Deadpool

♣♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

With 41 confirmed kills under his belt, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) lives the life of a small-time mercenary in New York, where his new assignments include threatening stalkers of teenage girls in exchange for a hug. His decision to lie low comes at a perfect time as he meets Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), an escort working at a strip club who is just as quick-witted as he is. But their happy ever after is cut short when he is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Desperate for a cure, he takes the offer of a guy named Ajax (Ed Skrein), who runs a shady mutant experiment center disguised as a government backed agency. His cancer does get healed as his mutation emerges, but not without permanent side effects. With his newfound rapid healing ability, he enlists the help of mutants Colossus and Negasonic to exact his revenge on Francis a.k.a. Ajax, who has mutant abilities of his own up his sleeve.

Reynolds finally redeems himself after his disappointing turn in that DC film we will no longer mention. Lest we forget, his first appearance as Deadpool in that Wolverine movie a couple of years back was also a disaster, although that one is more the fault of the studio than his. With this new origins film, they get to right what is wrong, start anew, and even joke about it. It is that self-awareness that makes this movie really likeable, as opposed to the blatant self-importance some superhero films suffer from nowadays.

If you have seen Liam Neeson’s Taken, then you will already be familiar with the approach. In fact, they even directly mention that film as a punchline. The premise is simple: a roaring rampage of revenge that involves a lot of gore and vulgarity that is indescribably funny in spite of the plot running thin. Perhaps the screenwriter would not be getting any accolades come Oscar season, but with the brilliant marketing involved in this film’s release, it is already destined to be a cult classic.

To say that Deadpool has revolutionized the superhero genre is highly debatable. The film suffers from a dragging narrative that fails to make sense when you really think about it. The decision to shuttle back and forth between flashbacks and the present time has made a lot of difference because a semblance of balance is achieved between the action and the backstory, giving the audience some sort of a breather. A linear plot would have otherwise highlighted the weakness of the storyline.

But what Deadpool lacks in terms of plot development and characterization, it makes up with the witty dialogues. Although naughty and bound to raise some eyebrows, it does keep you interested and glued to the screen. After all, what kind of superhero would choose to behave this way? Well, Deadpool does and always will. That’s what makes him unique. Throw in a killer soundtrack harking back to the 80’s and 90’s and you are in for a real audiovisual treat.

Deadpool benefits from the shock and awe approach, what with all the uncouth references and no holds barred violence that many will find cringe worthy. But the mere fact that the film has outgrossed every other X-Men movie says a lot about the public’s expectations as far as what 20th Century Fox is doing with their mutants. In a time when Hollywood has reached saturation point when it comes to superheroes gracing the big screen, this movie indeed offers a breath of fresh air, but will it work the next time around?

The downside is that it will definitely be hard to top. A sequel should be in the works given the success the movie has amassed through its theatrical run, but shock value will no longer be enough to hold the moviegoer’s attention if ever they decide to use the same style for the sequel. Why not just watch this one over and over again if they are going to see the same thing in part 2 right? Better character development and plot are necessary, and they have a wealth of options if they just consult the comics.

For the fun factor alone, I’ll give this a 5/5. Hey, I enjoyed it a lot, and I think I’ve already seen it six times now!