Marie Gilbert’s Review of Deadpool

I first heard about the character Deadpool two years ago from my grandkids. They are all certified geeks and make it a life goal to keep their old granny in the loop. My granddaughter was going on and on about this comic book character. She said I would like this superhero. Why, I asked? As she put it, “He’s crazy like you.” Interesting! I’m a Marvel fan but could Ryan Reynolds own Deadpool? Find out after the jump.

Deadpool

There have been enough articles since the movie landed on 20^th Century Fox’s drawing board telling of the background history of Deadpool in comic books and in his appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. You can also find plenty of articles about Ryan Reynolds championing to play in a Deadpool flick. That’s not what I’m going to bore you with. I want to tell you why I think Deadpool is the superhero of our time.

Deadpool, which was created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and is directed by Tim Miller and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapicic and Leslie Uggams.

Plot

This is a love story, but it was also Ryan Reynolds chance to show why no one else could do Deadpool as good as him. After a while, goodie-two-shoes type of superheroes can wear me down. No one can be that good all the time. I like my superheroes to have flaws.

Reynolds is not only a handsome and talented actor, but he has excellent comedic timing which he uses in his role as Wade Wilson a former special forces operative with a wicked sense of humor, who one day meets a woman, Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin), who is just as sharp witted and cocky as he is. In the comics Vanessa is a copycat (shape-shifter) superhero, but in the film, she’s a wild little thing that Wade meets in a bar. They fall in love and talk about marriage and then the big “C” happens.

Wade Wilson can fight a dozen men with one hand tied behind his back, all the while, making snarky comments to the audience via the fourth dimension, but cancer is an enemy that brings even a superhero to his knees. Wade is offered an experimental cure and leaves Vanessa to undergo the procedure.

Wade’s habit of witty sarcasm, fall on empty ears as he is forced to go through painful injections and torture to awaken the mutant genes. Wade is tormented by bad guy Francis Freeman (Ed Skrein) and, bitchy mutant Angel Dust (Gina Carano). Wade learns the real reason for the experiments is to make him and the other prisoners a race of super-powered slaves for the rich. Constant asphyxiation in an airtight chamber finally awakens the mutation, but it does a hell of a job on Wade’s physical appearance. No longer sporting a pretty face, Wade is left to die in the burning laboratory after losing a fight with Francis. Horribly disfigured, but able to heal from any mutilation, Wade is afraid to show himself to Vanessa.

Conclusion

I knew I was in for a wild ride when the opening credits read like something from a Mad magazine. The film starts off with a bang with Deadpool in a taxi giving dating tips to the cabbie (Karan Soni) and from there we are treated to non-stop action that is sprinkled with healthy doses of humor and chats with the audience. The majority of the film plays out in flashback after Deadpool destroys an entire convoy of mercenaries. There is no place in in film to catch your breath. The action is  accompanied by an awesome soundtrack that gives a upbeat experience to an already cool film.

This was no ordinary, Dudley Do-Right kind of superhero, but a smart-mouthed, trouble loving man, who’d been mutated into a kick-ass superhero in a spandex outfit. Wade is on a quest to find Francis Freeman in hopes of reversing the physical effects of the experiment. Alone and uglier than an avocado, Wade moves in with Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), and elderly woman with a love of cocaine and a quick wit. Luckily, Deadpool finds allies in finding the abducted Vanessa when he and his friend, Weasel (T.J. Miller), hook up with X-Men Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand).

Ryan Reynolds is a pretty boy, that’s for sure, but his take of the feisty Deadpool was right on and, the same way that Robert Downey Jr. owns Iron Man, Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool. No one else can play Deadpool. Reynolds plays his character as the outsider with the inside joke that he aims at his enemies and the audience, especially with his reference to Green Lantern and X-Men Origins.

Deadpool’s superhero outfit looks a lot like Spider-Man’s and he’s just as witty as our Spidey friend, but I like Deadpool a lot more. He’s the superhero with the “R” rating and a larger-than-life attitude. I loved the film and I’m telling you to go see it now, but please don’t bring the little ones to see this film. It’s not for toddlers. Got it?