Right from the get-go, Deadpool lets you know that it's not going to be like any other superhero movie that you have ever watched. The opening credits themselves break the fourth wall by not even naming any of the people who are in the film and just given descriptions by Deadpool. I fit into the target audience of this movie perfectly, so I'm going to try and give it as fair a review as possible, but that might be a little difficult.
Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a mercenary with a reckless abandon for life that soon settles down once he begins a relationship with prostitute Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Soon he discovers that he has incurable lung cancer and is preparing to die until he is offered the chance at a new life if he participates in a super soldier program led by mutant Ajax (Ed Skrein). After being tortured at the hands of Ajax, Wade is mutated into an ugly man who has the ability to heal himself constantly. Driven by revenge he embarks on a mission to find Ajax and be returned to his old handsome self.
Normally a film told entirely in flashback would be hack and boring to watch, but in the case of Deadpool it suits the character perfectly because he is given the opportunity to comment on events to the audience as they happen. This fourth wall breaking sometimes extends beyond the limits of the film with references to Reynolds former appearance as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, his co-star Hugh Jackman in that movie or his much maligned performance as the Green Lantern. These jokes all cement Reynolds perfect casting as the character, primarily because he has the charm and wit needed to carry it off.
Although Reynolds is the main attraction in the movie, the supporting cast are also fantastic. Morena Baccarin carries the emotional core of the movie and there are some surprisingly sad moments that she pulls off that seem out of place in a regular superhero movie. TJ Miller's comedy also makes him the perfect fit for his role as Weasel, Deadpool's sort of sidekick. The movie makes no qualms about having Ed Skrein as the generic interchangeable British villain and to me he faded into the background, solely because of his similarity to Nicolas Hoult, who plays Beast in 20th Century Fox's other superhero franchise X-Men. The rest of the supporting cast do just that, with no comedic standouts apart from classic actress Leslie Uggams who is just delightfully charming.
Because it isn't aiming to be a generic superhero movie, Deadpool elevates itself to become a truly original and enjoyable film that bounces around genres as much as its manic protagonist's personality.
Normally a film told entirely in flashback would be hack and boring to watch, but in the case of Deadpool it suits the character perfectly because he is given the opportunity to comment on events to the audience as they happen. This fourth wall breaking sometimes extends beyond the limits of the film with references to Reynolds former appearance as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, his co-star Hugh Jackman in that movie or his much maligned performance as the Green Lantern. These jokes all cement Reynolds perfect casting as the character, primarily because he has the charm and wit needed to carry it off.
Although Reynolds is the main attraction in the movie, the supporting cast are also fantastic. Morena Baccarin carries the emotional core of the movie and there are some surprisingly sad moments that she pulls off that seem out of place in a regular superhero movie. TJ Miller's comedy also makes him the perfect fit for his role as Weasel, Deadpool's sort of sidekick. The movie makes no qualms about having Ed Skrein as the generic interchangeable British villain and to me he faded into the background, solely because of his similarity to Nicolas Hoult, who plays Beast in 20th Century Fox's other superhero franchise X-Men. The rest of the supporting cast do just that, with no comedic standouts apart from classic actress Leslie Uggams who is just delightfully charming.
Because it isn't aiming to be a generic superhero movie, Deadpool elevates itself to become a truly original and enjoyable film that bounces around genres as much as its manic protagonist's personality.
