Deadpool (2016) Film Review

Ahh, Deadpool – a film that's been stuck in development hell for around a decade and initially tarnished via a fan-loathed iteration in the form of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it was expected that following all of that the film that 20th Century Fox refused to make would never make it into production. But lo and behold, once a 'leaked' piece of test footage was released online during the year's biggest nerd-based event in 2014, audiences began clamouring once again to see more of what Fox were hiding from them; and months later once they'd given up hiding away the footage the studio officially gave the film the green-light that the film's crew had been hoping for. And thanks to a stellar marketing campaign dating back to SDCC 2015, a devoted Ryan Reynolds as the titular Merc with the Mouth (not to mention the comic book character's hard-core fanbase that dates back as far as the mid-90s) and proof that a 15/R-rated comic book movie can be successful in the form of last year's Kingsman, it's all a matter of seeing whether or not the tremendous amount of work put into it will be worth it – after all, Reynolds is far from a box office favourite, and director Tim Miller's most notable work is as creative supervisor for Scott Pilgrim: a fan favourite yes, but far from a financial hit. 

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is just a small-time mercenary for hire with a particular sense of humour and a former career in the Special Forces when he meets Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), a female escort who takes a shine to him quite quickly and begins a vividly sexual relationship. But just when the two reach the heights of their time together, a shocking revelation is made – Wilson is terminally ill with multiple late stages of cancer. It's this news that brings the attention of a team who claim to be able to give him a cure, but in actuality wish to turn him into a super slave for hire, with the kicking in of his mutant genes leading to him being not only having regenerative healing but regenerating the cancer cells (ultimately meaning that the cancer consists of his entire body but can't kill him; instead causing him to look "like a testicle with teeth"). Now that this predicament has left him unable to return to his love, the newly-instated Deadpool aims to get revenge on the man who caused this to him – with blood, gore and murder a-plenty. 

Story-wise, you have a semi-regular origin story circa the early 2000s on your hands (understandable, considering its long production process and cheaper budget); told in a manner in which the origins are interlaced with the action set-pieces in a manner which doesn't entirely transition well but lends for a less generic adventure. But it's clear in the way the screenplay is written that the focus isn't meant to be entirely around the actual story – evident by the actual origins not being all that special outside some key moments and some good quality entertainment - and instead is aiming for the similar highs of action, hilarity and pure balls-to-the-walls fun, which is where Deadpool strives. While the journey towards his powers isn't quite as interesting as one would hope (although never a dull moment thanks to constant interjections with straight-out hilarity, pitch-perfect character introductions and returning to the course of action on numerous occasions), and certainly slowing down a little once we reach the actual facility, but when the actual reasoning for viewing breaks throw like a katana through a person ("like a ***ing kebab", states Reynolds) you feel satisfied enough by all you see to tolerate and certainly entertain those smaller mandatory moments. 

And yes, this film is funny. With constant laughs throughout, I might add. Some may be swayed by the constant fourth-wall demolitions and the somewhat meta commentary made on the likes of the X-Men franchise or Reynolds as an actor amongst others can be a tad overwhelming for some (especially for those who'd like an explanation for why he does so, to which there is none), but it stays clear from sticking to the levels of idiocy of modern comedies whilst having a level of crudity which pushes the most out of its jokes. However, it would have been neater if they make a further push into being the antithesis, in particular to the works of rivals Marvel Studios and DC (both do get their mentions, but it does stick mostly to X-Men material), but what we get is plenty enough, and those who rank comedies by how often they laugh will be able to get past their limit from the moment the opening titles break in. 

Ryan Reynolds has been lobbying like hell for this role, and after multiple big screen falters in the comic book genre (X-Men Origins, Green Lantern, RIPD and Blade Trinity all being critical disasters) he's finally found his groove. His devotion to the role leads to one of the best 'superhero' performances, up there with Downey Jr and Jackman in terms of effectiveness, and the character itself is done superb justice. Almost as though they ripped the character right out of the strips, every scene he's in he steals; avoiding being too overbearing for the sake of losing his tolerability but still leaves the audience wanting more. Love interest Baccarin is the perfect companion to Reynolds, completely selling the romance angle to the story despite her character being a sex worker and to some regard proving herself as not just a standard damsel in distress. It is a shame that we've returned back to that "villain steals the girl" trope that's been largely absent in more recent years, but thankfully it isn't a large aspect of the film and is only there to lead to a grand finale.  

Ed Skerin as Axel – an unfeeling mutant with super durability – is a tad generic as a villain and tries to up the serious factor a little too much, but at least he's enjoyable enough and adds a tad of genuine threat to the mix for a story which is rather small-scale (akin to Ant-Man in that regard), meanwhile his henchwoman Gina Corano is mostly there as a muscular threat who does have her moments (including a rather humorous scene involving a chivalrous Colossus. Speaking of which, Stefan Kapičić as his Serbian voice (portrayed via motion capture elegantly by Andre Tricoteux) is amusing enough as an attempted conscience for a sword-swaying psychopath, whilst his teenage trainee Negasonic Teenage Warhead ("What an awesome name!") played by Brianna Hildebrand perhaps gives the best performance bar Reynolds solely for her lack of care for what goes on around her – she can barely tolerate Deadpool just as we feel we shouldn't, only she does laugh along at the right moments. Finally, there's the one-two punch of T.J. Miller as a hilarious barkeep/Wilson's best mate ("I'd come with you, but I don’t want to") and Leslie Uggams as Wade's blind elderly room-mate post-transformation adding to some standard comedy from older figures – although thankfully not Robert De Niro levels of comedy.  

Add some great direction and cinematography coming out of Tim Miller and Ken Seng, and you have an immensely fun experience at the cinema. Reaching the same levels of entertainment, violence and humour as last year's Kingsman and venturing further out than that, you have a film that may only be revolutionary to the superhero genre because it focuses more on its gags than its commentary, but can't be denied about it being an absolute thrill ride. From the Age of Ultron-esque opening titles to its homage-induced post-credits sequence, Deadpool is a lot of fun. A notch over the superhero classics of the 2000s, but incredibly suitable in the time we're in now. 8/10.