When Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) made his cinematic debut in Wolverine back in 2009, fans were excited to see the “Mercenary with the Mouth” finally make it to the big screen. Instead they were horrified with how he was treated in the film including the stitched up bad guy that menaced Wolverine near the end of the film.
For years Ryan Reynolds had lobbied to do a proper cinematic version of the character and thanks to a suspiciously and oddly timed demo footage leak around San Diego Comic Con, the fans have finally gotten their wish.
Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, a mercenary who put his military days behind him and now takes low paying work in the local area doing things like making stalkers back off and other less lethal and more pedestrian work.
When the wise cracking and foul mouthed Wilson meets a prostitute named Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), his world takes a turn for the better as the two fall in love and begin to plan their future. Sadly Wade develops a terminal illness and not wanting to have Vanessa see him fade away, he reluctantly agrees to enter a program that will cure him and give him super powers in the process.
While the treatment works, Wade is left horribly disfigured and with burning desire to get revenge on those who did this to him, and to force their leader Francis (Ed Skrein), to put things right so he can reunite with Vanessa.
Now this sounds like a fairly straight up revenge film and the stuff that comic based films have been based on for years. But to thank that “Deadpool” is more of the same would be huge error. From the hilarious opening segment filled with numerous jokes at the expense of the studio process, celebrities, and much more, the movie lets you know you’re going on a fun ride, and makes you wonder which way it will go next as it cleverly and deftly blends action and comedy.
While it is a revenge film, at the core, “Deadpool” is a love story and I know this sounds odd for a character who can motor from decapitations to sex jokes on the fly but there is a real heart to the film amidst all the action.
What really makes the film shine is how the lead character in keeping with the comic breaks the Fourth Wall and talks to the audience, even while the action is blazing around him.
The jokes are sharp and biting as The X-Men, previous films, and other topics are skewered with merciless precision.
Reynolds has finally found the ideal hero for him to portray as while I liked his effort as The Green Lantern, he was not given enough to work with.
This time out he acted as a Producer on the show as he reportedly wanted to protect the character from what happened in “Wolverine” and make sure it was done right.
I was a bit concerned that the reported lower budget for the film might undermine it as the studio required it for the R-Rating that was being pursued, but it was a solid and highly-enjoyable effort.
On more than one instance as we left our screening, I head people in the audience comment how the film was much better than they expected and how much they enjoyed it.
My wife had very little knowledge of the character prior to the film as she is more in line with the more well-known characters.
Not only did she really enjoy it and laugh along as the film went on, she asked if we can see it again after it opens as there were so many jokes she thought we missed due to the rapid-fire delivery.
While the story and acting aside from Reynolds may be pretty much what you would expect for the film, “Deadpool” is a statement to tenacity and what happens when fans of a subject are able to do things that capture the nature of the character a film is based on. As such, it is a real winner and one I hope that the public embraces as I would love to see the rumored sequel sooner rather than later.
4 stars out of 5.
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