“House blowing up builds character.”
The dust has settled. The box office numbers have been counted and the fan boys have been satisfied. Ladies and gentlemen, meet deadpool. MCU’S uglier, darker and more obnoxious older brother. But the good kind of obnoxious, like that co. Worker that pulls every weekend but all you can do is admire him. Deadpool is the least disappointing film of 2016 so far. A revolutionary step forward for the marvel universe thanks too it’s R rated label. Although we have already seen an incarnation of deadpool in “Xmen origins- wolverine”. It would be safe to say that anything would be able best that monstrosity of an adaptation. So how does deadpool measure up?
“Bad Deadpool… Good Deadpool!”
First I want to talk about Deadpool ingenious marketing strategy. From brilliant and obscure posters, too Deadpool’s very own tinder page. The producers of this fourth wall breaking rogue used every trick in the book to cross millions of screens at least once. Thus teasing existing fan boys while intriguing prospective fans. So if by some miracle you didn’t see the “leaked” test footage back in mid 2014. The producers made certain that you would have some part of Deadpool shoved in your face.
And to a large undeniable extent it worked, opening at $132.7 million in the first weekend, deadpool made history. Officially becoming the highest grossing R rated film of all time.
“Whose kitty litter did I just shit in?”
This is all well and good but what about the actual film. Honestly I’m not the biggest marvel fan out there. In reality the “goody two shoes” vibe that the marvel universe has put out, makes me wanna throw up like a bulimic eating a dairy-lee dunker. So being sat at the midnight release was a strange place for me. Looking around I saw a suprising couples and your standard amount of middle age “still lives with their mother” comic book nerds. However I’m gonna just go out there and say it. Deadpool blew me away. From the opening credit sequence I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. Using phrases like “a hot chick”, “the comic relief” and “a British villain” instead of the actors names really struck a chord. Finally a comic book film that doesn’t take its self seriously.
“Say the magic words, Fat Gandalf.”
In summary Deadpool is about an ex special forces operative Wade Wilson, a clear rip off of DC’s slade Wilson AKA deathstroke, diagnosed with terminal cancer. He undergoes a severe treatment., leaving him totally scarred and messed up but with the ability of accelerated healing. Thus adopting the deadpool alter ego.
But it’s not the plot or the story that makes deadpool the phenomenon it is. Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder) oozes an infectious charisma. Leaving his trademark smug yet affable magnetism in every scene. With more one liners and dick jokes than Adam Johnson had court dates, deadpool is by far the funniest film of 2016. Although out of context these one liners and witty quips would sound absurd. When they come together, matched with Reynolds charisma, they form this brilliant “true too the comic” formula.
A compelling and bittersweet love story, between Wade Wilson and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) drives the protagonist in his ultra violent endeavours. A tale of love and heartbreak that really gets you invested in the characters. Making both parties more three dimensional. Giving us a reason to care. Essentially softening the tone a bit. A nice touch. Link that with memorable side characters such as Dopinder, a loveable cabbie in the throws of heart break and blind Al, Deadpool’s complex and bizarre house mate, and the film has a great well rounded feel. Not too reliant on the in your face comedy.
One of my favourite elements of the film was it’s superb sound track. A retro theme runs through the score. Not to lyrical and very cut up and remixed. Standout tracks are “shoop” seen in the test footage. Dmx “X gon give it to ya” and “twelve bullets” by Junkie XL.
“Guy came in here looking for you. Real Grim Reaper-type. I don’t know. Might further the plot.”
However it isn’t all roses with this movie. As much as I loved it there were some downsides. Take the bad guy, Francis aka “Ajax” played by Ed Skrein (Game of Thrones) a somewhat forgettable villain with no real motivation for his general douchiness. The Writers try to give some form of explanation, saying that he is a mutant with no apparent capacity for feelings but as a viewer this wasn’t enough. A good villain should make us feel for, if not empathise with their cause. Blurring the lines of good and bad. However all we are left with is a Douche bag villain with no real or obvious reasons for his actions. If anything it plays into the cliché bad guy role that marvel have been known to achieve. Forgettable.
The film also features a lack lustre storyline. Cliché at times and failing to engage the audience beyond the veil of the very witty outer shell. However given the nature of the film. Any form of story will only play second fiddle to the protagonists humour. So this is not too much of a big deal.
In summation. Deadpool is a wonderful, witty, ultra violent comic book movie. Perfectly capturing the essence fans read on the page. Pleasing too both die hard fans and newcomers alike. I wait in thorough anticipation of next instalment, expected early 2018. Given the jovial nature of the movie. It’s self humiliating element, one liners and multitude of quotes and Easter eggs, I would rate it a crisp.
8.5/10
Favourite quote: “cool it with the bedazzle, they are jeans not a chandelier.”
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