Deadpool
Directed by: Tim Miller
Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Leslie Uggams, Stefan Kapicic, Karan Soni, Jed Rees
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi - 108 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 9 Feb 2015
Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Leslie Uggams, Stefan Kapicic, Karan Soni, Jed Rees
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi - 108 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 9 Feb 2015
Starting with the über-serious Superman and Batman franchises and evolving into the X-Men and the Avengers, superhero films become more self-aware every step forward. Deadpool is the inevitable conclusion to the past decade's superhero movies. It is the most sentient film yet created concerning not only what it is, but who it caters to. At various points, Deadpool looks at the audience and spouts truths his predecessors either avoid or cloud over. Only two back-bench X-Men show up because that is all the producers can afford. When a character mentions Professor X, Deadpool asks, “McAvoy or Stewart” wondering which iteration of the character is being talked about. No other superhero movie would dare poke fun at itself so overtly and now that Deadpool opens up the genre for all to see, is there any going back? When the next Captain America and X-Men installments hit theaters later this year, will audiences fall back in line or will they imagine the insults Deadpool would hurl at them?
Deadpool is an R-rated experiment in the saturated Marvel universe and it pays off on all gambles. Ryan Reynolds (Mississippi Grind) as Mr. Pool is over-the-top snarky and is more in on the joke than anyone. First time feature director Tim Miller hides nothing in his attempt to create the most open and in-your-face genre twist. Check out the opening credits. Rather than the actor names, it stars “a British villain”, “a moody teenager”, and “a CGI animated character.” I believe it was also directed by “ a douchebag” and written by “the real heroes.” This opening put me in an enormously receptive state of being to absorb any and all mockery and asides.
Deadpool is an R-rated experiment in the saturated Marvel universe and it pays off on all gambles. Ryan Reynolds (Mississippi Grind) as Mr. Pool is over-the-top snarky and is more in on the joke than anyone. First time feature director Tim Miller hides nothing in his attempt to create the most open and in-your-face genre twist. Check out the opening credits. Rather than the actor names, it stars “a British villain”, “a moody teenager”, and “a CGI animated character.” I believe it was also directed by “ a douchebag” and written by “the real heroes.” This opening put me in an enormously receptive state of being to absorb any and all mockery and asides.
The audience must remain on their toes because the amount of pop culture references and lightening fast one-liners hurtling from inside Deadpool’s red and black mask are rapid fire. Everyone was still laughing at the last one before the next one set the theater off again. There are dozens of fireball explosions, swords, firearms, and punches thrown to make Deadpool an action adventure, but there is even more verbal acuity on display to make it one of the funniest comedies in recent memory. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick stuff the screenplay full of original insults, disdain for all other action heroes, and reminds me of their previous work on 2009’s Zombieland, another genre film with a comedic twist.
Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson, the man behind the mask, is not so much physically different than his superhero peers, but audibly different. Reynolds sports raging six-pack, washboard abs, and a defined, muscular physique just like all of our past and present heroes. But listen to his voice. It sounds a full octave above Thor’s bass, Captain America’s earnestness, and Wolverine’s growl. Leading men cleaning up the streets against evil henchmen are supposed to sound dour and look menacing. Reynolds smirks and winks as the film jumps back and forth.
Starting in present day, Deadpool is not so much interested in confronting evil men and benefiting the common good; he is out for revenge against Ajax (Ed Skrein, The Transporter Refueled). Ajax is responsible for Wilson’s transformation into Deadpool and his ability to automatically heal himself, either from bullet holes, loss of appendages, and even a broken neck. Deadpool takes a lot of bodily punishment as does Ajax, whose super ability is to feel no pain, either physically or emotionally. The man who can feel no pain also feels no empathy.
What the audience feels are frequent jumps from the present fight to some years before as we gain backstory, then more action in the present, and then more backstory. The time jumps are annoying but palatable. To keep us engaged, Reynolds frequently looks right at the screen during a firefight and says something funny before we sprint back in time. In the past, we meet Wade’s spitfire girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin, Spy), Wade’s equally verbally agile bartender friend, Weasel (T.J. Miller, Transformers: Age of Extinction), and Wade’s no-nonsense, blind, old black woman, ex-cocaine addict roommate, Blind Al (Leslie Uggams). Weasel and Blind Al are two off-the-wall and unexpectedly appropriate sidekicks for a superhuman such as Deadpool.
The soundtrack is also unexpected. The opening fight, set on an interstate overpass, with SUVs flipping over here and bullets flying over there, is set to Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning”. Wham’s ‘80s ballad “Careless Whisper” receives its own time to shine later on. Rather than heavy metal, the latest pop rock, or cascading symphony orchestra, we get Juice Newton and Wham. I love it. During the Superbowl, I saw the preview premieres of major upcoming blockbusters including Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse. How the hell am I supposed to take these seriously after Deadpool? Deadpool teaches us to roll our eyes at preening superheroes who strut with capes flowing behind them extolling the virtues of making the world a better place. Deadpool would rather drink a beer at his dive bar and poke fun at such bravado. Tim Miller’s superhero experiment works and just may mark a turning point in the entire genre. I want Wade Wilson’s one-liners much more than Captain America’s next speech.
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