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Despite the good reviews for this movie, I actually went in with low expectations. From what I had seen, I expected a movie that used crudeness in place of cleverness. I also worried that the movie would be so ridiculous that I wouldn’t care about the main character and it would seem like comedy bit stretched out over two hours. Luckily, what I got was a movie that somehow managed to be unapologetically gratuitous without becoming tiresome or seeming lazy. It also managed to add some serious elements and a good storyline without betraying the quirkiness of the main character or the source material (from what I know), which is pretty hard to pull off.

Deadpool is a purposefully atypical superhero origin/love story. It tells the story of Wade Wilson, a mercenary who finally finds some peace and happiness in his life, but it is immediately flipped upside down with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. In a time of desperation he undergoes a therapy to give him superpowers and hopefully cure his cancer. Of course like Wolverine before him, those in charge don’t have good aspirations for his powers. He manages to escape but not without drastic disfiguration. He also finds that not only did the procedure cure the cancer but it gave him regenerative powers. The rest of the movie is his attempt to right the wrongs done against him and reconnect with his fiancee who he left behind to seek treatment.

The humor is a brash self aware send up of typical superhero tropes. Ryan Reynolds was expertly cast as the “Merc with a Mouth” in a role he lobbied for. Although he carries the film, the other characters do a pretty good job.

If you haven’t been warned already, this is NOT a typical Marvel movie and Deadpool is NOT Captain America. It’s rated R for a reason, and it is definitely not for everyone. However, if you know what you are getting into, my guess is you will probably really like it.

 

Reviewed by: Phillip Lane on March 12, 2016