Deadpool Review

Deadpool is a 2016 superhero comedy film directed by Tim Miller and starring Ryan Reynolds. It is one of the funniest movies in recent memory.

The story is engaging and I liked how it’s told. It is told not in a chronological order, but still manages to be mostly well edited which is great. It starts off with a bang and ends on such a sweet note, but some of the middle parts disappointed me to be honest. The movie subverts clichés in its first act in a really fun and inventive way. However, the film itself eventually becomes that which it has been previously making fun of – a superhero cliché and a basic origin story. Yes, that origin story is just so familiar and so tired by now that I was annoyed by it. And the whole ’’protagonist must save his girlfriend’’ trope is so boring by now.

But the characters are fantastic with a couple of exceptions. Deadpool himself is absolutely fantastic and is the reason to see the movie. He is always funny and a lot of fun due to his high energy. But he is realistic as well. I didn’t like his origin, but everything else is great from his personality to his jokes to his fighting skills. Vanessa is excellent as the love interest and the two are one of the best superhero couples ever as they are so good together. But she is not only great as his equal in terms of jokes, but also because she isn’t a typical damsel in distress and proves herself in the last fight.

As for the supporting characters, they are a mixed bag. Some are great, but others are underused and boring. Blind Al belongs in the latter category because she is so underutilized and frankly dull here which is a shame as she had a lot of potential. Francis is also mediocre as villains usually are, but at least he posed some serious threat to the main character. Angel Dust is also forgettable. But Negasonic Teenage Warhead is pretty good and Colossus is quite funny at times. But of course Weasel is the highlight with his brilliant jokes and he thankfully steps into the necessary comedic role when Wilson himself becomes a bit boring in the second half.  The two are so great together and he is such a great sidekick.

Deadpool has a great cast with most of the actors delivering a superb performance. Gina Carano is the weak link, but Brianna Hildebrand is pretty good and Morena Bacarrin is great and so likable in the role plus she and Reynolds share such a great chemistry together. Ed Skrein is okay, but T.J. Miller is phenomenal and steals the show whenever he is in with a great delivery of jokes. But this is of course Ryan Reynolds’ show and he gives possibly the performance of his career. He was born to play this role as he fits it wonderfully. He is funny, likable and always charismatic and he shines in this great role. His turn as Deadpool is the best comic-book performance along with Robert Downey’s role in ‘Iron Man’.

The humor in Deadpool is absolutely magnificent to the point of being one of the funniest films in recent years. It succeeds as a comedy way more than as a superhero flick which is troublesome, but at least that means we get some brilliant jokes here. I liked most of the jokes as most aren’t forced and most are really clever. The jokes about superhero movies and especially those targeted at Fox’s properties are just so observant and hysterical. The sex jokes are also funny and the character interactions are so natural and so terrific that they bring a lot of the humor to the table. I laughed out loud many times during this movie as the references are so clever and so relevant due to the superhero craze these days and, most importantly, they were often genuinely hilarious.

Deadpool, on the other hand, doesn’t succeed as a superhero film because the origin story is clichéd and the action is not that great. Some of it is really fantastic, but some of it is also highly typical for a movie that tries to be subversive. Also, I disliked the use of violence here. It was for the most part handled properly and the sexual parts did not bother me, but the hand-cutting was disgusting and the entire torture sequence was a bit too much for me, but at least it was well realized as it presented us some real danger and threats.

It is very well filmed and the action, although some of it hastily shot, is still for the most part well executed. The acting is great and the film is mostly well paced and well directed. The effects are great for a small budget the movie had and the film is incredibly entertaining to watch while also being funny and even charming as well. I like that it has a romance in it, but the one that is so modern and so realistic while still being sweet and heartwarming. That was unexpected and wonderful. It isn’t one of the best superhero films I’ve seen due to its many problems, but it is still one of the better ones and it’s one of the best superhero comedies for sure.

Deadpool does not succeed particularly well as a superhero movie due to some typical action, some boring characters and a very clichéd origin story which is troublesome as the movie tries to make fun of clichés, but becomes one eventually. But Deadpool succeeds as a comedy because it is so hilarious and amusing with excellent jokes and references that do hit, Ryan Reynold’s performance is magnificent, the characters are mostly really good and the film is very entertaining and even charming with its heartwarming and unexpected romance. It has its flaws, but it is one of the better superhero movies and one of the funniest films in recent memory.

My Rating – 4