Deadpool Review: What Were You Expecting? A Punny Title?

The sown up mouth job has been ripped off, the badass blood masking suit has been put on, and finally we can all say: the merc with the mouth has officially and marvellously been put onto the big screens, and oh are we thankful for it.

The story of Deadpool, not the development hell it had to go through to finally be able to show us how an incredibly unhesitant and faithful adaptation of a character should be done, but the plot of the film, when boiled down, is an incredibly simple one. When it comes down to it this film is just a good ol’ story of love and revenge, but with a Chimichanga flavoured twist. It’s a simple tale of guy meets girl, guy gets cancer, deosnt start a meth trade but instead goes into dodgy experimental procedure to cure said cancer but comes out horribly disfigured, but hey he can’t die either so silver linings. From here the tale goes to Deadpool’s revenge against the people who did this horrendous procedure to him.

But the simplicity of the story is in no way a bad point for this movie. The plot works perfectly at giving Deadpool a vehicle to exhibit just why he is such a beloved character as it puts him in both the most badass and ridiculous situations where Deadpool’s special kind of brutality and quip-age can shine. And boy does it shine brightly.

But it wouldn’t be any fun seeing Deadpool strut his stuff if the guy playing him wasn’t the right fit. Thankfully there was never even a whisper of an issue with Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of the merc with the mouth. He was born to portray Deadpool (properly, we’re all looking at you X Men Origins: Wolverine) and not only does he do the character spades of justice, getting his insane 4^th wall breaking humour down to a T, whilst also getting the physicality of the character spot on too, but he brings a genuinety to the character that could have just been played off as a stupid gun toting, potty mouthed idiot. Don’t get me wrong, he still is a stupid gun toting, potty mouthed idiot, but a real loveable one thanks to Reynolds’ inherent charm and charisma.

But it was not only Reynolds that was perfect in his role but Morena Baccarin was great as the surprisingly interesting and believable love interest of the film, Vanessa. She wasn’t just the ordinary pretty Hollywood girl but a tough and funny in-her-own-right counterpart to Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, which made their relationship all the more believable and fun to watch. And the list goes on, not one member of this films cast disappointed as they brought their own brand of comedy and likeability to an already balls to the wall fun and incredibly likeable film.

But it was not only the acting that made this film so likeable but it seems that the films creators have really learned from their mistakes made in films of future past, not taking beloved characters and reimagining them in unrecognisable and nerd-rage inducing ways but instead pretty much ripping them straight out of the comics onto the big screen. This movie’s rendition of Deadpool quipped, broke the fourth wall, and reacted exactly how he does in the comics, not to mention how amazing his costume looks, being possibly one of the most faithful adaptations of a characters look on the big screen to date.

But aside from this movie’s superb Deadpool; the supporting X Men cast were also great, the look and Boy Scout attitude of this re-imagining of Colossus (who didn’t really get much to do in the franchise up to this point) was a delight to watch. He not only looked great but was also an hilarious foil to Deadpool’s morally ambiguous and insanely off the wall perspective and it was great to see the two of them bounce off each other, literally in some cases.

But amazingly faithful interpretation of beloved characters aside, this film is just incredibly fun and hilarious. From the smart use of the opening credits you know you are in for a ride full of laughs, and in that promise this film does not disappoint. From slapstick to incredibly crude to talking straight to the audience, Deadpools arsenal of comedic weaponry is both vast and highly effective and leaves a cinema entrenched in the echoes of the audiences laughter time after time as the jokes are thrown at you quick and fast and almost always stick their landing. Whether it just be their liberal use of the 15 age certificate or the self-defecating humour as Deadpool pokes fun at the superhero world in general, this film is one of the best comedies I’ve seen in a while.

But amongst the falling off my seat laughter there is also a surprising amount of emotion to be found in the film. While it’s definitely not on the level of say 50/50, the tragic nature of Deadpool’s origin story grabbed at my heart strings and got me way more invested in this ridiculous character than I ever expected to be. This in large part is due to the amazing chemistry and charm of the central relationship of this film, the love story between Vanessa and Wade. This emotional immersion came to a point where I really felt for Wade as he went through the horrific trials on the road to becoming Deadpool. And when it came time for the final confrontation of the film I was totally behind Deadpool, willing him to kick the smarmy British accent out of the films villain, Ajax.

Speaking of kicking ass, the action was phenomenally cool and satisfying in this film. From the very outset we are treated to a stylish, fluid and brutal flavour of action that does not let out throughout the movie. taking full advantage of their 15 age certificate Deadpool doesn’t even hint at holding back, with moments of gore that will force your mouth open both in shock and laughter at how insanely cool what just happened was.

The mix of CGI and particle effects/stunts not only in the action scenes but throughout the movie was also great. The CGI never felt too fake or unbelievable, breaking or ruining the pace of a fight scene or the cool aesthetic, as say Colossus walked in slow-motion to battle.

But possibly my favourite use of CGI ever (one that I hope Spider-Man utilises one day in my life time) was Deadpool’s emotive eyes. This film did one thing that no comic book film has done, ever. And that’s bring the white expressive eyes of a mask to life on the big screen. Not only did they do it but they did it amazingly, the constantly moving white circles not only fulfilled my nerdiest dreams but also brought a whole new level of enjoyment to the comedy.

What also heightened aspects of the movie was the uniquely Deadpool choice of music in the film. From hilariously out of place ballads to a song that made one of the most badass entries into battle I have seen, the music was great. Fittingly badass too was the original soundtrack for the film as it fitted greatly with the volatile and ferocious feel of the fight scenes in the film as it mixed in perfectly with Deadpool slicing and dicing through his enemies likes it’s just another day in the office.

However while I can possibly go on for days about the amazing parts of the film, I do have a couple of gripes. Because the movie is so fast paced, both in its comedy, action and rotation of scenes, when it hits even the slightest speed bump it is felt a lot harder and is a lot more apparent. While it was only a slight gear shift down, a couple of scenes in the beginning of the 3^rd act felt too plodding in their pace,in comparison to the Ferrari like speed of the rest of the film and just didn’t feel right and took me out of the film for a minute.

Also I didn’t really get his transformation from funny but sane Wade Wilson to completely insane and 4^th wall breaking Deadpool. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason like I thought there would be, he almost seemed like two slightly different variations of the character in and out of the suit that didn’t gel as well as I hoped they would  and left me wondering why his sanity levels seemed to vastly decrease when in the mask.

But overall this movie was a blast of a time. From start to finish you are cracking up with laughter, and when you’re not giggling like a little school girl at the latest inventive spin on trash talk Deadpool has just delivered to you, you are left eyes wide open at just how cool and badass they have made Deadpool to be when he is putting down a ridiculous amount of fools. One of the best adaptations of a character I may have ever seen, from design to writing to acting, and one of the best superhero films I have ever seen.

9/10

Why not check out my YouTube channel, BurtonReviews, where I upload awesome gaming montages put to badass songs or scores every Sunday.  Videos such as a compilation of Deadpool clips from the video game to the incredibly catchy trailer music *cough*shamelessselfpromotion*cough*

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.