REVIEW: Deadpool Is Simply What Fans Have Been Dying For

The Deadpool movie just plain rocks.

The trailers had me cautiously optimistic. Sure, you can make two minutes at a time seem pretty spot-on with the comic books that it comes from, but could they actually do it for two hours? Luckily, the answer is yes: the trailers in this case are actually very good representations of the film you’ll see on the big screen. That means there’s lots of action, lots of comedy, and some brutal, brutal violence. There’s also a decent bit of nudity and sex (Ryan Reynolds spends a good portion of two entire scenes naked), and one big surprise: heart.

Yes, the lamest of the Planeteers powers is very present in this film, and it gives the movie a much-needed center. When everything goes to hell, when there’s over-the-top insanity, or when there’s a little dip in the plot that may come too easy, the heart behind everything kicks in and brings you back to Earth. In recent years, writers like Rick Remender and Gerry Duggan have given Deadpool comic books that little something extra, a character you can laugh at and be wowed by, but that you also care about. The movie does that, too, and it doesn’t come off as ham-fisted or forced at all.

There are some slight alterations to Deadpool’s origin here, but it serves the film well. It gives him a streamlined story that will be easier to digest for the general movie-going crowd. The essentials, after all are there: mercenary, cancer, experiment, superpowers. Anything else is just window-dressing.

The humor, while aptly shown in the trailers, was still somehow surprising. I was expecting this movie to be funny, but I wasn’t really expecting to laugh that much, that hard, and that often. The movie is hilarious – it’s one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in the last couple of years, and that helps you digest the violence, too. It’s hard to think about the crazy decapitation or body splatter when Deadpool immediately takes your mind off it with a quip that makes you guffaw. This is a movie that will have to be seen multiple times, just to catch all the jokes – some of them are so rapid-fire, you just can’t hear them because of the laughter. The fourth-wall stuff works very well, and is often just a little side comment or a blink and you’ll miss it gag, and never feels played out through the whole movie.

The violence is definitely crazy, definitely over-the-top, and definitely gory. But it’s also well-choreographed, and some of these action sequences are so quick and stunning, you can’t blink for minutes at a time, for fear of missing the next unbelievable stunt. It’s a blast to watch, and impressive – it ramps up nicely, as well, from a familiar opening sequence to the explosive finale.

Ryan Reynolds lives up to all his potential in this film. The promising action star has, by his own admission, had “varying degrees of success” in his comic book movie history thus far. Luckily, this movie will wash any negative memories away, in a pool of blood. He’s funny, he’s bad-ass, and overall fantastic. TJ Miller is hilarious, too, while also offering some of that aforementioned heart into the equation. Morena Baccarin keeps up with Reynolds well in the quip department, and while her character doesn’t get to do a ton in the third act, you leave wanting more of her. As villains, Gina Carano and Ed Skein do a fine job, if a bit “mustache-twirly.” Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead were great surprises, as they’re a blast whenever they’re on screen, and bounce off Deadpool well.

This is a fun movie, and it just feels oh so Deadpool. Rarely have I seen a comic book movie not just capture a character so well, but add to it, as well. Deadpool is simply what fans have been dying for, and it’s clear in every moment that it was made by hardcore fans, too.

Grade: A