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    Deadpool

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    “Deadpool” is an action/comedy with plenty of great fight scenes, many laughs and some fair bits of romance thrown in too. It’s an R-Rated, profanity-laden bloodbath that actually has a lot of appeal, even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of superhero films (we’ll get to that one in a bit)

    Everything was going well for Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) and his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), until the doctors gave him some bad news. Desperate, Wade got himself fixed up by a shady character named Ajax (Ed Skrein) and it worked out somewhat, except for Wade’s face, which looks like it was deep-fried for about 5 minutes too long. Determined to get his revenge and win back his girlfriend, Wade Wilson becomes the masked… superhero (?) Deadpool.

    I want to go on a bit of a tangent before I dig into this 2016 film. I’ve heard a lot of people say, “I’m not a fan of superhero movies, but I really liked this one”. I object to that statement. Not that they enjoyed themselves, I thought this movie was great! What I take umbrage to is the not a fan of ‘superhero movies’ bit. What is a superhero movie? A movie based on a comic book character? That means “Sin City” and “Howard the Duck” would qualify, and no one would consider either of those superhero movies. A story about someone with a secret identity who fights crime then? If that’s the case “Iron Man 2” and “Captain America” do not qualify. Is it the powers? No. “Batman” doesn’t have any super powers. Costume? Maybe, but the “Hulk” doesn’t wear a costume. All he has is his purple pants. What I’m getting at is that there’s no need to get hung up on labels. Don’t decide to see or not see “The Dark Knight”, “Unbreakable”, “Spawn” or “Man Thing” because of the story’s origin or what you perceive will be plot points throughout. See them (or avoid them at all costs in the case of the like of “Steel” and “Catwoman”) because of the quality of the film. You can’t judge what the mood or general appeal of a so-called “superhero” movie any more than you can a fantasy film (“Lord of the Rings” vs. “Tuck Everlasting”) or a science fiction picture (“Never Let Me Go” vs. “Robocop”) See “Deadpool” because it’s good. Worry about details like whether or not “Superhero” is a genre later.

    There’s something for everyone here. It’s a funny and admittedly juvenile, but also sweet romantic comedy. Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccrin have terrific chemistry. They’re two twisted individuals with a dark sense of humour but the love is palpable. The prospect of them not being together is something you won’t stand for and if their reunion means that a whole lot bad people have to die, it’s worth it. Anything to see the little hearts that bubble up whenever the two of them are together one more time. Not literally of course. You want this ordeal of revenge and bullets and katanas violently penetrating people’s heads to get over with in the hopes that they will get back together again. Speaking of the action, it’s a lot of fun. This is an R-Rated movie, one that revels in it’s violence while knowing full well that it’s not enough to just have people get killed left and right. You have to kill them with style and creatively. Get ready for all sorts of deaths that are so outrageous you won’t be able to help yourself. You’ll laugh out loud they’re so ridiculous and when they aren’t, they’re well choreographed and shot, not to mention genuinely exciting because you want the hero to make it out ok. Which brings us to the humour. Even in the dismal “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, you could tell that Ryan Reynolds had the part of “Deadpool” down. Wise cracking, fourth-wall breaking, immature but loveable. He manages to get you to smile, chuckle or genuinely laugh more times than he doesn’t. Reynold was born for this part and I’d wager that when the film comes out on home video, we’ll learn that he had some input on this dialogue, it plays to his strengths in the same ways that “Aladdin” or “Beverly Hills Cop” did towards their comedic leads.

    “Deadpool” is a self-contained picture. You can go in and see Reynolds and his co-stars delivering plenty of good one-liners and there are several memorable moments throughout. There’s a nice variety in the humour. It ranges from gags that would fit right at home in something akin to “Van Wilder” (not bright, insightful or something you’d ever repeat but funny) to clever meta humor about the fact that we’re all sitting in the theatre watching a movie, pop culture stuff, clever references to Marvel comic book characters, superhero tropes and the world this film is set in. Inline with the character’s appearance in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, this film is set in the X-Men universe, which means we can thank the time travel shenanigans of “Days of Futures Past” for yet another thing. I drew a ton of enjoyment from the picture, even more once two X-Men characters come in, Colossus (who unfortunately is not played by Daniel Cudmore, instead being replaced by motion capture acting and the voice of Stefan Kapičić) and a young female mutant whose name is so good I can’t ruin it by telling it to you in this review. Brianna Hildebrand plays the character. They’re icing on the cake. I hope we get to see them again in future films. “Deadpool” or other.

    I have to give credit to the writers of the film. Not so much for the plot, which is admittedly a bit standard, but for the humor and the little details in the story and dialogue. There are so many subtle references throughout. The film plays with your expectations and also delivers what you want to see in a film where the first scene has him dressed completely in costume, riding in the back of a cab. There’s good re-watch value here. It’s impossible to catch all of the gags just the first time around and because of the way the story is told. Usually origin stories are my least favorite because you have to wait at least a half hour to see the protagonist become the guy or gal you came to see, but not here. They mix it up very intelligently. There are a slew of likeable side characters including Leslie Uggams, T. J. Miller, Karan Soni and Gina Carano (who I’ve always liked in her film appearances and doesn’t deliver a whole lot of dialogue but has some great moments) I hope “Deadpool” turns into a franchise, and not just because I can’t get enough of the X-Men characters. If you’re a fan of the comic books this guy appears in, this is going to be your early Christmas present. You’ll be completely pleased.

    “Deadpool” is completely inappropriate for children with numerous scenes of nudity and sex, a lot of swears and over-the-top violence throughout. For the adults though, it’s a blast. For comic book fans and the non-indoctrinated alike, it’s a mix of a whole lot of different stuff but the end results are very satisfying. (Theatrical version on the big screen, February 17, 2016)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  20.2.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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