By Michael Massotto
One of the best superhero movies of all time came out this Valentine’s Day weekend, in the form of Fox Studio’s “Deadpool” adaptation, and now available On Demand. Overall, critics rate this movie remarkably high, such as the Rotten Tomatoes score of 99 out of 100. Due to the hype surrounding the movie, I walked into the theater with very high expectations, and I was not disappointed.
For those who aren’t familiar with comics or just awoke from a coma, Deadpool is an “anti-hero” made by Marvel Comics. What I mean by “anti-hero” is that Deadpool doesn’t necessarily classify as a hero; he is not a shining beacon of righteousness, like Superman, but is instead more of just an average guy who hunts down people even crueler than him. Deadpool doesn’t work for the greater good, but for his own personal agenda, which is one of the greatest things about his character. Deadpool, formally known as Wade Wilson, was a seasoned criminal and mercenary with dozens of kills under his belt when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. A program known as Weapon X promised to cure him of cancer but then tortured him for years. During the final stages of his torture, Wade Wilson’s cancer cells mutated, riding him of the disease but allowing his cells to regrow and repair wounds faster than cancer cells divide. This allows Wade Wilson to recover from wounds that would normally be lethal or permanent, such as loss of limbs and bullet wounds. Despite being given this great power, Deadpool’s entire body is scarred horribly, prompting him to exact revenge on his torturer for what he has done.
With backstory out of the way, we can talk about the unique nature of the movie, as it is one of the first successful R-rated superhero movies. Many R-rated movies use the “R” rating as an excuse to put senseless violence that doesn’t contribute to the characters or story arc at all, making the movie less story and more eye candy. With “Deadpool” on the other hand, the violence, profanity, and gore add up the the character that Deadpool is and the setting around him, as anyone who has read the “Deadpool” comics is aware that Deadpool is a really violent character. Making this movie PG-13 would have handcuffed its potential, so from a quality standpoint it was necessary to capture the movie’s full potential. Saying this, it is also noted that the “not safe for children” themes are graphic and in great quantity, but it never feels like it’s overwhelming.
The other trait Deadpool is known for is comedy. Along with his mutant power to regenerate his limbs and mend wounds, Deadpool unexplainably has the ability to break
the fourth wall, or talk to the audience. Deadpool is aware that he is in a movie and that he is just re-enacting the events of his life. This leads to some funny quips where Deadpool mentions things such as other media such as Star Wars, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and mentions of Ryan Reynolds’ (the actor who plays Deadpool) roles in previous movies, such as the infamous and poorly received Green Lantern. “Deadpool,” as a whole, was funny from beginning to end. The jokes never fell flat.
When it comes to the cast of marvel movies, it always feels like the world created people to fit the exact roles of a character’s comic book version. We always picture Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and, now, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. He suits the character so well that it almost hurts to think that they tried to cast him as DC’s Green Lantern a few years ago. As for the rest of the cast, they did amazing as well, but the choices for the X-Men they featured in this movie perplexed me, as both Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead both didn’t seem to fit as well as other characters could have fit. Granted, they did help with the story and we got a few funny scenes from both of them, but I think it would have been much more interesting to see Wolverine or someone of the nature working with Deadpool instead.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I suggest you rent it. Even if you aren’t a Marvel fan, this is a much different experience than “Avengers” or “Guardians of the Galaxy.” With spectacular action and comedy that flows perfectly from beginning to end, “Deadpool” is bound to have you amazed by the fight scenes and laughing in your seat with every wisecrack comment our “merc with a mouth” makes. I give “Deadpool” a proud and well deserved nine out of ten.
