WRITTEN BY SCOTT BROWN | STAFF WRITER
“Deadpool” might by the best film out there for movie-goers looking for no-holds-barred action.
The film, directed by Tim Miller, is the newest superhero movie set in the X- Men film universe. It is the origin story of the character Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), also known as the “merc with the mouth,” and it follows the development of mercenary Wade Wilson as he falls in love with Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin) before transforming into the famous red-suited antihero.
When his life is finally beginning to bring him happiness, however, he develops terminal cancer. In an attempt to cure himself, he puts himself through a series of experiments that are performed by Ajax (Ed Skrein). These eventually get rid of his cancer and give him the power to heal himself of any wounds. Unfortunately, Wilson does not believe the healing goes far enough due to the scars it leaves behind. This sets him on a path of revenge against Ajax that characterizes the film.
This has to be said before anything else is mentioned: “Deadpool” is amazing. There is so much fun throughout the entire runtime of the film. From the opening credits, which are absolutely in- credible, to post-credits scenes, there is a nonstop feeling of enjoyment. The movie is also funny and violent, which is who the character of Deadpool is and what the movie needs to be. The best part of “Deadpool” is the writing, which is superb. Most every- thing is hilarious, but when the tone of the scene is serious, the writing still fits perfectly. The dialogue also gives viewers a deeper glimpse into the characters and their motivations, making them more relatable and realistic. A prime example of this is the scene depicting Wilson’s cancer experiments, which contains dialogue that provides a deeper look into his anguish and fear. Also, the development of Wilson’s romantic relationship was entirely believable in its uniqueness and intensity.
The directing is also amazing. It makes the characters interesting and avoids making them into clichés. It also gives them a realism and depth of character, regardless of whether they are good people or not. Miller’s directing also makes Deadpool’s meta-jokes, which are some of the most hilarious parts of the movie, make sense. His use of ultra-violence to characterize Dead- pool was perfect for the tone of the film as well and, yet again, makes sense for the character of Deadpool. Ultimately, this movie makes full use of the R-rating, which is great because this movie would not work with a PG-13 rating.
Regarding the actors’ performances, I maintain that Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool. There is no one else who I would ever want to play him, which is a feeling similar to my thoughts about Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Reynolds injects the right amount of personality for Deadpool, and he is hilarious, but he also plays the serious scenes incredibly, which makes the character of Deadpool so much more three-dimensional.
Morena Baccarin, who portrays Vanessa, is also perfect as her character. While she is primarily a damsel in dis- tress, she never fits the typical damsel stereotype. Instead, she challenges this cliché by becoming a strong character whose strong and more than willing to get her hands dirty. Finally, regarding the character of Ajax, Ed Skrein also gives an excellent performance, albeit one I have a small problem with.
Ed Skrein’s villain is not the most developed character who has ever been put onto a cinema screen, but that works for what the film was going for. My one other nitpick is that the story is a very simple love/revenge story, but since the writing, directing, and performances are amazing, I pretty much forgot about how simple the plot was while I watched the movie. Overall, “Deadpool” is a near perfect comic book film that is probably the most accurate of its type when compared to its source material. It is an ultra-violent, extremely hilarious film that is fantastic in pretty much every way. If you are looking to see a movie that is original, heartfelt, violent, and riotous, this is the perfect movie for you.
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