Yet Another Comic Movie

There's even a guy who gets killed by a Zamboni

When two major studios announced they were working on a Deadpool feature film, it was hard to imagine how 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios were going to accomplish bringing a lesser-known cult-status character into motion picture territory. How could they possibly create a film with a lead who frequently breaks the fourth wall, who may be aware that he's a fictional person (possibly pan-sexual), and whose wisecracking has the same lowbrow comedic resonance as it does in the comic series? Against all odds, it seems that this herculean task of mainstream cinema was completed marginally well, especially considering the current precedent regarding the glut of the nostalgia-driven licensing nightmares the US studio system is fond of churning out these days.

It's important to touch upon the meta aspects of this character, since in a way, that's the whole basis of his motivations. Self-referential and turgid with pop-culture call-backs, with even subtle jibes from almost all the film's characters at the thin plot, the movie is a snide and sophomoric attempt at the superhero genre. But for some reason, that's its charm. It's as if a couple of young guys who loved comics wrote a movie starring one of their favorite characters, and the studio, somehow being cognizant of the source material and target audience, just let it all happen. The opening credits even lampoon the Hollywood system, declaring that it was directed by "an overpaid tool" and produced by "asshats." Bundle up, because it might just be a cold day in hell.

Well shot, with an excellent soundtrack that turns up the absurdity of the situations the protagonist finds himself in to 11, the film is technically well contructed. An excellent decision was made on the part of filmmakers to mildly animate Deadpool's eyes in the mask to better convey emotion. There's precedent for this regarding the art style in comics for characters with full-face coverings.

A former Special Forces soldier, Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), is a leg-breaker for hire who contracts cancer after falling in love with the classic "hooker with a heart of gold." He is offered a way out: undergo extreme stress combined with chemical cajoling to activate dormant mutant genes in his DNA and, hopefully, evade cancer and death. All is not as it seems, and when the transformation occurs, everything goes south. Ed Skrein turns in a functional performance as Ajax, a British villain. And hey, there's MMA fighter Gina Carano as the evil super-muscle, Angel Dust. End of plot explanation. It's not really all that important, and it seems like everyone knows it. There's even a line in the film that goes something like, "You should talk to that guy. It may deepen the plot."

The ultra-violence wasn't distasteful, since it was so over the top and typically used as a comedic device. It hits home, somehow. This movie is sort of a miracle-mile in filmmaking. It shouldn't work—it shouldn't be entertaining, but it is. It's dumb fun, with an ironic patina of intelligence that quickly wears away after mere moments. Deadpool, much like your socially inappropriate and yet (against your better judgment) still hilarious uncle, isn't for everybody. If you're a guy 18-35, you may like it. If you like meta satire on the Hollywood system, comic book movies, pop culture and ham-handed witticisms, it might just be for you. It's chock full of full-frontal nudity for both genders, F-bombs and dismemberment, with a surface level of snappy dialogue that's reminiscent of Kevin Smith's Jersey Trilogy (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy). If that's your cup of tea, then go for it.

Deadpool
Directed by Tim Miller
With Reynolds, Skrein and Carano
Regal R,
108 min.

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