deadpool

Deadpool Is Good

Deadpool, directed by Tim Miller and starring Ryan Reynolds, is an early front runner for most enjoyable movie of the year: a far cry from Reynolds’ first portrayal of the character in the Wolverine: Origins in 2009.

This version of Deadpool was a much more accurate reflection of the comic books that have built a strong following, comparing favourably to the character’s depiction in Origins. While the story was still given the Hollywood touch and removed a few layers of the tragedy, the ultra violent and even more hilarious ‘Merc with a Mouth’ remained.

Not a Disney property, Fox Studios (who owns the film rights to X-men) continued their string of success with the super hero genre (ignoring Fantastic 4) with their most adult oriented product yet.

The plot itself borrowed largely on elements from the comic books, and used an interesting sequence of flash backs to provide a different type of introduction to the character. This was a refreshing way of breaking up a familiar formula we are becoming accustomed to with these types of movies.

The cast was carried by Reynolds, who provided not only the most marketable name but the most talented performance. Being attached to this film for years, Reynolds definitely delivered on expectations, bringing the character to life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EpF-pImpmg

The other performance that stood out was by one of the lesser known actresses in the film, Brianna Hildebrand, who played one of the more minor characters, Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Hildebrand brought a lesser known character to life and played well off of Reynolds. Other than that, the cast deserves a bit more criticism. T.J Miller as the comic relief character, Weasel, was not as strong of a sidekick as he could have been. While he provided some laughs he was dwarfed by Deadpool and even other characters. In Miller’s defence, a character like Deadpool doesn’t really need a comic relief. The villain, Francis Freeman, was portrayed by Ed Skrein who while devilishly handsome did not bring much else to the character, not providing Reynolds with an equal part to play off of. Morena Baccarin played the love interest and while the character wasn’t written beyond a plot device she had good chemistry with Reynolds.

The real magic to the film came from the script by Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick which, while giving way to a bit of a romanticised ending, provided the true essence of Deadpool and gave room to some of the original characters. Another strong point was the directing of Tim Miller in his big screen debut. The former visual effects artist was able to make the most of the strong script, and gave Reynolds a solid foundation to shine on.

Overall, the film lived up to the expectations of die hard fans, and will satisfy the main stream audience. Which by industry standards is considered a success.

General Rating 8/10
Genre Rating 9/10.