A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter ego Deadpool.
Ever since 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine there has been speculation about a Deadpool film and whether Ryan Reynolds would return to the role. Production appeared to be progressing at one point before it was all put on the backburner again. But almost 7 years, and a few other X-Men films later, we’ve finally got our Deadpool solo outing.
Tim Miller took on the project as his feature film directorial debut which is an impressive feat in itself, and it looks like the gamble has paid off because Deadpool is a hugely entertaining and fun time at the movies.
From the opening credits the comedic tone and sensibilities of this film are immediately set, and you’ll quickly realise whether you’re made the right decision to see this film or not. Deadpool’s story isn’t complex or sophisticated and it certainly isn’t anything unique, but that’s not what this film is about, it’s about style, flair, and a hugely entertaining character that holds the entire film together.
This is primarily an origin story, with (as Deadpool will tell you) some romance thrown in and a whole bunch of carnage. Despite having a simplistic plot the film moves the story telling around in an interesting fashion, using a non-linear approach to engage the audience which is pretty effective.
The film is packed with easter eggs for fans, ranging from subtle to blatantly obvious, and the film is well grounded in the X-Men setting bringing in Colossus as well as some familiar X-locations. The overall dialogue is sharp and funny, making excellent use of what makes this character so appealing.
The action sequences are a little mixed but overall solid, a huge amount of detail and care has gone into an extensive set piece utilised throughout the first half of the film, the major set piece for the finale is serviceable but definitely the less interesting of the two. Deadpool brings with it a comical but more extreme depiction of violence than most superhero films, the dark comedic sensibility of the violence go hand in hand with the character and while it’s not suitable for younger audiences, to do it any other way would mistreat the character.
Ryan Reynolds is obviously the key element in this recipe, and he was simply born to play this role. The non-stop sarcastic banter is utterly relentless, and it’s a very familiar aspect of his performance, but here it works magnificently and it’s a crucial element of this film. Despite his first outing as the character not going so well, it’s excellent to see he finally got his chance to do something better.
This film really is the Ryan Reynolds show more or less, and on that basis alone it’s a fun time. But Morena Baccarin and Brianna Hildbrand are both good in their roles, and Ed Skrein does what he can with his villainous turn but there’s not a lot of material to work with for the supporting cast. TJ Miller delivers some funny lines and Gina Carano is menacingly intimidating as the silent muscle bound beauty.
Deadpool is violent, funny, entertaining and finally gives Ryan Reynolds his dues in terms of a role that truly takes advantage of his dry sarcastic performance. I’m giving it 7 out of 10 stars, Deadpool is in cinemas around Australia from Thursday 11th Feb, 2016.
