The hero always has a choice in director Tim Miller’s “Deadpool,” a hilarious, self-aware comedy about a mercenary-turned-mutant who is the farthest thing from a hero. Featuring gratuitous violence and action, Twentieth Century Fox brings the title character to the screen in a way that perfectly captures his foulmouthed, psychotic attitude.
Timothy Hogg
Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a hired gun with a heart of gold and a quick-witted sense of humor. When Wade proposes to his girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), his fantastic day is interrupted by a diagnosis of terminal cancer. On the promise of a cure, Wade volunteers for a risky procedure that will turn him into a superhero. A mysterious organization fixes his cancer, but betrays and disfigures him. Powered by a superhuman healing factor — Wade adopts the alias Deadpool and sets out to rescue his girlfriend while exacting a rampage of revenge.
Following the tone of the Marvel comics it is based on, the film succeeds in presentation, style, and content. In a world where comic book movies are typically watered-down and sugar-coated to appeal to as wide an audience as possible — specifically children — “Deadpool” focuses on the opposite: An edgy, snarky character catering to adult humor. The filmmakers have captured the essence of the character with a smartly-written script and a top-notch performance from Reynolds.
It cannot be said enough: This is not a film for children. Superhero movie or not, the content is, on a whole, inappropriate; a factor that has always been an enormous aspect of Deadpool’s allure. And to accentuate this — and to highlight the insanity of the character — Deadpool himself is well-aware that he exists inside an R-rated film. Reynolds’ portrayal is arguably the greatest part of the movie, and worth watching for the psychotic mannerisms he is able to bring to the character.
What follows is a fast-paced frenzy of tongue-in-cheek, black comedy with an absurdly twisted edge. It’s obvious that the story intended to push the boundaries of good taste; in fact, the filmmakers seem to have approached this cliff, tackled their story, and dragged it to the deepest, most darkly comedic region of the abyss. Deadpool is strictly an antihero; it is painstakingly clear that his methods and actions are the farthest thing that any sane person should strive to achieve or mimic.
Instead, his character is successfully presented thanks to a positive attitude: Deadpool has many terrible faults, and often manifests the worst qualities of humanity, but he does not lose his inherent sense of justice. Sure, he may go to morally questionable lengths to achieve his goals, but the script’s self-aware humor keeps the audience engaged, and fosters acceptance for the ridiculous and typically insane actions they are watching.
Starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Tim Miller, “Deadpool” is a unique superhero film that features a twisted anti-hero involved in a super situation.
Make no mistake, this is not a film for children, and the violence and perverse humor may exceed what some are comfortable with, but for those hoping for a hilarious superhero story for adults, they are sure to not be disappointed.
My grade: 8 out of 10 stars.
(Timothy Hogg is a copy editor for The Derrick./The News-Herald. He has a minor in film and media studies from Slippery Rock University. Readers may contact him by email at timothyhogg.thederrick@gmail.com.)
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