Deadpool
The glut of superhero themed movies (in particular the endless Avengers films which also require multiple stand alone films for nearly ALL of their main characters on top of the endless group sequels) has virtually come to dominate the American cinema market to the point that non comic book movies are barely getting made or even released anymore. That along with the standard modus operandi of these films (backstory, introducing the villains) which also requires a family friendly PG-13 rating or else they might as well just cancel these productions otherwise clearly signaled an impending implosion that would favor something different. The first Kick Ass film was a step in the right direction but the real watershed would be this 2016 release which (despite being based upon an established Marvel Comics character) plays off much of the time as being an insane ZAZ / Mel Brooks style spoof comedy with endless gags, one liners and outside obscure references that at times can make it tough to keep up with. One other unusual aspect comes into play as star Ryan Reynolds had previously played the title role as a supporting part in the fairly serious X-Men Origins: Wolverine which had seen him not only get a brief yet different backstory but had also placed him under a measure of mind control that would transform him into a mute VILLAIN and have to fight Hugh Jackmanâs Logan at the end of the film. Reynolds (reportedly disgusted with how this portrayal of the character turned out) then proceeded to stay close to all development talks for a stand alone film based on the character all while being aware the whole time that his own improv skills being used for the character of Deadpool would actually make for a remarkably original creation as seen in his previous work as comic book vampire hunter Hannibal King in Blade Trinity and he even took on the starring role as The Green Lantern during this time as the process dragged on towards a Deadpool movie all his own. When the time came, Reynolds would find himself starring in a literal reboot film for a character he had already played, with his Wade Wilson / Deadpool being a tragic figure who refused to be sad or melancholy, a dark hero who did everything possible to keep his adventures light and breezy. For all those corny wisecracks that Spiderman was known for, here we get a barrage of totally off the wall, irrelevant humor that might take some viewers completely aback but once settled in with the idea of a foul mouthed, kill crazy and even possibly mentally unstable type of hero (complete with multiple dialogue references to the actor Reynolds himself and even a masturbation scene thrown in for good measure), one can start to get into the hang of what they were going for as Reynolds deserves to have his choice of Hollywood career paths given both his natural charisma and likability coupled with his ability to come out with various wisecracks and even whole entire bits that actually subvert the fact that this is SUPPOSED to be a superhero epic. And of course, the big groundbreaker is the filmâs R rating, treated here as a badge of honor rather than as a symbol of shame that young kids would not be allowed into the theatres to see it unless accompanied by an adult. Even with the rating, Reynolds would reportedly still show it to a dying young boy stricken with cancer (supposedly the first one to ever view it) and promote the character as a heroic role model to kids (not surprising given the 12 year old personality that the character possesses). The film introduces us to Wilson pre transformation, an ex Special Ops soldier who was given a dishonorable discharge and now uses (or wastes) his abilities being a two bit enforcer / vigilante for hire on such things as threatening a geeky stalkerâs life for harassing the teenage girl who had hired him. One night, he meets up with a hot, hardcore chick (Morena Baccarin) and they quickly fall in love, a love that seems like it will last forever until he learns that he has terminal cancer in multiple areas of his body (the most serious scenes in the movie). Leaving his girl behind because he doesnât want her to watch him suffer, he is soon approached by a creepy, black suited recruiter (to whom he refers to as Agent Smith and also directs several insults his way referring to him as a child molester and pedophile) who makes him an offer to not only have his cancer cured, but to make him even more stronger and powerful than he was before. Soon Wilson is taken to a sort of âmutant factoryâ (keeping in mind that this is still supposed to be taking place in the X Men universe) where he is given drugs to activate his âmutant genesâ (supposedly we all have them) and then subjected to various forms of torture by a scientist / doctor who is himself a superpowered mutant named Ajax (aka Francis, his real name much to his chagrin) played by Ed Skrein. The result is that Wilson becomes immortal and invulnerable but his looks wind up making him appear to be a withered burn victim (even though the makeup job doesnât really make him look THAT bad as Reynolds in full makeup more closely resembles Nick Nolte). That compels him onto his main mission in life to track down Ajax / Francis and force him into changing Wilson back so he can at least be normal looking enough to return to his girlfriend (who now works as a stripper at a place where Stan Lee is the DJ). Once the more linear plot as described is laid into place, it then becomes mostly the responsibility of Reynolds to litter things up with the comedic irrelevancy that makes this character so beloved and while not every bit is a home run out of the park (obviously), Reynolds himself is practically a human improv machine who always seems to have an (unscripted) answer for everything and thatâs certainly a gift to have for a guy who is not known for having any kind of formal background in stand up comedy whatsoever. Since at some point Deadpool figures out that he is going to need some backup, he casually waltzes on over to Professor Xavierâs mutant academy and recruits what appears to be the only two X Men living there (and available at that time) in the annoying goody two shoes Colossus (already previously established in the earlier X Men movies) and a short haired female teenage newcomer named Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) which has to be the absolute coolest name for any superhero ever (with legit serious firepower abilities to boot). The movie also throws in the almost random story point of having Deadpool become roommates with an old, blind black lady (Leslie Uggams) whose blindness not only allows (the highly insecure) Deadpool to walk around without his mask on but she also serves as his non combatant assistant much in the way that Alfred did for Batman. He also comes to employ a mild mannered Indian cab driver (Karen Soni) to transport him on his various revenge missions and when Skreinâs villain comes to realize that all of his friends and business associates are being killed off by a mysterious masked assailant, he starts making his own moves in order to set our hero up. As stated though, the key to all of this is in the crazed sense of humor running rampant throughout literally every frame, the more out of left field the better with the Ferris Bueller bit at the end possibly being the best one (Reynolds and the writers were obviously major children of The 80s and that is also reflected in the soundtrack) although reportedly an official tally found at least 100 pop culture references scattered throughout the movieâs 108 minute running time (including end credits) which might just be enough to make even Dennis Millerâs head explode. That along with the ultraviolence (also a main quality in Kick Ass) and the sometimes crude and tasteless sexual humor puts it as being the most immature comic book movie ever made that was intended for mature audiences. Granted, Skreinâs evil Ajax / Francis makes for an effective yet bland supervillain and Gina Carano is a most welcome presence as his superpowered female henchman, but once you get around the fact that this is a spoof comedy first and foremost and that not every gag and one liner winds up being all that funny as intended, then in many ways the adrenaline rush effect of the action scenes can still carry the viewer through even if youâve tuned out on the constant breaking of the fourth wall by the main character and his rapid fire ridiculousnessâŚ
8/10