Rated-R theatrical superhero movies are few and far between. Let alone one based on a character from a major comics publisher. It’s still a wonder that a live-action Deadpool film was made, given Marvel’s popularity with younger audiences. Just as surprising: it’s actually a pretty good popcorn flick.
Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a cocky but good-natured mercenary taking up jobs like beating up stalkers of teenage girls. While at the local mercenary bar, he meets a prostitute named Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin) and the two begin a very passionate relationship. Their happiness abruptly ends when Wade is diagnosed with cancer in multiple organs. Desperate for a cure, he takes up the offer from a mysterious organization and undergoes painful, experimental treatments. The stress causes his body to mutate and defeat the cancer, gain superhero strength, speed, and healing, but his face horribly disfigured. Wade dons a masked costume to become the anti-hero Deadpool and hunts for the people responsible for his suffering.
Deadpool’s plot is a straight-shot with nothing particularly novel, complex, or deep about it. What stands out is the exuberant yet violent action sequences and a script filled with gleeful adolescent humor. The combat scenes are expectedly bloody, but with a playful nature: Deadpool skillfully takes down his enemies while saying immature quip after quip. If you’re a teenager or still have an inner teen, you’ll likely find some laugh out loud moments. The jokes live up to the reputation of the “Merc with a Mouth,” running the gamut from sexual innuendos to ripping on celebrities, teens today, and more. Deadpool’s tendency to break the fourth wall, talking directly to the audience, makes for some good comedy bits and self-aware humor, especially jabs at Hollywood and the superhero genre.
Other than towering hype, the greatest detriment of the Deadpool movie is the safe execution of bringing him to the big screen. A large part of that stems from expectations of the established character’s mythos. We anticipate the elements that would otherwise be shocking in other superhero films: gory kills and inappropriate, adult humor. Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese’s screenplay fails to take much in the way of risks with the character or world, so there’s little to be surprised about, other than the movie being not bad. Even the action feels a bit held-back, never reaching an “Oh My God” level of brutality. I compare this to the surprising dark and visceral film adaptation of Kick-Ass, which used nice misdirection with tame trailers portraying it as more like a Judd Apatow R-rated comedy. With reasonable expectations, you will walk out of Deadpool satisfied overall like me. Will you be blown away? Likely not.
Deadpool is a fun cinematic appetizer for this time of the year, before the hefty blockbusters hit in a few months. The 108-minute run time whisked by fast thanks to the script’s breezy pacing and left me wanting to see more. Fortunately, a sequel’s been green-lit. I’m looking forward to more Deadpool in theaters, especially for something more unexpected.
Should you watch Deadpool? Yes.
Check out the Deadpool video game review.