Deadpool

Score:  **** out of ***** (B+)

Directed by Tim Miller
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin and Ed Skrein
Running time:  108 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  Deadpool is the newest hit superhero film, led by Ryan Reynolds, the actor who campaigned for the foul-mouthed outsider character.  The R-rating is not just for show - this is significantly bloodier, and has a crude sense of humor altogether new to the genre.  To my tastes, both of these were done quite well.  The story is bare-bones origin fare, making way for Deadpool's unique personality to dominate.  A polarizing film in terms of audience; choose for yourself.


Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is living the low life... and while he may not love it, it pays well.  A mercenary in New York, Wilson frequents an underground organization that connects him with clients who need various dirty work to be done.  One day he meets a special woman, Vanessa (Baccarin), and they enjoy a happy relationship for awhile - until Wilson is suddenly faced with a terminal illness.  Resigned to his fate at first, Wilson eventually succumbs to a dubious offer from a strange man to save him.  He turns up at a run down, makeshift medical facility where he learns that the "treatment" will either spur his body to fight off the cancer - or kill him.  Seeing no other choice, Wilson goes ahead with it.

Wilson survives the brutal experience and comes out of it with extraordinary new power, but a completely disfigured body.  Despite having undertaken the treatment for Vanessa's sake, he finds he cannot face (literally) her, and instead his thoughts turn to revenge on his cruel "savior".  With great power comes great responsibility... but some interpret that differently than others.

Deadpool has a somewhat limited cast, but it is good and features a strong performance from the lead.  That role is Ryan Reynolds' title character, a sarcastic, self-aware super-but-not-so-heroic dude.  Apparently Reynolds has tried to get this character his own movie for quite some time, and it turns out that he suits the character pretty darn well himself.  He seems right at home with the bone-deep sarcasm, and so it feels neither forced nor over-the-top; mostly, it is pretty amusing.  The particular tone and pitch of his voice is even appropriate, particularly when he dons his full body- and face-covering red suit; the dissonance caused by what you expect from a costumed hero (Spider-Man, for instance) and the voice you hear and what it says is a genre game-changer itself.  We don't get much deeper into Wilson than this humorously cynical attitude, though.

The villain of the film, Ajax (played by Skrein) is not a stand out, but he's just fine.  With a very asshole-y leer, he is easy to root against, but the writers wisely shape him more as a goon than a supervillain.  The love interest Vanessa, played by Morena Baccarin, is pretty generic, not much to say other than the not-your-average-superhero fact that she's a stripper.  A few lesser-known X-Men are in this, and are played up for their stereotypes - the hulking but noble Colossus, and young, punkish Warhead.  Finally, the best supporting role is certainly T.J. Miller as Weasel, Wilson's friend from his mercenary days.  Weasel is perhaps even funnier than Wilson, and is twice as dry in doing so.

Deadpool is another in a rapidly growing segment of superhero films that is moving away from the traditional earnest/save-the-world style (e.g. Superman).  This film subverts the genre in three main ways:  R-rated humor, language and violence, self-awareness and a not-so-heroic protagonist.  These elements serve as the backbone of the film, an introduction to the colorful, charismatic title character; the story itself is pretty standard origins fare, whose stakes are much more personal than wide-scale.  To me, the humor worked, typically at chuckle-level but there are several laugh out loud moments as well.  Most of the self-awareness is amusing, and fits in well with the tone of the film despite consisting of, literally, asides.  The way this affects the opening credits is probably the best part of it.  The violence is also acceptable, although even I squirmed a few times (oxygen deprivation and a skewering).  The key set piece, a shoot-out on the freeway, actually sets up right at the start (Deadpool isn't chronological).  As it unfolds, it features impressive and creative choreography, and also symbolizes Deadpool's violent, humorous style effectively.  The narrative itself is underwhelming and the climax lukewarm, but again the focus is Deadpool himself, and this generally works well, particularly since the film wraps up well short of two hours.

***

Deadpool is of high enough quality to settle into the second-tier of superhero films, a genre that has developed consistently high quality overall (granted, this is coming from a fan of the genre).  Films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man paved the way for Deadpool, in fact building a strong appetite for funny, non-traditional superheroes and their stories.  While this first Deadpool film doesn't really suggest any specific, intriguing directions for sequel(s), it does a great job of introducing him so I can imagine a variety of even well-worn scenarios could get fresh, even thought-provoking takes in this world.  Ryan Reynolds capably commands the cynical, foul-mouthed yet fun lead and holds your attention throughout; I wouldn't want a sequel to focus so exclusively on him again, but he is a perfectly good lead.  Finally, remember once again:  this is significantly more violent than other superhero films, and way more crude and potty-mouthed than its genre peers.  If you don't think it's for you, you're probably right.  If that "warning" sounds appealing to you, then definitely give it a try.




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