Darick Earney
Associate Editor
20th Century Fox begins a new era of Superhero hero cinema with the ‘R’ Rated ultra-violent, and darkly funny, “Deadpool” solo film, released worldwide on February 12.
Playing the potty-mouthed titular character, Deadpool, is veteran actor Ryan Reynolds, with a supporting cast that features comedian T.J. Miller, “Game of Thrones” actor, Ed Skrein, and “Gotham” actress, Morena Baccarin.
The film marks the directorial debut of animator and visual effects artist, Tim Miller, and the third collaboration of “Zombieland” screenwriting duo, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.
“Deadpool” tells the origins of former special forces soldier turned mercenary named Wade Wilson (Reynolds), who, after being diagnosed with lung cancer, enters a top secret research program that promises to cure his terminal illness.
Hours after joining the program, Wilson is met with evil scientist Ajax (Skrien), who puts him through a series of torturous experiments that cause a mutation in Wilson’s blood cells, curing his cancer, but disfiguring his flesh and giving him accelerated healing abilities.
After the research facility is burned to the ground, Wilson uses the help of his friends Weasel (T.J. Miller), and X-Men characters, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, to save his kidnapped girlfriend Vanessa (Maccarin), and seek revenge against Ajax.
Verdict: 3 out of 4 Reels.
“Deadpool” gives loyal fans of the beloved X-Men character a highly entertaining movie, but a good portion of its humor may be a little confusing to those unfamiliar with the previous X-Men movies, namely 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
Because there are several references to characters, actors, and plots from other X-Men movies, the picture comes across as a ‘fan film’ in places, rather than a stand alone action comedy.
On the upside, however, the acting performances are fantastic. Ryan Reynolds portrays the fourth wall breaking gun-for-hire Wade Wilson/Deadpool flawlessly. Meanwhile Morena Baccarin, who plays Wilson’s love interest Vanessa Carlysle, provides tons of comic relief and charm to the overall story.
“I personally enjoyed the movie a great deal,” English Professor, Steve Higgins said. “I’m not necessarily a huge fan of the character in the comics, so I wasn’t super excited to go see it, like I am with some comic adaptations. But I’m glad I went, because it was a lot of fun, just a good time. It’s definitely not suitable for all audiences though, and anyone considering seeing it will need to seriously consider if juvenile humor and ultra-violence are things they can tolerate.”
Being one of few ‘Superhero’ films to receive an “R” rating prior to release, “Deadpool” has become a surprise hit, breaking box office records for highest grossing R-rated film over opening weekend (132.7 million dollars), and others.
Following this news, 20th Century Fox has already announced a sequel to “Deadpool,” according hollywoodreporter.com, and an untitled “Wolverine” based movie.
That being said, I give “Deadpool” a 3 out of 4 reels. Simply because it’s fun, stays true to its source material, and sets up nicely for a follow up movie.
Plus, I look forward to seeing how it opens the doors for future Marvel movies to get a little bloodier and more mature for adult comic book fans.
