
psychotic personality and their clear alignment with the side of good. I also
have to give credit to T. J. Miller as Weasel and Leslie Uggams as Blind Al;
both characters are very humorous and the actors give great depictions of the
characters from the comics.
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| Colossus (left) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (right) are good foils for Deadpool (center). |
Compared
with many other recent “superhero” flicks, Deadpool isn’t very special effects
driven, though this is very likely due to the smaller budget. Despite this,
whatever special effects exist are done excellently and even help contribute to
some of the humor, such as a scene where Deadpool’s hand is regenerating and it’s
briefly very small. Colossus, who is credited in the opening as “A CGI
Character,” shows off exactly where a good amount of the budget went and is
rendered in a way that he feels like he’s actually there. His movements have a
weight to them and Deadpool learns the hard way that he certainly has mass.
Other mutant abilities such as those of Negasonic Teenage Warhead or Angel Dust
(Gina Carano) are also rendered very well, particularly since the latter mainly
fights Colossus in the climax.
In
the end, Deadpool is an excellent movie. A surprisingly good mix of action and
romance along with refreshingly mature humor for a “superhero” movie makes for
an unforgettable experience. Deadpool fans will surely love this, but I would
also recommend it for those who want something different from Marvel and DC’s
normal cinematic output. However, parents should be advised that Deadpool is
rated R for a very good reason and should only consider taking their children
if they feel they can handle very graphic or very adult content. This movie
does not shy away from showing what you can’t find in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe or the currently-being-attempted DC Cinematic Universe, which is part
of what makes it so refreshing and fun.
