Deadpool Surprises Many

A Deadpool reprisal has been both highly anticipated and dreaded after his last appearance going so terribly awry. After years of production limbo, a torturous wait, and a truly spectacular marketing run, whether you are a die-hard Deadpool fan or a casual comic book puruser, you will not be disappointed. Deadpool is the most refreshing comic book movie to date. It is the truest representation of a comic book character, recreating classic Deadpool with every raunchy joke, hilarious one liner, and self-aware fourth wall breaks.

The casting of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool is right up there with the casting of Wolverine and Tony Stark whose actors, Hugh Jackman and Robert Downey Jr, have practically become synonymous with the characters themselves. He is not only doing better than one could have hoped at portraying the character, embodying Deadpool’s essence, but bringing something to the screen that only Reynolds can: a butt load of jokes at his own expense. As expected, Deadpool references both his past in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Reynolds’, calling out Fox Studios for his horrendous appearance in X-men Wolverine: Origins, and Reynolds’ previous roles in comic book movies (cough cough, Green Lantern).

Deadpool also offers much more than just a stellar Deadpool characterization. The movie brings to life fan favorite characters like Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), Weasel (TJ Miller), and a more accurate reintroduction to Colossus (Stefan Kapicic). Following this trend, the other actors cast perfectly fit the bill. Morena Baccarin walks the fine line of making Vanessa equally hilarious and a caring love interest to the zany Deadpool. Ed Skrein, the supervillain of the hour as Ajax, fills out his mad scientist shoes with flair—a fitting redemption after the ill-received transporter reboot.

Beyond the raw acting performance, first time director Tim Miller, a huge fan of Deadpool himself, does a fantastic job of livening up the typical superhero film with camera shots that fall right up Deadpool’s alley. The script itself, the work of Rhett Reese, is absolutely wonderful, fully fleshing out Deadpool’s distinctive humor and the sweet constructions of the Deadpool verse that make the character so enigmatically likeable and yet a foul mouthed, unfiltered anti-hero  at the same time.

Without delving into spoilers, there is one minor complaint about the film. The plot is entirely cookie cut-out. If you have seen the trailers, you know exactly what the big plot points are: Deadpool is on a vengeful vendetta to get his girlfriend back. That being said, the simplicity of the plot did not detract from the overall spectacle—the other elements certainly made up for it. The movie establishes Deadpool’s origins in a creatively innovative way that keeps the film progressing and delivers a massively entertaining story about offbeat heroes and untraditional characters. Deadpool is hilarious, action packed, and even has a love story threaded through. You know from the very get go at the initial credits sequence what kind of movie you’re in for and not for a single second are you let down.