Who would have thought that the Merc with the Mouth would outperform two of the most iconic characters in history at the box office, but that’s exactly what went down this past winter when the R-rated Fox/Marvel film Deadpool raked in and incredible $361 million in North America, making it the fifth highest grossing film of the year, the highest-grossing R-rated film in North American box office history, the most successful film in the X-Men franchise, and trumping Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’s $327.7 million by a significant margin.
Incredible, right?
What’s even more impressive about Deadpool is that not only was it a big box office success, but it’s actually a pretty great movie that holds up to repeat viewing. I know this because I watched the Blu-ray that hit stores this week. Yes, Deadpool is a big action movie that thrives on the big screen, but its transition to home viewing actually allows you to get more involved with the character moments that are thoughtfully peppered throughout the film.
With strong performances from both Morena Baccarin and Ryan Reynolds (who genuinely has the role of a lifetime), Deadpool actually gives you a love story that you believe in and buy into. Sure, this is an origin story, but its one predicated on a believable love between two goofy and probably very damaged people. Deadpool’s quest is simple – fuck up the guy who fucked up his face and get him to fix it. And he does it all for love.
The Deadpool Blu-ray comes loaded with tons of extras, including commentaries, a gag reel, some cool deleted scenes that give you extra moments between Deadpoo, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (hilarious stuff), all which serve to show just how brilliantly Reynolds, director TIm Miller and writer Rhett Reese and Paul Wenick managed to get this movie right.
Bring on Deadpool 2!
