Deadpool - Cape and Cowl Review
The Merc with a Movie
By Steven Carter
Here we are, 2016. The year of the superhero movie! Sooo many films to look forward to and we didn't have to wait long for 20th Century Fox’s offering: Deadpool. It didn't seem like Fox were interested in righting the wrongs seen in the simply awful Wolverine Origins. In fact Ryan Reynolds had campaigned for a fair few years to get the Merc with a mouth a solo outing. Early leaked footage looked promising and a highly entertaining ad campaign followed and now all of a sudden this film had some high expectations to live up to!
I am pleased to announce that not only does the film live up to those expectations, it exceeds them by far! Right from the get go, we see the Merc slicing and dicing his way through some goons. If you bring the kiddies to see this then shame on you! This film has a 15 cert for a very good reason. Plenty of bad language, dismemberment, and nudity on show here! Ryan Reynolds gives a stellar performance in the lead role and so he should being as he is a genuine fan of the character. As was expected, there were subtle references throughout the film to his previous outings in comic book films, including Green lantern, Blade and even the un-loved version of “The Dead-Pool”.
The humour is spot on. This was one of the main worries I had ahead of this movie, the computer game released back in 2013 was a bit cringy and the cartoon was a little juvenile. The film however, felt like I was reading the comics again. Deliciously dark, mixed in with toilet humour and 4th wall breaking. The voices in Deadpool’s head serve as the narration and don't distract the viewer from the plot, which was in itself, nice and simple. A good old fashioned revenge movie with a love interest thrown in for good measure. No insane plot twists to keep you thinking, Deadpool has never been that complex. The origin story was great, you get a good understanding of how angry and mentally deranged Wade becomes and totally sympathise with him in his quest to get back at those who wronged him.
The only negative point I found was the way Colossus was portrayed. Granted, it was good to see him get back to his comic book roots with the look and thick Russian accent, but his personality was all wrong. It felt like he was brought in as comic relief for Deadpool to rebound off and while some scenes were hilarious (see their first encounter), if Colossus had more than several lines to say, it just felt wrong. There was also the issue of continuity. Not only with Colossus’s appearance, but also with the Blackbird. Yes, the X-Men’s primary mode of transportation was still in the form of the SR-71 spy plane seen in 1st Class. To be honest, I’m nitpicking. Don't let these things hamper what otherwise is a great action comedy.
Ed Skrein did a good job as the British villain as does Morena Baccarin as love interest Vanessa. Plenty of references are made to other Marvel characters and even one or two that weren't strictly on Fox’s books, we are also treated to a rather surprising cameo! I urge you all to flock to your nearest cinema and see a film that was lovingly put together by people who had a real interest in the characters they were putting on screen! I only hope Fox pay attention to this for when (or even if) they come to do the Fantastic Four again…
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