Deadpool

There is a trend beginning to emerge where over Valentines Day Weekend there will be a hyper-violent, wickedly funny action comedy released, as if to throw all of America an antidote to all the schmaltz and over-sentimentality that is released on the general public like a saccharine carpet bombing. Last year it was the immensely enjoyable Kingsman: The Secret Service. This year they did us one better and gave us the extremely funny Deadpool. To say I loved this movie would be an understatement. I haven't laughed that hard and that often in a theater in quite awhile. 

Wade Wilson (played by Ryan Reynolds) is a mercenary for hire. He's quite good at his job and enjoys it, employing a cool wit as he tracks down his targets. Things change for him when he meets Vanessa (played by Morena Baccarin), who is a perfect match for Wade. They have a year-long courtship (glimpsed in a very funny montage set to Neil Sedaka's "Calendar Girl") which culminates in Wade proposing marriage (with a Ring Pop no less) just as Vanessa was about to propose they try anal intercourse. Yeah, this is a different kind of Superhero movie.  Shortly after that though, they discover that Wade has advanced and aggressive cancer that has spread to his brain, liver, lungs and prostate ("All things I can live without", he deadpans). Seeing no other option, he agrees to undergo an experimental procedure that promises to not only cure his cancer but also give him abilities he only dreamed of, performed by a shadowy group run by a guy named Ajax (played by Ed Skrein). The procedure doesn't go quite as planned as it leaves him horribly disfigured, although it does make him basically invulnerable, healing almost instantly from gunshot wounds and able to regrow lopped off body parts. Feeling he can no longer return to the life he led and the love of his life, Mr. Pool swears vengeance on the men who did this to him and is determined to make them fix it. Trying to rein in Mr. Pool before he causes too much damage are X-Men Colossus (played by Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (played by Brianna Hildebrand), who also are trying in vain to get him to join the X-Men.  

If there was one role Ryan Reynolds was born to play, it's definitely the role of Deadpool, and he gives the role his all. This time around, it's the real deal too and not the weird bastardization that inexplicably had his mouth sewn shut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. From his wicked one-liners to all sorts of comedic moments, the performance is one of perfection. Morena Baccarin is the perfect match for Reynolds, crafting a character that is not just the girl, but a memorable, if equally damaged person as Wade is. They even have a moment where they try to one up each other on who had the more messed up childhood in a darkly comedic, yet endearing moment. T.J Miller is great as Wade's friend Weasel and it is clear that Miller and Reynolds, both accomplished comedic actors, had fun improvising scenes. But the real scene stealers, surprisingly, are Stefan Kapicic and Brianna Hildebrand as Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, especially the latter who is a buzz cut, sardonic teen that Deadpool is both in awe of and openly mocks in a way only he can. Then there is also Deadpool's frequent cab driver, Dopinder (played by Karan Soni), who he gives what is perhaps some less than great advice on how to deal with a romantic rival that pays off beautifully towards the end of the film.  

Making his feature film debut, director Tim Miller does an impressive job fashioning a film that balances the hardcore action and the wilder moments that would be expected in a movie focused on a character that is fully aware he is in a Superhero movie. It's a careful balancing act but he pulls it off. The film has a solid script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick that I have a feeling was only made stronger by frequent improvisations by the cast and especially Ryan Reynolds. The special effects are well rendered as well, especially for a lower budget movie (due to the perceived risk of it being an R-rated movie), especially with the motion capture created Colossus.  

Overall, Deadpool is a wickedly funny, raunchy and hyper-violent treat of a movie. It's not one for everyone, but for those that can appreciate it's mischievous spirit will have a good time with it. I know I did.