Deadpool’s journey from pulp to cinema took many twists and turns. People were worried that a big movie studio wouldn’t let Marvel’s “Merc With a Mouth” be true to the comics. Some were worried that the Deadpool movie couldn’t possibly live up to the outstanding marketing campaign that preceded it. I’m incredibly happy to tell you that the movie is all that and then some. The movie is true to one of Marvel’s most unique characters and Fox’s best comic-book movie to date.
Now let’s break it down using the hallowed RPadTV binary system. Naturally, turn on your spoiler shields!
Ryan Reynolds Redeemed (Good): It’s no secret that I hated the Green Lantern movie — like physically, palpably hated that piece of sh*t. I was a Ryan Reynolds fan going into Green Lantern and wanted to kick the crap out of him after watching that craptastic failure of a film. He ruined one of my favorite characters in comics and I was deathly afraid that he was going to do it again, but…
Deadpool was so enjoyable that after the movie was over, I thought to myself, “You’re forgiven, Ryan Reynolds. It’s all good.” It took a remarkable effort (maximum effort!) and a great performance to redeem him, but Reynolds did it (to my delightful amazement).
Best. Opening. Credits. Ever. (Good): I can’t even spoil this one for you. It was too good. It even had little Easter eggs, like Rob L’s cup of coffee.
Perfect Tone (Good): As expected, there were some changes from the source material, but the tone of the movie and the character were spot on. The combination of Reynolds’ performance, sharp writing, crude language, and ridiculous action made the movie feel like the real Deadpool. Of course it wasn’t as literal as The Watchmen, but Deadpool is still among the most faithful movie adaptations of a comic book.
Daario Nawhatshisface (Bad): One of the movie’s few weaknesses was Ajax. The movie version of the villain was totally “generic British baddie.” Actor Ed Skrein had a few fun moments, but his performance was otherwise flat. Also, I couldn’t stop seeing him as Daario Naharis v1 from Game of Thrones. I’m pretty sure all Game of Thrones fans that see Deadpool will recognize him. Those summer teeth are unforgettable.
Angel Dust (Bad): While Gina Carano made for a menacing villainess, I was bummed that this role was a budgetary amalgam. Originally, the cast of baddies was larger. For monetary reasons, the characters of Garrison Kane, Sluggo, and Wyre were mashed into Angel Dust. I’m particularly fond of the Kane character, so it was a bummer that he didn’t make the cut. While Carano had some nice fight scenes, her acting is…pretty much what you’d expect from an ex-MMA fighter.
Fourth Wall Follies (Good): One of the most entertaining aspects of Deadpool (the comics character) is his penchant for breaking down the fourth wall. Deadpool (the movie character) does this too and he does it well. It would have been easy to lean too heavily on this device, but I think the writers kept it on the right side of the line between entertaining and overzealous. The fourth-wall humor and constant pop-culture references are two of the reasons the Deadpool character is unique and they had to be part of the movie. Witty words delivered sharply by Reynolds made it work.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Good): Okay, the movie version of the character is nothing like the comics version, but it totally worked. Brianna Hildebrand had a small role in the film, but she maximized her screen time. She was great as an angsty teen mutant with energy-based powers. Plus, it’s just fun to say and type Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Negasonic Teenage Warhead — see?!?
Surprisingly Heartfelt (Good): One aspect of the movie that I wasn’t expecting was effective romance. Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin had great onscreen chemistry, making the romance between Deadpool and Vanessa believable. The movie had a shocking amount of romantic charm, making it one of the few comic-book movies that works for a Valentine’s Day date (provided you’re dating or married to a cool chick).
Ultra Violence (Good): Like the comics, the Deadpool movie has a zany type of violence. Fierce gunplay, acrobatic swordsmanship, and physical comedy were blended together marvelously. There was a nice contrast between Deadpool’s dynamic fight scenes and Colossus’ power moves. The brief “fight” between Deadpool and Colossus was frickin’ hilarious.
Music Sweet Music (Good): You have to give it up for a movie that effectively uses Juice Newton, Salt-N-Pepa, Neil Sedaka, Chicago, and Wham! in the same soundtrack.
Bring On the Director’s Cut (Good): I’m looking forward to watching a longer edit of the movie. As it is, the pace of the theatrical release is just about perfect for a mainstream audience. As a lifelong comics nerd, I want more — especially more scenes with Weasel and Blind Al. I love both of those characters and the talent playing them in movie is fantastic.
Bottom Line: Deadpool exceeded my expectations. I was expecting a movie packed with raucous action and lewd humor. While the movie did have those elements, it also had deeper characterization than I was expecting, as well as smarter writing. Deadpool has been one of my favorite Marvel characters for decades and I’m thrilled that Fox did him justice on the big screen. Again, I’m comfortable saying that this is Fox’s best comic-book movie to date. More importantly, I’m happy to say that Deadpool makes up for the travesty that was Green Lantern. Thank you, Ryan Reynolds, for championing this movie and delivering a fantastic performance.
I agree. Reynolds is forgiven for his GL debacle but I did enjoy the references to that bomb of a movie. I never agreed with him being cast as Hal.
Now the movie was very good and was the first x-men universe movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. I had warm feels throughout cuz it remained, for the most part, true to the character and didnt seem to hold back on anything even when poking fun at the previous deadpool iteration. I’m already planning to see this movie again. I cant wait to see what comes first. Deadpool 2 : When Pool meets Cable? Or X-Force? Im really hoping for X-Force more than just Cable
I bet Iceman wants X-Force to be first. I heard he’s partial to Shatterstar.
Of course I want X-Force to be first. Who wouldn’t want to see Wolfsbane and X-23 in a cat (canine?) fight?
… Oh, and Shatterstar is asexual, smartass.
Shatterstar is omnisexual
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I was expecting something more “Expendables-like,” but instead I get a love story. Although I’m not a fan of the chick-flicks, this movie is now my official favorite romantic comedy of all time.
I honestly didn’t think that they would even try to make Wade relatable. After all, the only point of reference to this movie character was from X-Men Origins; Wolverine, so the bar was set really low to begin with. My two favorite easter eggs was the Deadpool action figure, all the Wolverine references and the Green Lantern trading card. I’m pretty sure I missed a ton of others, but I guess that would be something to look forward to in future viewings.
I am not familiar with Deadpools’ rouges gallery or Game of Thrones, so I did not experience any disappointment with Angel Dust and I also did not recognize Ed Skrein from anywhere. Sure, the villain could have been better, but for an “origin” movie, it was good enough. Origin movies should focus more on the main character development more than anything and this movie did that.
I really do hope that this movie sets a precedent of studios not having to shy away from R-rated superhero movies, but knowing Hollywood, I’ll lower my expectations.
Is a rouges gallery your assortment of makeup???
Easter egg… when he was first going in for his “treatment” he said “Please don’t make the superhero suit green… OR ANIMATED”.
Raymond, you took the words right out of my mouth. I totally agree with all of your statements. Reynolds actually did a lot for this movie. It would not be Deadpool if it wasn’t for him standing up to Fox. I have a feeling he was born for this film. Great to see it was so successful as well, shows you that Fox is just a bunch of nut-jobs. They shouldn’t be doing movies. The hate I have for that company is unbelievable.
Ha! I don’t mind Fox as much as you do, but agree that it should be…better. I’m also glad that Deadpool became a passion project for Reynolds. He really championed the cause. I thought that the movie would do well, but I’m shocked by its success. I wasn’t expecting those kinds of numbers.
The unfortunate side effect is that idiot movie execs now think adult-oriented superhero movies are the way to go. The announcement of a rated-R Batman v Superman cut made me wince.
I don’t have AS much background with the character as some of you, but I know a bit. That said, this was exactly what I expected a Deadpool movie to be if not more.
I went with my teenage son at 2:50 on a Wed and we had the theater completely to ourselves so we could laugh loudly and talk the whole time. I feel that there were little things I missed because we were still laughing or hype about something else that had happened earlier.
All that aside, Ray’s points are on point. I’d like to emphasize the opening credits being gold, forgiving Reynolds, and best Fox comic book film to date points.
The only counterpoint I’d like to make is with that of the bland, generic villain. Now, I’m not gonna argue it was a strong performance or dude was great. No, I’m saying he was indeed bland and generic. BUT, in this chapter of the Deadpool story, I’m saying it allows people unfamiliar to learn more about the main character than have a whole other villain story arch to distract them. So, I think the bland, generic, british baddie was ideal for this situation and made it a good thing. Not focussing on a villain arch allowed them to interject more of the stuff that made this film different that we enjoyed in the time allotted. So, I call that binary point (Good).
That’s about all.
This was definitely the best fox Marvel movie that I’ve seen. It was funny, had morena baccarin, had great violence, a twisted sense of humor, had morena baccarin, great writing, fun callbacks and easter eggs, and it also had morena baccarin with some good screen time. I specifically loved the self deprecating jokes about ryan reynolds. The opening credits were funny as well and sort of set the tone for how they would be breaking the fourth wall and poking fun of themselves. I also loved the jokes about the mutants, and the “mcavoy or stewart” comment. Now if only Fox can pick up their other movies to this level of quality…
It sounds like you’re into Morena Baccarin. :p Enjoy!
Cockshot!
Directors cut needs angel dust titty
Cockshot!
Directors cut needs angel dust titty