Deadpool has a fake opening credits sequences that immediately acknowledges the same-y nature of these superhero movies. The titles that pop up on screen foretell the appearance of a “hot chick” and “a British villain,” among other things, before declaring that the movie is directed by “an overpaid tool.” It’s a funny joke, but it doesn’t really go far enough. The movie, while often very clever and funny, is still sticking to the same tropes that it’s making fun of. It’s still fun in the end, but it feels like the film squanders the opportunity to really experiment with the form.
Mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) found a little slice of happiness in his life of professionally hurting people with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Unfortunately, he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. That's when he's approached by a mysterious organization that tells him they can cure him by turning him into a superhero. He leaves Vanessa and ends up in a facility that specializes in activating the latent mutant gene in humans. Wilson undergoes torture under the sadistic Ajax (Ed Skrein), who does succeed in curing Wilson’s cancer and giving him remarkable healing abilities. But the mutation has also radically changed Wilson’s appearance, and he struggles to go back to the life he once knew.
Most of this is told in flashback. The movie actually begins with the titular character well into his quest to get revenge on Ajax, before spending the next hour filling out the details of the quest. The film is certainly novel in presentation when held up against other superhero films. It is racier and more violent. It has fun breaking the fourth wall, the main character addressing the audience directly at points, acknowledging that he is in a movie and referencing other superhero movies. But while it often hilariously points out the tropes of the genre, the movie doesn’t shirk the tropes itself.
For all of its posturing, the movie still takes the structure for a typical superhero movie. Most of the film is given over to the origin story, which establishes that the hero is basically a decent guy. The film makes a pretty big deal about how much more violent he is than other heroes, but it also makes clear that he is essentially a good guy, who is only taking on bad people. The story establishes that much of his motivation is built around his love for Vanessa. The movie surprisingly gets pretty sweet in depicting their relationship, which is kind of weird for a film as openly profane as this one.
Given that, the movie still manages to be plenty of fun. The film’s willingness to show more violence allows the action sequences to be more fluid. It doesn’t have cut away when horrible things are about to happen, and the movie fully takes advantage. The fights are smooth, stylish, and acrobatic, and they’re never difficult to follow. The visual effects aren’t the best in the class, but they get the job done. Ryan Reynolds clearly loves being Deadpool, and that joy comes through. Morena Baccarin, TJ Miller, and Ed Skrein are fine in very limited roles.
It would have been really interesting to see Deadpool go further. It has the license to really mess with the genre, to completely ignore the familiar elements and deliver something truly original. The movie just has this extra surface layer of irreverence, while its soul remains within the realm of pure popcorn mainstream superhero formula. And this isn’t such a bad thing. At the end of the day, it’s still pretty enjoyable. It just isn’t as smart or as interesting as it could be.
My Rating:
