DEADPOOL (2016) Review
Directed by Tim Miller
After being a disappointing villain to Hugh Jackman’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the anti-hero Deadpool gets his own film in all his glory. Ryan Reynolds had a hard time being in Hollywood, most of his works are only effective if his acting works with the character he’s portraying. But I personally think he was great in Buried, though he does have that funny voice and a face and body that will swoon the ladies, he did well in portraying a guy stuck in a coffin deep below the surface. But in Deadpool, he uses his charm and funny voice as his advantage in bringing the Merc with a Mouth to life.
With the film being announced and Fox wanting it to be R rated, hype arise and then the people behind the film states that this is the Deadpool comic book readers wants. As the trailer was released online, fans are eager to watch the film adaptation as it hints at a gory and unadulterated film that goes beyond superhero film cliches which people actually prefer. The more gruesome it is, the more the fans are satisfied. Fox successfully got that with 2015’s Kingsman: The Secret Service. And fans can’t seem to wait for Deadpool to arrive and see his signature characteristics come to life in the big screen.
Deadpool isn’t your conventional superhero film, not just because of his characteristics as an anti-hero but also its narrative. The film opened with a slow-motion of a car crashing in the highway with Deadpool inside, slowly revealed with the credits of the film hilariously described flashed one by one. You are greeted by the humor that is about to be one of the film’s most distinct feature. Like the film, let’s go back to its unconventional narrative. The first part of Deadpool is composed of how and why he became the “you look like an avocado who had just sex with an old avocado” and his superpowers which are super strength, accelerated healing and what seemed to be immortality.
He rides in a taxi driven by a hopeless romantic Indian who has no chance with the love of his life which was taken by his cousin. Surprisingly, the driver was not bothered by Deadpool’s suit. Mainly because the film actually revolves around Fox’s Marvel universe wherein the X-Men already exists. Though in here, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead are the only one present which the film mocks for having lack of budget maybe? The film has plot holes if you’re really involving Deadpool among the Fox’s Marvel Universe but it acknowledges it and gives it hilarious comments that would make you consider the events happening regardless of its plot holes.
While waiting for the guys he’s about to ambush, Deadpool enjoys drawing and listening to Salt ‘N Pepa’s Shoop, he then introduces himself looking at the audience and telling the people that this isn’t your ordinary superhero story as he doesn’t consider himself a superhero. Cue in the bad guys, Deadpool smashes and does unheroic hits to the guys in the car leading for it crash in a non-friendly, my-God-that-is-bloody way. So yeah, the film establishes on its first sequences its language and violence is not for the whole family. Hence, its R-16 rating from the MTRCB.
With all the crashing and gunning, Deadpool is looking for Francis played by Ed Skrein. Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead enters the picture who flew in from the Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters to stop Deadpool and get him as a recruit for the X-Men. While Deadpool talks the two which is stalling him, Francis escapes Deadpool and cuts his hand in a 127 Hours way which he actually mentions.
The film goes back to before he became Deadpool. Wade Wilson is a special forces operative who meets Vanessa played by the alluring Morena Baccarin. The two got together for a very long time which got really serious. But one night, Wade collapses which lead them to find out that he has a cancer. Vanessa asks for other options that might help Wade to be cured from cancer but even today, no cure has yet to be a 100% success. A stranger meets Wade at the bar where he mostly hang, offering him a chance to be cancer free and more: to have super powers, to be better than better, recruiting him to be part of something more than what he does.
Because of his love for Vanessa, he leaves her one night and accepts the recruiter’s offer to become better. But it wasn’t a fairy tale coming true. Even though Deadpool is a superhero film, it also acknowledges that it is a love story and also a horror film, that’s when he arrived at the secret facility where he meets Ajax who helps him or rather tortures him through the process of curing his cancer. Wade Wilson, though still has his humor had his skin turn into something of a nightmare, disfigured and repulsive to look at. But Ajax tells him that he’s the only one who could cure him. Wade decided to escape the facility but in doing so, he needed to fight Ajax. Weaker than he usually is, Wade fails to kill Ajax and gets buried along with the facility he started to blow up in his escape.
Though free, Wade can’t return to Vanessa because of his looks. He goes for help to his friend Weasel (TJ Miller) who works at the bar he usually hangs. There they decided that he should stay hidden while looking for Ajax and go by the name Deadpool (was followed by Captain Deadpool, but that was bad). And so Deadpool starts looking for Ajax by going at the people behind the facility. He first worked with grey hoodies that turned red because of blood. So at the washing area, he met a blind old lady that’s as equally foul-language speaking as him which advises him to wear a red suit. The two became friends as Wade started living with her as he continues to find Ajax, now the costume gradually became THE Deadpool suit as he tracked The Recruiter who offered him to be cured which pointed where Ajax is.
Now we all know what happens to Ajax or Francis and Deadpool’s first meeting after the facility blew up, the high way car chase and crashing and Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warfare and his hand getting cut off. Ajax’s confrontation with Deadpool lead them to track Wade Wilson to finish what Deadpool started and because their people are getting killed one by one by someone which they now know who he is. So Ajax along with Angel (Gina Carano) goes to the bar where Wade was recruited, they immediately saw a photo of Wade with Vanessa on the liquor cabinet of the bar. So yes, Vanessa is in danger.
Weasel warns Wade straightaway about Ajax and Vanessa. The two with the old blind lady assembles all the weapons they had at their house which is a lot. They said their goodbyes because an old blind lady cannot help him and might just be a burden and Weasel is not experienced in fighting. Deadpool went to Xavier’s School for help which he got from Colossus and Negasonic. Deadpool jokes about why it’s a school and they are the only mutants present or visible there (because they were the only ones their budget can get, haha). The three get into the taxi of the Indian guy where Deadpool was first seen.
They arrived at the location where Ajax held Vanessa. So as for its climax, a big and explosive fight sequences (mostly because of Negasonic) occur. Colossus versus Angel, Negasonic versus all the other and Deadpool versus Ajax. It ended as Deadpool pointing a gun at Ajax which Colossus objects as he preached what makes a hero a hero but even with that, Deadpool decided to shoot Ajax in the head. All is well, the hero got his girl safely from the bad guys and nobody died from their group.
Deadpool is an FU to Marvel-Disney and WB/DC for being too safe in bringing the needed violence if you’re talking about action scenes. It is also not afraid to embrace Deadpool’s signature characteristics which made the fans love him. Though the film might not be the best superhero movie out there, it is basically every comic book lover’s dream. You get the right kind of action and violence and it gives a fresh take on superhero films. It’s hilarious as hell, and Ryan Reynolds’ persona has every bit of Deadpool in him.
It’s take on humor and violence is the most distinct and unique of all the recent superhero films out there. It even mocks its flaws and other franchises that the audience may find bold and uproarious. It wants to be different than other superhero films but it’s still formulaic and cliched. It’s funny, action-packed and at times unique in delivering the messages and scenes it wants to presents. Deadpool is bloody, violent, never boring and embraces the comic book character with style and heart.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
“Deadpool” is now showing in Philippine cinemas also on 2D/4Dx and IMAX Theatres (2D) nationwide from 20th Century Fox, locally distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Rated R-16 by the MTRCB.
PS. There are two end credits-scenes.