Deadpool is a dark, funny, twisted, wince-inducing, sarcastic, anti-superhero movie that breaks all sorts of rules – including an invitation/permission for critics to review it several days in advance of its wide release. From the hysterical opening credits, all the way through to the so-so post-credit bonus clip, the movie celebrates, embraces, rejects and mocks the very genre it is part of… the Marvel comic universe. It’s entertaining in a ‘what-did-I-just-see and why-am-I-reluctant-to-dismiss-it-even though-it-was-such-a-strange-ride?’ sort of way. It truly defies description. But here’s the gist:
Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern, The Proposal) stars as Wade Wilson, a former Special Forces soldier turned mercenary who adopts the alter-ego “Deadpool” after he allows himself to be subjected to a brutal, rogue experiment that rids him of cancer and infuses him with accelerated healing powers, but leaves him with horrendous scars that he hides behind a Spidey-like mask and suit. He’s basically okay with everything but the scars, and he wants the guy who messed up his face to ‘fix’ it so he can return to the kickass former-prostitute-love-of-his-life Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) who thinks he’s dead.
Deadpool is not your typical Marvel superhero origin story (ala Wolverine, Captain America, and the rest of the iconic X-Men and Avenger characters). Wade/Deadpool breaks the fourth wall, talking to the audience and poking fun at the villains, sidekicks, and plot twists that have made superhero movies super-hits at the box office. This is not a PG/PG-13 good-versus-evil battle extravaganza. It’s rated R for the abundance of sex, violence, profanity, and mutilation thrown into the ‘comic’ mix. So don’t be sending the young ‘uns to this one!
While I tend to like the Avengers and X-Men movies, I’m not an obsessed fanboy. I never even noticed or heard of the Deadpool character before, so it’s quite possible that I missed a fair share of inside jokes peppered throughout this oddball flick. The ones I did catch, I thoroughly enjoyed. But if you’re not into the genre at all, you’re likely to find this movie very, very weird. One thing’s for sure though, Deadpool will help put Ryan Reynolds back on the right side of superhero status after a somewhat disastrous turn as the Green Lantern. Now how about a battle of (dry) wits between Deadpool and Iron Man? That would be pure fun!
Hilarious!!! I loved it and have been telling everyone they should see it. I love how it twists the whole Superhero genre and turns it on its head in a totally Rated-R way. Can’t wait for the sequel.