Note: I saw Deadpool at a preview screening; hence, this is obviously going to contain spoilers. I will try my best to avoid them but if you’re extremely cautious about spoilers you may want to hold off on reading this review.
Unlike many fans of Deadpool, my experience is somewhat limited to the original run of the character. However he’s been portrayed since, I’ll always remember the character for his interesting origin story and his scathing meta humor.
I’m glad to say that if like me this is what you like about the character, there’s a lot to like about
Deadpool. Even if you’re not a fan of the character, it’s arguable that this is Fox’s best film in the ‘Fox-Men’ universe.
Unlike
Days Of Future Past (or even
Age Of Ultron for that matter),
Deadpool focuses on a more intimate story. This is not about preventing apocalypse or fighting the harbinger of death, this is about revenge; and with any other hero you’d risk this getting stale and dull after the second act but
Deadpool not only takes this simple premise and makes it fun, but it makes it so that you care about Wade and his plight.
This is due in part to the excellent, on-point writing, and Ryan Reynolds delivery. I counted myself as many who thought the role should be recast (
Origins: Wolverine was soooo bad) but Reynolds puts in a great performance as Wade and as Deadpool.
The rest of the cast fares equally well. The real highlight for me was actually Negasonic Teenage Warhead (played by Brianna Hildebrand). Her and Deadpool have this odd Big Brother/Little Sister relationship that is as messed up as one would expect from partnering Deadpool with Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
All in all this is a very good standalone film, but there are hints that this exists within the larger universe. I won’t spoil anything specifically but I can definitely see Deadpool appearing in future fims. Although unlike Wolverine and Mystique, I’d much rather see future films feature Deadpool. Sorry Hugh.
So with all this praise is there anything I didn’t like? Well I certainly thought Ajax was a predictable villain. He suffers from the same fate as many other villains in an origin story where there’s more screen time given to the protagonist than to the antagonist. He still serves his purpose, but there was more to be desired.
In conclusion,
Deadpool is a simple and to the point revenge tale, enhanced by great action and stellar writing. Whether you’re a fan of the character or not, there’s a lot here for any fan of comic book movies as a whole.
I award the movie:
800/1000
Uncle Joey's