By: Dave Clark
Going into the theater to see the Merc With a Mouth's first live action solo feature film, I had few expectations. I'm a fan of Ryan Reynolds' comedy work. I knew that this film would be much more adult than all the previous comic book films we've seen in the past. I knew we'd be getting a closer adaptation of Deadpool from the comics than we got in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. My concern was...does it need to be rated R for Deadpool to work?
What did I like? Everything. The comedy was so good that I couldn't even hear the dialogue after a joke or funny moment because the audience was laughing. Let me take a moment to comment on the audience experience. They had a blast. This is a fun movie for the grown up audience. Do NOT take your kids. Back to the review. The comedy moments were perfect. The dramatic moments were also great. You felt bad for Wade when he discovered he had cancer. You wanted his relationship to work out with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). They did a great job conveying all the emotions and taking you for you a fun 90 minute ride. I even enjoyed the music that's featured in the film. From Wham! to Salt-N-Pepa to DMX, I really enjoyed the soundtrack in a Guardians of the Galaxy kind of way.
They didn't tell a typical origin story. From jump you knew this wasn't an ordinary comic book movie. For one, Deadpool breaks the fourth wall. He knows he's in a movie. Hell, he knows he's in an X-Men movie. At one point Colossus says he's taking him to meet Professor Xavier and Deadpool flat out asks if it's McAvoy or Stewart. And then he calls out the fact that the studio couldn't afford to cast any more members of the X-Men to be in the movie. These were just some of the great fourth wall moments. I loved all of the X-Men moments by the way, Negasonic Teenage Warhead was fun to see on the big screen.
All of the performances were well done by the cast. T.J. Miller was given the chance to flex his comedic muscle and he shined! I'm a big fan of his comedy and it was great to see that he got to really inject his humor into this role. Ed Skrein was every bit of the British bad guy you wanted him to be with his muscle, Gina Carano doing a great job in a limited role as Angel Dust. Hearing Colossus with a real Russian accent brought me back to the 90's animated X-Men series. They did a great job bringing back the REAL Colossus to the X-Men universe. Even the taxi driver, Dopinder, was fun to see in his few scenes.
My overall opinion of the film? From opening credits to closing credits, I loved it. I didn't need the graphic violence, the adult language, or the sexual content, but at the same time, I was fine with it being in Deadpool as it was showcasing a very different Marvel character. Will this movie change the comic book movie genre? I doubt it. I don't see too many more characters being adapted into an R rated film, but it works for Deadpool. I look forward to a sequel and even the chance at seeing him pop up in future X-Men films.
CAST:
Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool
Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle
Ed Skrein as Francis / Ajax
T.J. Miller as Weasel
Gina Carano as Angel Dust
Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Stefan Kapičić as Peter Rasputin / Colossus
Leslie Uggams as Blind Al
Jed Rees as The Recruiter
Karan Soni as Dopinder
Oh...stay tuned to the post credits for a humorous scene. You'll wanna see it.