I am, and will likely always be, a huge fan of superhero movies. I consider myself a bit of a superhero film connoisseur, but even I must admit that the movie market has become oversaturated thanks in large part to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Luckily, Deadpool, 20th Century Fox’s newest entrant into their X-Men film franchise, manages to kick off the biggest year of superhero movies with a comedic change of pace.
If Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool sounds familiar, it is because the actor took on a drastically loose version of the character in the 2009 flop, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But, unlike with their reboot of Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox managed to learn the error of their ways. Not only did they bring Ryan Reynolds back for the role he was born to play, but they also manage to keep the character close to his uniquely quirky roots. Which means including all of the tongue and cheek humor, violence, and vulgarity missing from the typical PG-13 hero film.
Deadpool follows mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) in a story as generic as they come for superhero movies. Hero goes through a personal tragedy (Cancer in this case) that leads to him reluctantly transforming his body and getting superpowers (the ability to instantly heal ala Wolverine) and must defeat an arch rival who has kidnapped his love interest. Clearly, Deadpool isn’t reinventing the wheel on the story front.
But plot isn’t what makes the Deadpool source material or this movie so enjoyable. In fact, it’s best not to think of Deadpool as a superhero flick at all, but instead as one of the best spoof films ever created. Constant self referential jokes and sly references to other comic flicks and a dirty joke here and there make this movie laugh out loud funny from start to finish. Ryan Reynolds is right in his element and is easily at his best, but he isn’t the only one. T.J. Miller provides a cluster of hilarious one liners as Deadpool’s best friend Weasel while Stefan Kapicic and Brianna Hildebrand form clever X-Men counterparts as Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
The comedic nature of the film isn’t the only thing going for it either. The film’s action sequences don’t disappoint and Ed Skrein surprisingly works well as stock villain, Ajax. There is also an unexpected dose of endearment sprinkled in thanks to fine chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin who plays Deadpool’s love interest, Vanessa.
Because of its volatile nature, it’s worth noting that it won’t be for everyone. The gratuitous nature of the violence and humor are best suited for the Simpsons/Family Guy generation. But there’s no mistaking that if you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into, you’ll be hard pressed to find a movie more laugh out loud funny and enjoyable than Deadpool in the month of February and maybe in 2016.
FINAL GRADE: A