Review: Deadpool

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Director: Tim Miller

Writer: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Maccarin, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Andre Tricoteux

Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Rating: R

Throughout the past decade, I have seen a number of Marvel-based films that have been accurate to the original comic books to certain extent. Deadpool tops the others in accuracy and entertainment, from the costume design to character portrayal. It’s chaotically violent, packed with hilarious dialogue, and an overall enjoyment for hardcore fans.

Storyline

After being diagnosed with severe life-threatening cancer, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) accepts an offer from a secret organization to become a rogue experiment in order for his cancer to be cured. When the process begins to take a turn for the worse, Wade’s skin becomes disfigured. After Wade makes a daring escape from the facility, he comes to the realization that he has inherited a powerful healing ability from the experimentation, despite his disfigured body. Armed with his new abilities and his twisted sense of humor, Wade becomes Deadpool and hunts down the overseer of the his experimentation, Ajax, (Ed Skrein) who nearly destroyed his life.

Content Guide

Violent Content: Graphic, splattering violence from guns blazing and swords slashing. Wade dispatches people mercilessly, shooting them through the head and spattering them on freeway signs. Wade is subjected to experiments that leave him tortured and beaten bloody.

Language/Crude Humor: Foul language and adult crude humor throughout. Over 70 f-words and plenty of other profanities. Jesus’ name is taken in vain three times, as well as one use of “God***.”

Sexual Content: One graphic sex scene between Wade and Vanessa and another scene of graphic nudity at a strip club. Bare breasts are shown. Discussions of body parts, sex stimuli, and intercourse are common.

Drug/Alcohol Content: Wade hangs out with colleagues at a local bar and has a few drinks.

Spiritual Content: None.

Positive Content: There are moments of redemption for Wade as he vows to rescue his girlfriend, Vanessa, and realizes the importance of having a team.

Presentation

Over the past decade, countless comic book films have been released, portraying a large variety of heroes saving the day from strong and powerful villains. It’s a recycled formula that somehow continues to work. While this formula can be found in Deadpool to a certain extent, it adds in its own twists that center on the character’s accurate portrayal. Deadpool has always been known as an antihero in the Marvel universe and continues to be so in the film adaption.

Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool. Despite his inaccurate portrayal of the comedic mercenary in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), fans still wanted Reynolds to portray Deadpool due to the fact that his acting style fit the character’s persona. After nearly 7 years, fans finally received what they had longed for.

Ryan Reynold’s character personifies a witty, heavily sarcastic attitude. From the very beginning of the film, Deadpool strongly takes on the wittiness of the character in the execution of its dialogue and the overall plot. With this dialogue execution comes the breaking of the fourth wall, a trademark of Deadpool who constantly talks directly to the audience, knowing full well that he is in a comic book world. 

Alongside this unique brand of comedy, 20th Century Fox does not hold back in proving just how R-rated Deadpool is. When fight scenes are executed, the film relies heavily on the damage that Deadpool causes to Ajax’s henchmen, from dismembering to decapitation. If there is one thing that Deadpool is known for other than running his mouth, it is his violent nature. Anything less than an R rating would not have done the Merc with the Mouth justice, and his success as a PG-13 protagonist would have been severely limited.

Every superhero film needs a solid, character-centered backstory. This backstory tends to unfold during the first 30 minutes of a superhero film, as the protagonist earns certain abilities or sets goal based on how and why they become a hero. Deadpool stretches this formula by having scenes throughout paint a picture of what has happened to Wade in the past. While these are certainly necessary for Wade’s development, they do drag on at times. Do they take away from the film? In the long run, no; however, the flashbacks do leave the audience wondering when the story will revert to the present again.

I was quite surprised that the film was only 1 hour and 40 minutes. Most superhero films today are stepping over the 2-hour mark. Deadpool could have been better for being a little bit longer, allowing the possibility of more scenes or an expansion on certain characters and plot points.

Conclusion

In Deadpool, we see Marvel’s most accurate adaptation of a character to date. From the costume design, to the overall backstory, personality, and execution, Deadpool comes to life as though straight from the pages of his comic books. Especially if you are a fan of the original comics, Deadpool will cause you endless entertainment. Deadpool isn’t your average superhero movie. That makes it all the more enjoyable for audiences seeking something new from the tried-and-true formula, but may also alienate some viewers with its strong violence, language, and sexual content.