Awesome. Pure, unadulterated awesome. There is really no other way to put this movie into words. Maybe it was the fantastic marketing that built up to the movie’s release, maybe it was Ryan Reynolds in a superhero costume goofing around and ‘fighting crime’ with his flailing katanas, or maybe it was the self-aware, brutally honest and self-mocking humour exhibited throughout the entire film. Whatever it was, it was AWESOME.
Introduced in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds reprises his role as Deadpool, but this time in an origin movie all of his own. Based on the Marvel Character Deadpool, former Special Forces officer Wade Wilson, in an attempt to be cured of cancer, is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers. However, in the process of gaining his new powers, he is also grossly disfigured and so decides to adopt the alter ego ‘Deadpool’ to hunt down and assassinate the people responsible.
Deadpool is the epitome of ‘bro’ movies, offering refreshingly honest humour and absolutely comical everything despite the semi-serious undertones of heroic duty and responsibility. These very undertones makes the comedy of it so effective, as well as Deadpool’s self-aware nature as he openly references the studio’s low budget for the film, and even Ryan Reynolds’ ‘inability to perform in the box office’. Considering the film had one of the lowest budgets ever provided for a Marvel superhero comic book adaptation, its immense success is definitely something to call home about.
The jokes in this uncharacteristically foul-mouthed movie begin in the title credits, where instead of actors’ names they write generic terms such as ‘British Villain’ and ‘Hot Chick’, and don’t end until well after the end credits. Deadpool goes against all superhero stereotypes and provides us with the ‘anti-hero’ we’ve all been waiting for. Deadpool himself is relatable, hilarious, entertaining, and most of all provides us with more inside jokes and pop culture references than any other Marvel character ever has – what’s not to love?
It must also be noted that one of the major strengths of the film is its narrow focus on a small group of lesser-known characters that cross over from the X-Men franchise, allowing for more complex character development. This is unusual for a superhero movie, as they usually have a multitude of character plot points to fit into a limited amount of time.
Overall, I can definitely say this is a film worth watching. If you love superheroes, immature humour, satire and fun, this is a movie for you.
Written by Arianna Rossi
