Deadpool

It has been a long and arduous road for this one to get made. After a completely botched presentation in the Origins: Wolverine film, many thought Deadpool the character would never get a proper treatment. Luckily for all of us there was a man who cared -- a man who knew this was his role. Ryan Reynolds fought for this to get produced and given how well it's doing, he's probably telling Fox "I told you so" right about now.

Now, I'll remind everyone: I am NOT the most informed comic book fan there is. Hell, I don't even own a single comic book. But I do love these comic book movies and I'm informed on the characters just by my own curiosity. Deadpool represents one of those characters which I would have never known about had he not gotten a stand alone film, which when you think about it, is kind of the beauty in these films. They make household names out of some heroes that otherwise are exclusive to a certain community. From what I know of Deadpool, he's a wise-cracking, mile-a-minute, hyper violent, hyper vulgar character who enjoys breaking out of the confines of the pages of a comic book and speaking to his audience. It's a brilliant character when you think of all his complexities and it's a bit hard to think of that translating well into a film.

Deadpool (the film) shouldn't have worked. It could have gone so poorly and been a disjointed, unfunny mess. So then it almost earns bonus points for me for just how spectacularly well it works in what is sure to be one of the most fun films of 2016 (and definitely the most fun film thus far).

"Well this is about to be a really weird orgy..."

"Look. It was an orgy.
There was no emotion! I swear!"

Within the first 30 seconds of watching Deadpool you'll realize this is a different kind of superhero flick. And all those girlfriends who were tricked into seeing it thanks to some clever "love story" marketing will be thinking, "What the f**k?". Once it's all said and done, Deadpool ends up being a revenge/origin story and in that regard it's fairly basic though I have a hard time faulting them for that. This is an obscure character that mainstream audiences may have never even heard of before. Of course this was going to be an origin story. In that light then, it may be a bit simple on plot, but I enjoyed the multiple "flashback" path the film takes as it manages its pace and time really, really well. I don't think this is a film where you'll check your watch once because it just keeps moving forward. Part of that is because of the absolutely insane amount of jokes it throws at the screen. I'd say that this is a case of quantity over quality, like most of last year's ho-hum comedies, but what's even more amazing is that these jokes land. My theater was in absolute stitches almost any time Reynolds was speaking and I think there might have only been one or two jokes not quite hit their mark. Unless something uproarious comes along in 2016, I could very easily see this winning Funniest Movie 2016. From his insults, his wit in the face of violence, various physical comedy, and some great fourth-wall breaking gags, Deadpool is a film that begs to be seen again, mainly because you were laughing too hard the first time to catch everything.

Now I realize that my Thursday screening might have been a unique one; it was packed with fans of the character. Mainstream audiences may not have the same reaction and I think that could be the biggest fault of Deadpool. It's so unabashedly made for the fans, by a fan, that some will attend it and there will be a lot they don't "get". Why is he talking to the audience? So wait, he's part of the X-men? Why does he kill? I thought superheroes don't do that. All of these are questions I could see a [annoying] audience member having but I think that's a factoid reserved less for me to complain about and more for me to appreciate that the film didn't hold anything back.

"This is going to be an even weirder orgy..."

Deadpool also features some great action beats, though looking back I would have really liked to see maybe one or two more scenes. The ones that are here though are hyper-stylized, incredibly violent, bloody, and hilarious. This is an R-rated film. A pretty hard one at that. Don't be one of those people who go into it thinking you can handle it and then come out of it complaining about how far it went. No one likes those people. People get stabbed and then jokes are cracked right after. In one particular scene (where I was crying from laughing so hard), Deadpool is consistently breaking his own limbs trying to take down a particular ally. Sounds appalling, I know, but it's the kind of humor that very distinctly makes this film what it is.

"If I stand very still no one will
know I just s**t myself."

I'd be failing at my job too if I didn't mention some of the characters in this film. Ed Skrein does so much better here than he did in the recent, very tepid Transporter reboot. Even though it was clear that his character was one of those one-off villains, he was evil at times and in the film's more serious moments, he was someone you hated. Everyone else does good/fine, including TJ Miller, but Morena Baccarin is great and has some solid chemistry with Reynolds. Surprisingly, Deadpool actually has some heart and the love story provided a base of motivation for the film, rather than feeling like it was shoehorned in. And then of course we have Reynolds. Just as Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man and Hugh Jackman is Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds IS Deadpool. He's had a really rough go in his career over the last decade or so and I'm really happy for him that the character he knew he could own, finally happened. There is a certain joy you can sense as he plays this character and he delivers such a pitch-perfect performance as the merc with a mouth that it would be hard seeing anyone else filling these shoes.

Deadpool represents something of a victory, and not just for Mr. Reynolds. Much like Guardians of the Galaxy, it's a film that could have gone poorly by introducing an obscure character in an even more extreme, R-rated setting. In a year where we get another five superhero films (each of which I'm personally excited for to varying degrees), Deadpool is sure to be the most unique and honestly? I only see one, maybe two of the remaining five topping this. I could easily see this being the Kingsman of 2016 where I can't help but look back at it in fondness upon every new screening.

Deadpool exceeded my expectations, ones that were already quite high. And it did so for fans around the globe...just check user ratings for that. It works. It's exactly what it should be and it represents a successful love letter from one fan to many fans of a character that is pure, vulgar fun.

CONS:

• This won't be for everyone and I imagine that many will take issue with it
• When the film slows down in some of the few serious segments it's not quite as amazing as it is when Reynolds is in the suit
• I would have liked an additional action scene
• Almost too many jokes. Most of them hit, but this is a really exhausting film as it never lets up
• Somewhat generic origin story

PROS:

• One of the funniest movies in recent memory. It doesn't do quantity vs. quality but rather it has quality within its insane quantity. There is varied humor throughout and a few gags had me rolling. It's been a long time since I heard an audience laugh this hard
• Reynolds deserves a lot of credit here. Not just for portraying the character perfectly, but for getting the film made in the first place. He showed perseverance in an industry that often forces people to move on. Looks like he was absolutely right and he should revel in this film's success. He deserves this win
• The rest of the cast does good, especially Baccarin and Skrein
• It has a surprising amount of heart and good will. This may be a revenge story, but the fact that we actually might kinda-sorta feel something for Wade Wilson means a lot
• Stylish and hyper-violent action. It looks great
• The fourth wall breaking is not overdone and provides some of the film's best gags
• An amazing soundtrack that adds to the film
• Paces itself fantastically
• It's some of the most fun I've had at the movies in a while. Every person, including myself, left that theater with a smile plastered on their face. Supremely enjoyable

Rath's Review Score: 9/10