There are no names in the opening credits. Oh, there are words and titles all right, just no names. Instead, the stop motion rotational action sequence is peppered with credits announcing “GOD’S PERFECT IDIOT,” “A BRITISH VILLAIN,” and “MOODY TEEN,” etc. This film is directed by “AN OVERPAID TOOL” and the writers are “THE REAL HEROES HERE” all presented to a soundtrack of Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning.” And just in case you missed some of the car flip slo-mo joy where masked anti-hero Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is, I dunno, shooting somebody, tea-bagging somebody and giving another guy a wedgie, the airborne debris within the vehicle includes the People Magazine issue of Sexiest Man Alive Ryan Reynolds. This is gonna be fun, huh?
And it was an absolute gas. Deadpool is easily the most fun I’ve had at the theater in, I dunno, 100 films? 200 films? 500 films? A boatload of celluloid, that’s for sure.
Wade (Reynolds) is a thug; he’s the guy you hire if you want to shed a stalker or lose a bully permanently. Deadpool isn’t shy about presenting Wade as an anti-hero; in fact, from strip-clubs to self-mutilation, Deadpool isn’t shy about presenting pretty much anything. Yet, Wade does have a heart. Entranced by call-girl Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), Wade blows his entire thuggery paycheck to take her skee-ballin’ for 48 minutes. Not sure this is the best way to win the hooker of your dreams, but most folks don’t have Reynolds’ looks or sense of humor. And most romances don’t begin with a “my background sucks more ass than yours” contest. Before long, two things happen – Wade and Vanessa get engaged and Wade develops cancer in three major organs.
It’s likely Lone Wade would have given up, but the Wade who loves Vanessa decides on a radical solution, brought to him by a repellant lackey (Jed Rees) who looks like a pedophile. Deadpool has no problem making light of that, too. The solution involves unlocking mutant powers until now dormant within Wade. How? Torture. There’s a lot of torture in this film. Ugly torture. Excusable because the subject is our hero and the deliverer of such pain (Ed Skrein) becomes our villain. Theory here is mutant genes lay dormant until under extreme stress, so pain is needed to turn Wade from a victim into Wolverine. And it does – side effect being I’m prettier than new Wade. I really hope this isn’t how you make superheroes, because at that rate, half of Al Qaeda would have other-worldly mutant powers by now.
This is one of the weird parts of Deadpool – Wade, now indestructible, makes the most of his superpowers, jumping off freeway ramps into moving vehicles, severing his own arm to escape capture, showing up at a machine gun battle with a pair of swords … but he’s most distressed about no longer being handsome. I’d criticize, but, shit, if I looked like Ryan Reynolds, I’d be pretty displeased at becoming a human avocado, too.
As I sit back and reread, I’m not sure I was clear here – bottom line is if you don’t
have a problem with raunch and you can check preconceived hero notions at the door, Deadpool could be the best time you have a the theater this year. I’m not kidding.
The tone is what sets Deadpool apart from average superhero films. Deadpool is the X-Man who has no interest in X-Men. He has no qualms about advertising his sexual desires or his irreverence or just plain contempt for standard hero tripe. His invulnerability gives Deadpool the confidence to treat every situation no matter how dire like some sort of reality game show. And he knows it. There’s nothing wrong with Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine; but Deadpool combines the Wolverine independence and immortality frustrations with a wonderful sense of humor. This is exactly what the Wolverine films should be. I could watch Deadpool for dialogue alone.
Ever since Buried, Ryan Reynolds has been on my radar as a guy capable of this performance – the one that will elevate him to true stardom. After Green Lantern, however, I was pretty sure I’d misevaluated the situation. Maybe Buried was just right place/right time and nobody else saw it anyway so who cares? But I can’t think of another actor who could get this much awesome out of this role. Welcome to acting, Mr. Reynolds. And overpaid tool or no, Tim Miller is now in radar range as well.
♪There’ll be no cuff to bind your hands
Not if my sword has found your heart
And there’s no need to lend a hand
For I work totally apart
I see no need for these X-Men
I handle combat myself, often
Just call me Deadpool of the mourning, Deadpool
Just punch my cheek before I hit back, baby
Just call me Deadpool and I’m warning, Ajax
You must return great looks to me♫
Rated R, 108 Minutes
D: Tim Miller
W: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Genre: The movie you’ve been waiting for since the original Sin City
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Comic book fans
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Don’t like torture? Don’t like self-mutilation? Don’t like masturbation jokes? Don’t like anti-heroes? Don’t like piercing after piercing after piercing? Pick a reason. Pick any R-rated reason.
♪ Parody inspired by “Angel of the Morning”
