Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Andre Tricoteux, Leslie Uggams
OUR RATING: ★★★★☆
Story:
Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Using his powers, Wilson seeks revenge on the man who experimented on him and nearly destroyed his life.
Our Favorite Quotes:
‘When life ends up breathtakingly f***ed, you can generally trace it back to one big bad decision. The one that sent you down the road to s**tsburgh.' - (Deadpool) Share on X ‘Life is an endless series of train-wrecks with only brief commercial-like breaks of happiness.' – (Deadpool) Share on X
Best Quotes
Deadpool: Dopinder, I’m starting to think there’s a reason I’m in this cab today.
Dopinder: Yeah, sir, you called for it, remember?
Deadpool: No, my slender brown friend. Love is a beautiful thing. When you find it, the whole world tastes like Daffodil Daydream. So you got to hold onto love, tight!
Dopinder: Ah.
Deadpool: And never let go. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Got it?
Dopinder: Yeah.
Deadpool: Or else the whole world tastes like Mama June after hot yoga.
Dopinder: Sir, what does Miss Mama June taste like?
Deadpool: Like two hobos f***ing in a shoe filled with pi**.
Dopinder: Okay, enough.
Deadpool: I can go all day, Dopinder. The point is, it’s bad!
Dopinder: Hmm, it’s bad.
Dopinder: Why the fancy red suit, Mr. Pool?
Deadpool: Oh, that’s because it’s Christmas Day, Dopinder. And I’m after someone on my naughty list. I’ve been waiting one year, three weeks, six days and, oh, fourteen minutes to make him fix what he did to me.
Dopinder: And what did he do to you, Mr. Pool?
Deadpool: This s**t… Boo!
Deadpool: Oh, s**t! I forgot my ammo bag.
Dopinder: Shall we turn back?
Deadpool: No, no time. F*** it. I got this. Nine, Ten, eleven, twelve bullets, or bust. Right here!
Dopinder: [suddenly stops the cab] That’s twenty-seven fifty.
Deadpool: I never carry a wallet when I’m working. Ruins the lines of my suit.
Dopinder: Oh.
Deadpool: But how about a crisp high five?
Dopinder: Okay.
Deadpool: Merry Christmas.
Dopinder: And a convivial Tuesday in April to you too, Pool!
Deadpool: Oh, hello. I know, right? Whose balls did I have to fondle to get my very own movie? I can’t tell you, but it does rhyme with “Polverine”.
Deadpool: [in an Australian accent] And let me tell you, he’s got a nice pair of smooth criminals down under.
Deadpool: Anyway, I got places to be, a face to fix and, oh, bad guys to kill.
Deadpool: [strangling a henchman] I never say this, but don’t swallow.
Deadpool: [as the car is swirling an is about to crash] S**t, did I leave the stove on?
Deadpool: [shoots with his guns then takes a whiff the gun barrels] Oh. I’m touching myself tonight.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead: Colossus, wait up.
Colossus: I’ve given Deadpool every chance to join us but he’d rather act like a child.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead: A heavily-armed child.
Colossus: When will he grow up and see benefits of becoming X-Man?
Negasonic Teenage Warhead: Which benefits? The matching unitards? The house that blows up every few years? Please.
Colossus: House blowing up builds character. You ate breakfast, yes? Breakfast is most important meal of day. Here, protein bar. Good for bones. Deadpool may try to break yours.
Deadpool: Wait! You may be wondering why the red suit. Well, that’s so bad guys don’t see me bleed.
[points to one of the thugs]
Deadpool: This guy’s got the right idea. He wore the brown pants.
Deadpool: You’re probably thinking, “My boyfriend said this was a superhero movie, but that guy in the red suit just turned that other guy into a f***ing kebab!” Well, I may be super, but I’m no hero. And, yeah, technically, this is a murder. But some of the best love stories start with a murder. And that’s exactly what this is. A love story. And to tell it right, I got to take you back to long before I squeezed this a** into red spandex.
Wade Wilson: [to Vanessa] What’s a nice place like you doing in a girl like this?
Wade Wilson: Listen, I’ve been thinking.
Vanessa Carlysle: Really?
Wade Wilson: About why we’re so good together.
Vanessa Carlysle: Why is that?
Wade Wilson: Well, your crazy matches my crazy, big time.
Vanessa Carlysle: Mm.
Wade Wilson: And we’re like two jigsaw pieces, you know, and we have curvy edges.
Vanessa Carlysle: But you fit them together and you see the picture on top.
Wade Wilson: Right.
Vanessa Carlysle: Wade, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Only because you haven’t gotten around to asking me. Will you stick it in my…
[at the same time Wade holds up a giant ring and says]
Wade Wilson: Marry me?
Vanessa Carlysle: Jinx?
Wade Wilson: Huh.
Vanessa Carlysle: Where were you hiding that?
Wade Wilson: Nowhere.
[Vanessa sees Wade’s naked butt]
Wade Wilson: Rock, meet bottom. And when life ends up breathtakingly f***ed, you can generally trace it back to one big bad decision. The one that sent you down the road to s**tsburgh.
Wade Wilson: Life is an endless series of train-wrecks with only brief commercial-like breaks of happiness. This had been the ultimate commercial break. Which meant it was time to return to our regularly scheduled program.
[as Wade turns to leave the bathroom he feels lightheaded]
Wade Wilson: What the…
[suddenly Wade passes out]
Deadpool: Looking good, Francis. Well rested, like you’ve been pitching, not catching. Ringing any bells? No?
[takes off his mask]
Deadpool: How about now?
Ajax: Wade f***ing Wilson. Well, hello, gorgeous.
Deadpool: Yeah, like I got bit by a radioactive Shar-Pei. Yeah. And whose fault is that, huh, Francis? Yeah, time to undo what you did to this butterface.
Ajax: Please, you should thank me. Apparently, I made you immortal. I’m actually quite jealous.
Deadpool: Yeah, but this ain’t a life worth living, is it? Now, I’m about to do to you what Limp Bizkit did to music in the late 90s.
Wade Wilson: I think we can all agree that s**t just went sideways in the most colossal way. Well, maybe not the most.
Wade Wilson: This is my most prized possession.
Vanessa Carlysle: Wham?
Wade Wilson: No, no, no. Wham! “Make It Big” is the album that George and Andy earned the exclamation point.
Vanessa Carlysle: So, am I supposed to just smile and wave you out the door?
Wade Wilson: Think of it like spring cleaning.
Vanessa Carlysle: Only if spring was death.
Wade Wilson: God, if I had a nickel for every time I spanked it to Bernadette Peters.
Vanessa Carlysle: Sounds like you do. Bernadette is not going anywhere, because you’re not going anywhere. Drink.
Wade Wilson: You’re right. Cancer is only in my liver, lungs, prostate, and brain. All things I can live without.
Vanessa Carlysle: Ha. You belong here at home. Surrounded by your Voltronand your Bernadette, and you and me.
Wade Wilson: Listen, we both know that cancer is a s**t-show. Like, a Yakov-Smirnoff-opening-for-the-Spin-Doctors-at-the-Iowa-State-Fair s**t-show. And under no circumstances will I take you to that show. I want you to remember me, not the ghost of Christmas me.
Vanessa Carlysle: Well, I want to remember us. I swear to God, I will find you in the next life and I’m going to boom-box Careless Whisper outside your window.
Wade Wilson: Wham! No one is boom-boxing s**t.
Vanessa Carlysle: Okay? We can fight this. Besides, I just realized something. You win. Your life is officially way more f***ed up than mine. I love you.
Wade Wilson: I had a Liam Neeson nightmare. I dreamt I kidnapped his daughter and he just wasn’t having it.
Vanessa Carlysle: Hey, they’ve made three of those movies.
Wade Wilson: At some point you have to wonder if he’s just a bad parent.
Wade Wilson: [to Vanessa] If I never see you again, know that I love you.
The Recruiter: What if I told you we can make you better? You’re a fighter. We can give you abilities most men only dream of. Make you a superhero.
Wade Wilson: You just promise me you’ll do right by me, so I can do right by someone else.
Colossus: Let us go talk to the Professor.
Deadpool: McAvoy or Stewart? These timelines are so confusing.
Wade Wilson: [as he’s been wheeled in to the operating room] And please don’t make the suit green. Or animated!
The Recruiter: Mr. Wilson, you’ve recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. What if I told you we can cure you and give you abilities most men only dream of?
Wade Wilson: Well, I’d say you sound like an infomercial, but not a good one like Slapchop, more Shake Weighty.
Ajax: One thing that never survives this place is a sense of humor.
Wade Wilson: Oh, we’ll see about that, Posh Spice.
[Ajax turns and stars walking away leaving Wade with Angel Dust]
Wade Wilson: Oh, come on. You’re going to leave me all alone here with less angry Rosie O’Donnell?
Ajax: [to Wade] When I’m finished your mutated cells will heal anything. But you’re still thinking we’re making you a superhero. We’re making you a superslave.
Wade Wilson: [to Ajax] Oh, come on. You’re going to leave me all alone here with Jose Canseco?
Wade Wilson: Whatever they did to me made me totally indestructible, and completely unf***able.
Weasel: [as Wade takes off his hoody to reveal his face] No! You look like the inside of other people’s a**holes.
Wade Wilson: No way. I’m not making her life as ugly as mine.
Weasel: Come on, Wade, it can’t be that bad.
Wade Wilson: Ah, bulls**t! I’m a monster inside and out. I belong in a f***ing circus.
Wade Wilson: Wade, Vanessa loves you. She doesn’t care what you…
[Wade reveals his face to Weasel]
Weasel: Oh! Oh.
Wade Wilson: Do you like what you see?
Weasel: No. You look like an avocado had sex with an older, more disgusting avocado.
Wade Wilson: Yeah.
Weasel: Not gently. Like it was hate-f***ing. There was something wrong with the relationship and that was the only catharsis that they could find without violence.
Wade Wilson: And the only guy who can fix this fugly mug is the British s**tstick who ran the mutant factory. And he’s gone. Poof!
Weasel: Yeah, well you got to do something to remedy this because as of now, you only have one course of action.
Wade Wilson: Damn straight. Find Francis.
Weasel: Star in horror films.
Wade Wilson: What?
Weasel: Star in your own horror films. Because you look like Freddy Krueger face-f***ed a topographical map of Utah.
Wade Wilson: Here’s what I’m actually going to do. I’m going to work through his crew until somebody gives up Francis force him to fix this, then put a bullet in his skull and f*** the brain hole. I don’t want to see that or think of it again.
Weasel: But the douchebag does thinks you’re dead, right?
Wade Wilson: Yeah.
Weasel: That’s good. You should keep it that way.
Wade Wilson: What, like, wear a mask?
Weasel: Yes. A very thick mask. All the time. I am sorry, you are haunting. Your face is the stuff of nightmares.
Wade Wilson: Like a testicle with teeth.
Weasel: You will die alone. I mean, if you could die. Ideally, for others’ sake.
Wade Wilson: That’ll do.
Weasel: All you need now is a suit and a nickname like Wade the Wisecracker or Scaredevil, Mr. Neverdie. Oh, s**t.
Wade Wilson: What?
Weasel: I put all my money on you and now I just realized I’m never going to win the dead pool.
Wade Wilson: Captain Deadpool. No, just Deadpool, yeah. Just Deadpool.
Weasel: To you, Mr. Pool. Deadpool. That sounds like a f***ing franchise.
Deadpool: Some kinds of anger can’t be managed like the kind where your year-long plan ends with the wrong guy getting dismembered. That said, when it comes time to licking wounds, there’s no place like home. And I share that home with someone you’ve met, the old blind lady from the laundromat, Al.
Blind Al: God, I miss cocaine.
Deadpool: Her.
Deadpool: A fourth wall break inside a fourth wall break, that’s like sixteen walls!
Deadpool: [referring to Al] She’s like Robin to my Batman, except she’s old, and black, and blind, and I think she’s in love with me. Wait, pretty sure Robin loves Batman, too.
Deadpool: Al?
[Al wakes up]
Deadpool: Morning, sleepyhead.
Deadpool: It smells like old lady pants in here.
Blind Al: Yes, I’m old. I wear pants.
Deadpool: But you’re no lady.
Blind Al: Upside of being blind: I’ve never seen you in Crocs.
Deadpool: You mean my big, rubber masturbating shoes?
Blind Al: Yes, I know. Downside of being blind: I hear everything in this duplex.
Blind Al: Am I crazy, or is your hand really small?
Deadpool: About the size of a KFC spork.
Blind Al: I get why you’re so pi**y, but your mood’s never going to brighten till you find this woman and tell her how you feel.
Deadpool: What do I keep telling you, Mrs. Magoo? She wouldn’t have me. If you could see me, you’d understand.
Blind Al: Looks aren’t everything.
Deadpool: Looks are everything. You ever heard David Beckham speak? It’s like he mouth-sexed a can of helium. You think Ryan Reynolds got this far on his superior acting method?
Blind Al: Love is blind, Wade.
Deadpool: No. You’re blind.
Blind Al: So, you’re just going to lie there and whimper?
Deadpool: No, I’m going to wait till this arm plows through puberty and then I’m going to come up with a whole new Christmas Day plan. In the meantime, you might want to leave the room. I bet it feels huge in this hand.
Wade Wilson: I didn’t ask to be super, and I’m no hero. But when you find out your worst enemy is after your best girl, the time has come to be a f***ing superhero.
Colossus: We can’t allow this, Deadpool.
Deadpool: I don’t have time for your X-Men bulls**t, Colossus! Besides, nobody’s getting hurt!
[just then a man falls off a bridge and crashes on top of car]
Deadpool: That guy was up there before we got here.
Vanessa Carlysle: [to Ajax] I’ve played a lot of roles, damsel in distress ain’t one of them.
Deadpool: Time to make the chimi-f***ing-changas!
Deadpool: [holding up a hand drawn picture of himself] Have you seen this man?
Deadpool: Daddy needs to express some rage.
[starts shooting his gun]
Deadpool: She’s going to do a superhero landing. Wait for it!
[Angel Dust jumps down from the rooftop and lands with ease, Deadpool claps and mocks her]
Deadpool: Wooh! Superhero landing.
[to Warhead]
Deadpool: You know, that’s really hard on your knees. Totally impractical, they all do it.
[Angel Dust starts walking towards them]
Deadpool: You’re a lovely lady but I’m saving myself for Francis. That’s why I brought him.
[points to Colossus]
Colossus: I prefer not to hit a woman. So please, play…
[suddenly Angel Dust punches him and knocks him out]
Deadpool: I mean, that’s why I brought her?
[points at Warhead, who’s busy on her cellphone]
Deadpool: Oh, no. Finish your Tweet. It’s not… That’s fine… Just give us a second here. There you go, hashtag it.
[Warhead tosses her phone aside]
Deadpool: Go get her, Tiger!
[Warhead charges at Angel Dust and knocks her out]
Deadpool: Oh, I so pity the dude who pressures her into prom sex.
Deadpool: Ripley, from Alien 3!
Negasonic Teenage Warhead: F***, you’re old.
Deadpool: Fake laugh. Hiding real pain. Go get Silver Balls.
Trailer:
Mounjayan (Kolkata, West Bengal, India) says
The Good and The Bad
Beware viewers, Deadpool is a contagious movie and after watching it you might have the following side-effects:
– Memorising “X gonna give it to ya” (Deadpool theme) and “Angel of the Morning”.
– Scouting zealous comic books and movie fans on YouTube talking about the clamorous mercenary.
– Intense craving for Deadpool comics and everything Deadpool.
At least this is what happened to me after watching the crimson antihero on the big screen.
The adage which comes to my mind after watching Deadpool was “Old wine in a new bottle”, but boy did I love the bottle. The plot and the story of the film was anything except “Unseen”, the same old revenge story, with the damsel in distress stuck in the middle working as the villain’s primary object of leverage. But what made Deadpool great, was the execution of the much familiar story (imagine Robin Williams reading to you a Deadpool comic) and the simplicity of the motive of the protagonist. Writing in 2016, it is an established fact that we are experiencing a saturation in the superhero genre both on the big screen and the small. Deadpool, however is a breadth of fresh air from such overdose and due to its R rating could usher in new practices in the superhero genre.
I loved Deadpool, I enjoyed Deadpool and following are the things which I learned and observed in the movie Deadpool:
1) Effective Humour: Comedy and horror are very difficult genres in cinema. The margin of error being the slightest. But Deadpool has to be one the best comedy movies I have seen in a long time. The timing, the blunt honesty of the characters and exquisite writing and Fox’s ability to make a fun of itself and Deadpool character as a whole it a giant feather to the funny bones.
2) Self-Awareness: The movie and everyone involved in it are very much aware of the fact the film is a comic book adaption and hence a meta-cinema, and it is the acceptance of the same which makes Deadpool so very special. The Deadpool’s blunt reference to both of the Charles Xavier actors (James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart), his delightful jab at his production studio about featuring only two relatively unfamiliar X-Men in the movie and finally his constant and innocent leg pull at his fellow mutant Wolverine and the sporting Hugh Jackman made the movie all the more enjoyable. I believe that the ethos of the movie lies in its acceptance of what it is and acting in favour of it. I have never read a Deadpool comics nor have played the video game, but the movie was so effective in its interpretation that anyone can grasp and enjoy the essence of the character.
3) Relatable motivations: The driving force (i.e. why he is doing the things he is doing), of our crimson antihero was very much relatable and humane. I could feel and very much relate to the character and his problems as they were personal. There was no self-inflicted burden of saving the world or an undefined motivation to spend one’s lifetime fighting crime to which no one in the audience can relate to. Simplicity and small scale of the events which unfolded worked in the favour of the movie. Since relatable, the audience was still rooting for him despite the fact him being a gruesome murderer chopping people like carrots.
4) Celebrating Imperfections: Most superhero movies celebrate role models, a near perfect portrayal, and a utopian ideal to strive for. Though morally acceptable, in reality such one dimensional sense of self-righteousness is hardly possible. Human lives are more complex than the one dimensional scope of good or bad and it is unrealistic to expect to be at our moral best at all times. Most superhero protagonists have the propensity to portray an ‘Ideal Person’, like that guy in your class who every teacher adores and most generic parents compare you with for some superficial reason or the other. Deadpool doesn’t suffer from Ideal Person syndrome, that’s the fun of being an antihero. Similarities can be drawn between Deadpool and the last underdog box office success Guardians of the Galaxy as the morality of the characters definitely lie in the grey zone making them all the more fun and unpredictable.
5) What Deadpool personifies and other symbolisms: The “merc with the mouth” is far from perfect, hardly qualifies as a hero and is seldom taken seriously. Yet despite all of his short comings this man never tries to change his way and maybe there is a lesson which is embedded in this trait.
Could it be, that this amusing rogue of a man personifies the acceptance of our true self? Not changing despite the circumstances or the people might force us to. I choose to believe so, and the healing factor and regeneration could stand for a metaphor backing this, despite any wound Deadpool can recover from it without changing a single cell in his body. Not only physically, but also his personality remains the same. No matter what happens Deadpool always returns in his original self. In the movie Wade Wilson coming out of the ashes of the destroyed experiment centre is symbolic of the Phoenix’s rebirth from the ashes of its former self.
6) Unconventional: From the opening sequence, constantly breaking of the fourth wall and contrasting slapstick comedy makes Deadpool a refreshing experience. The opening credits is every generic description of the most common characters in a movie and is as innovative as the marketing of the movie.
7) Unpredictability: That’s the fun of having a main character with a moral grey zone. In the conventional case of having a self-righteous protagonist 8/10 times we expect the hero do the right thing (vice versa for the one dimensional villains), hence overall making the character predictable, and an ingredient for a dull watch. Deadpool is unconventional and morally inconclusive hence making him difficult to predict, he could shoot the guy or spare him one can never tell for sure.
But not all was liked about this movie especially after 2nd time watch. First time watching this movie is similar to the first few months of a relationship everything seems flawless crafted to near perfection, but as time passes the flaws surface and Deadpool has a few. The screenplay in the Strip Club seemed directly taken from rap music video, where the main man, generally in a hood, is shown walking in slow motion from backwards. Likewise in some other things (like bike tires screeching on the bridge) they all seem very familiar to something which we all have seen before. The final fight scene and the climax scene (Negasonic’s final blast when Angel Dust was choking Colossus) seemed a bit hasty and lack of budget was evident, as the movie’s final fight not being as dynamic as its first act, which was arguably the best scene in the movie.
One more shortcoming of the movie was the primary villain Ajax, given Deadpool’s mutant abilities Ajax didn’t seem so formidable (something which I have felt in the first Avengers movie with Loki). The development of animosity is well portrayed but the villains in terms powers lacks the potency which would have been a more suitable ingredient for a better final fight.
On an ending note, I am very happy for Ryan Reynolds who took a lot criticism for Green Lantern and the 2009 Deadpool in the Wolverine origin movie, nothing makes me more happy than seeing someone turning their failures to one of their biggest success of their lives, cheers to the internet who made the original footage go viral and causing the chain of reactions, ultimately leading us to this day. The R rating hopefully would encourage other movie makers to making more like the above.
I would definitely watch Deadpool many times over the coming months all the while eagerly waiting for the sequel.
Carla D Viltz says
I loved the hell out of Deadpool & the quotes that made the movie. Some of Weasel’s quotes were bad & I’m glad they did not make the movie. Even Dopinder’s part in the movie was great.
Deadpool’s trailers made me so want to see th movie. Especially the commercials telling young children not to come see his movie.
I’m chatting up people on Facebook & I’m looking for a quote from Deadpool. The quote was to Ajax’s men to switch & work for him instead. Everytime I look for that quote, I get the whole movie up the point he asks for Colossas’ help. Grrr!
Can you get me the rest of the quotes so I dont have to watch the movie again? People are starting to talk about how many times I’ve seen it.
Jake Winwood (Wolverhampton) says
When Deadpool first came to the big screen seven years ago the idea that he could become a box office hit couldn’t have seemed more ludicrous. Ryan Reynolds’ first outing as the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ couldn’t have gone much worse as the producers inexcusably sewed his mouth shut and gave him powers that left comic book readers utterly baffled.
So, needless to say, Deadpool’s big screen debut was not all that popular. Thankfully the stand-alone film that the X-Men Origins: Wolverine after credits scene teased never became a reality. Now, with the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, erasing Deadpool’s first appearance from history (at least in the on screen universe), Fox have the chance to reboot the character they got so spectacularly wrong first time around. So has the studio done justice to Deadpool this time?
The first thing to say when talking about Deadpool’s second big screen appearance is, completely forget his first. Seriously, erase it from your memory. Any reader of the comics will tell you that wasn’t Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds may be playing the anti-hero once again but this is the version that he always wanted to play. Which leads me on nicely to the films leading man. Ryan Reynolds has had a rough time when it comes to superhero movies. After his first outing as Deadpool he went on to star in the awful Green Lantern movie, unsurprisingly both roles are referenced in the new film.
Ever since he was introduced to the character back in 2005, Reynolds has been desperate to bring Deadpool to the big screen. It’s taken a decade long struggle to get the character his own solo film and Reynolds has certainly seized the opportunity. For someone associated with Deadpool for a decade and someone who has spoken so openly about the disappointment of Fox’s first attempt at Deadpool, it seems fitting that it is Reynolds who finally gets to portray the character fans have being crying out for.
Ryan Reynolds has made the role his own this time around and it is not surprising to see people suggesting that this is the role he was born to play. Reynolds and Deadpool just works, as he stays true to the character by not shutting his mouth for the duration.
Had things turned out differently Deadpool could have been a PG-13, a decision which would have been a massive let down. Instead the producers decided against it and the result is the foul mouthed merc that fans wanted. This is a movie that’s not afraid to push boundaries. I for one was afraid that the movie could be toned down but any fears were soon quelled. From the opening credits it is clear that Deadpool is simply not your run of the mill superhero movie.
Deadpool will invariably be tagged a superhero movie, but it’s debatable whether it should. After all, Deadpool is no hero, as he himself admits. Though it does have many of the plot points of a conventional superhero movie, Deadpool is anything but a conventional superhero. That is perhaps why the movie proves to be such a resounding success. It maintains much of the winning formula we’ve seen in previous Marvel flicks while adding enough to make it feel refreshingly unique.
Part of what makes Deadpool so unique is the humour. Personally, I was worried that the wise cracks in Deadpool would grow stale quickly but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the film got funnier as it went on. Unfortunately some of the jokes lose their impact as a result of featuring in the trailers but there are plenty of laugh out loud moments audiences will not have seen. While the humour in last year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron felt rather forced, it is surprising that it doesn’t here. Deadpool is funny from beginning to after credit scene (stay and watch it) and never really stutters.
The Merc with a Mouth is infamous for breaking the fourth wall and it is in these moments that the movie is at its very best. Deadpool is a film that refuses to take itself seriously, never more so than when Reynolds engages with the audience. There are numerous references made to instalments from both the X-Men universe and Marvel Cinematic Universe while there’s still time for Reynolds himself to be referenced as well as for Deadpool to show off his fixation with Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman.
All of this would be pointless though if the plot wasn’t solid, and Deadpool’s is exactly that. There is certainly nothing ground-breaking about the underlying story being told and that’s okay. Crucially, Deadpool is a film that doesn’t try to do too much. It’s a small scale movie at heart with Deadpool himself citing the lack of major X-Men. Initially I was disappointed to hear that the movie would run for less than two hours, but it’s clear that this was fitting. Age of Ultron suffered as a result of trying to cram too much in, something which Fox have not tried to do with Deadpool. Thus, by keeping the plot simple the main character has been allowed to shine, which was the most important thing after his previous on screen appearance.
It really is difficult to criticise Deadpool because it does so much right. Many thought the big screen could never do him justice, many were wrong. As I’ve mentioned some of the jokes you’ll see coming, certainly with some of the earlier ones I was mouthing along with Reynolds’ character having heard them in the trailer. However that is only a small gripe because there’s so much that hasn’t been seen. Ajax, the main villain is decent enough but rather forgettable once the film is over because the producers were rightfully more focused on nailing Deadpool.
Deadpool has exceeded my expectations in the same way that Ant-Man did last year and Guardians of the Galaxy did back in 2014. This is a big year for superhero movies and it couldn’t have started much better. Attention will now turn to next month’s Batman vs Superman and then the hotly anticipated Captain America: Civil War, both of which are sure to be box office hits. However, for me Deadpool has set the bar pretty high and considering the weight of expectation DC or Marvel’s big-hitter could well flounder. So maybe, just maybe, Deadpool the anti-hero is going to be the unsung hero of 2016.
Carla D Viltz says
Wow! What a well written account of the great & mediocre parts for Ryan Reynolds & character(?) Deadpool.
Just a few small reminders about Deadpool. In X-Men Origins: Wolverine: 1. Deadpool did not have a mouth; in Deadpool: Ajax mentions sewing Wade’s mouth shut. 2. Deadpool was not rated for a time because of language more than sex or violence. They did want to make the film PG-13, but it got too close to X. They would have to cut too much of the story to keep it true to Deadpool. 3. Speaking of removing parts to get Deadpool to R-17. I noticed a couple of scenes that didn’t really need explanation, but it makes sense something was cut because it wasn’t important enough. 4. Deadpool exceeded my expectations, too. A friend kept telling me about this character that knew he was a cartoon/character, [currently] in a movie & would talk to the “audience” from time to time. I did not know that was Deadpool. It made it all that much better to me. I have seen it everytime it appeared on TV, HBO & such & Amazon, Hulu, tubi & others.
I know, I’m pretty lame, but you words definitely pegged Deadpool as an Anti-Superhero Extraordinaire. Thank you.