Fans of the comics have been waiting years for a Deadpool film. They got one back in 2009 in the form of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Since then, they’ve waited seven years for a Deadpool film that actually does the character justice. It’s finally here, and I’m certain justice has been served. While most of the crudity-driven humour is wasted on me, Deadpool has enough to say about the current saturation of superhero films to make for some gleeful, near-subversive entertainment.
Set in the X-Men universe, Deadpool tells the story of Wade Wilson, a mercenary who undergoes a procedure that makes him super-powered while also disfiguring him. Donning a mask and costume to hide his scars, Wilson creates his Deadpool persona and a story of love and revenge unfolds.
For a directorial debut, Tim Miller does an outstanding job. Some creative shots enhance the film’s humour, and all the action is shown with thrilling clarity. However, the action itself is nothing special and overly reliant on cartoonish CGI (hope you like guys being thrown into things, a lot). The decision to mix up the origin story structure is also a welcome one, after the tedious bombshell that was Fantastic Four being a film that built to nothing.
Deadpool may be best-known for being the “merc with the mouth”, but there is more to this character. He’s neurotic, constantly anxious about his image and how it affects his relationship. I was surprised that this was actually the driving force behind the plot. Behind the mask, violence, and madness, there is a human story, albeit a familiar one.
Obviously I have to talk about Ryan Reynolds. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone have so much fun with a role. It’s clear that he’s making an effort to respect a character he loves, and enjoying every moment of doing so. He’s mouthy, crude, hilarious at times, but when there’s need for it, he sells us on the few more heartfelt moments.
Morena Baccarin of Homeland fame is fine as Wilson’s love interest, as was Ed Skrein (who you may remember as the first Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones) as the villain. Despite his limited characterisation, he serves the film’s purpose well enough and is no worse than Marvel’s other villains. But, this is a Deadpool film after all and Reynolds quite rightly steals the show.
It’s unfortunate that most of the humour is reliant on silliness or vulgarity. Funny once or twice, but there’s only so much I can take before it all becomes watered down and predictable. I’d have appreciated more wit – for a fan-favourite character of his reputation I was left thinking: “Is that it?” Make no mistake though, there are plenty of smart moments and I laughed a lot, but that was mostly at the film’s meta nature.
Those familiar with the character will know that Deadpool speaks directly to the audience – he is aware that the events are taking place in a film. Frequently he will make comments about real-life events and trends. This is used to great effect when the film’s near-satirical essence becomes apparent.
Deadpool’s friend Weasel, like many barman characters, is nothing more than a vehicle for exposition and narrative progression. This is played on by having Weasel be void of any personality and always talking with a robotic tone. Similar tropes of films – especially superhero films – are exaggerated to mock formulaic storytelling, studio involvement, and the bloated superhero trend. As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of Marvel or the current style of superhero stories, I enjoy anything that pokes fun at it. However this is when I come to one of my biggest annoyances with Deadpool.
For a film full of dick jokes, it’s surprisingly lacking in balls. I wanted Deadpool to do more than just poke fun. There’s something sickening about a studio commenting on their films: “Yes they suck and we know it, but we’re going to make them anyway.” Perhaps I’d feel differently if Deadpool was made by someone other than Marvel Studios. And yes, yes, I know this is by 20th Century Fox but you see where I’m coming from. Deadpool even mocks how franchisable his character is, yet will more than likely become a franchise. It doesn’t form a subversive comment if you subscribe to the very ideas you attempt to ridicule.
Disappointment aside I think this is a very successful first (true) outing for the character. If crude humour doesn’t bother you, you’ll have a blast with Deadpool, but in spite of that, the decent action and rapid pacing will keep you entertained all the way through. I’d have liked more of the sharper humour and a ballsier comment on the genre, but it was always going to be hard to please everybody.
(GRADES: Both are out of 10. The left is an objective score based on its artistic merit, the right is how much I personally enjoyed it.)
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