Deadpool – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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If you’re tired of superhero movies being PG-13, meaning there is less violence and sex, and you want your hero to be an anti-hero, who is as vulgar as Seth Rogen and co., but a little less funny, this movie is for you.

Trigger Warning(s): Decapitation, Guns, Torture, Dead Bodies, Vomiting, Graphic Violence (Seeing Limbs Torn Off and Bullet Holes Through Human Body)

Characters & Story (with Commentary)

Oh Wade (Ryan Reynolds), it is hard to say whether it is karma or just plain bad luck. First, you have a military job which you get dishonorably discharged from, then you end up a sort of mercenary who does small time work, like making sure people’s stalkers leave them alone. However, after some time just doing small little odd jobs, you meet Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and your world is turned upside down. She is everything you could hope for! She is messed up, a bit kinky, likes you when you are a douche or want to be romantic, and pretty much is wifey material.

Then comes cancer.

With that comes desperation, fear, and yet acceptance. Nothing has ever gone good, but this guy says he may have a cure, and this man named Ajax (Ed Skrein) pumps you with these drugs and with this woman named Angel (Gina Carano), you get tortured as they try to force you to mutate into an X-Men style mutant. Something which works, but leaves you looking horrid and too self-conscious to see your girl ever again. Yet, there is this feign hope the man who caused this, your torturer Ajax, maybe able to help you. Well, that is if you can find him, keep Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) from stopping you, and beat him to a pulp just enough so that he isn’t dead, nor loses his ability to help.

Highlights

A New Kind of Hero: Outside of Blade, there haven’t been a whole lot of superhero movies which have been R. In fact, one could argue since the comic book movie explosion that most studios, especially Marvel, have tried to avoid the R rating at all cost. Well, Deadpool says F*** that and decides to do almost everything most superhero movies don’t. Whether it is a curse just about every other sentence, talking about sex and even being pegged and of course, there is the violence. For, as Deadpool will tell you, he has no interest in being a hero. Pretty much, no matter how you slice it, Deadpool is about revenge and his perception of vengeance. If you just so happen to be a good person and benefit from his work, good for you, but arguably he isn’t one to cry too much over the death of strangers.

A Sweet Love Story: Though certainly not your run of the mill love story, since Vanessa seemingly is introduced as a hooker who mostly is passed around by mercenaries, for a while you forget this past of hers and come to appreciate how much she compliments Wade. Be it because they both seem to have messed up childhoods or because they can recognize the pain and pursuit of just surviving, that it leads them to feel comfortable enough to feel vulnerable with the other person. Either way, as she naturally becomes bait, you are left wondering sometimes if she may survive all this, or end up like Gwen Stacy does in The Amazing Spiderman 2.

Oh, There Is Violence: Cutting off his own hand to escape Colossus, bodies being flung at such a force they hit a traffic billboard like a fly smacked by a swatter, or being shown a hole going through Deadpool. Yeah, get ready for some graphic scenes. Which also include Deadpool breaking his wrist, leg, seeing his hand regenerate, and watching him get tortured by electrocution, suffocation, and more. I mean, pretty much where most superhero movies hold back when it comes to the pain the star goes through to become a hero, or take down the villain, Deadpool decides, you are an adult, you should be able to handle it.

Low Points

The Last Big Fight Scene Makes No Sense: As with any superhero movie I’ve seen, probably all of my knowledge about the characters come from, at one time or another, just randomly checking out the character’s Wikipedia page. So excuse me if this critique sounds strictly like a noob not knowing what they are talking about.

Disclaimer aside, I have no idea how Angel and Colossus’ fight happened like it did. From what we were told, Angel has superhuman-like strength, but nothing is said about her bones, and her general being, being indestructible like Colossus. Making it so him flinging her around, and punching her, you’d think would have done something. Especially considering that Deadpool broke bones trying to hit him. But, even if you want to argue that super strength increases her endurance and invulnerability, so comes the question of how can a man not be affected by bullets, yet can be choked? That made 0 sense to me.

Then comes the Ajax and Deadpool fight, if not their fights in general. Now, Ajax doesn’t have super strength and, unless I missed something, only has no feelings, in terms of emotional and physical. So, I’m so unsure of how when he gets stabbed in the leg, or through the back, he still is able to move around like he has some sort of healing powers.

Rather Tame and Boring Villains: In the opening credits the film seems to lampoon itself by noting Ajax will just be some British guy, but it doesn’t become clear until we get to know him that he really is just going to be some British villain. One who we don’t learn the backstory of or even learn what is the real motive. All we know is that he is part of a bigger entity and that he is in charge of making mutant slaves, of which he seemingly may be one but has a longer leash. Now, as for who, or what, this entity is? Well, no answers. Also, in terms of how, or perhaps why, he was chosen? Again, nothing. Effectively just making him the guy Deadpool hates because he is the most convenient person to find.

Oh, and the movies attempt to make Ajax seem like a big shot by making Deadpool go through like a few dozen people seemed sort of lame. Especially in comparison of just explaining his role in this mysterious organization and showing him as a bad ass. That is, as opposed to someone who generally tortures people unable to defend themselves, tries to run and gun, and use people’s girlfriends as bait like a punk.

On The Fence

It Can Be Funny Sometimes: I counted around 30 general laughs, so I won’t say this film isn’t funny. I think the bigger problem is, what is your humor like? Do you like random moments? Do you prefer vulgar jokes, or maybe ones which are a little dirty or with some innuendo? Do you like quips, wit, and things of that nature? Well, there is a little bit of everything, but nothing is developed to the point where it is guaranteed that the theater will roar at every attempt.

Final Thought(s): Worth Seeing

I’m labeling this “Worth Seeing” with an asterisks in mind. If only because, it does enough to be different, in terms of having a violent would-be hero, yet it doesn’t have the best storyline. I mean, in terms of origin stories, it is good, and Reynolds, like many have said, is to Deadpool as Robert Downey Jr. is to Iron Man. However, in his first outing, his villain sucked. Almost to the point that he seemed like just a named henchman who most heroes would have ran through in order to get to the true baddie.

On top of that, I think some of the hype when it comes to Deadpool breaking the 4^th wall, or being comical, was a bit overdone. Granted, he is funny, but you could easily build a tolerance to his jokes by the time the film is done and perhaps find him annoying.

Yet, with all that said, I’d say it is worth the ticket. Reason being, it is generally entertaining and even with it perhaps not having the best story, the action is a sight to see. Especially in terms of the violence and Deadpool’s injuries. Which, for me, is what pushed this toward being Worth Seeing. For while there are much more violent movies out there, as The World of Kanako proves, they don’t have the same attempt at comedy and crafting a likable character who you will see survive that film.