Summary
6 tech score
Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool”; photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox
“Deadpool” (20th Century Fox)
“Deadpool” is a movie that never takes itself seriously and therefore neither does the audience. Everything in this movie is one quip or one liner away from the next one. Ryan Reynolds, the star of the show, breaks the fourth wall consistently as he makes passing asides to the audience. The film ends up being a comedy that features battles between the undead, or can’t stay dead, with a little bit of romance wedged into the mix.
Wade Smith (Reynolds) is a former Special Forces operative who spends his time looking out for some little guys. He doesn’t consider himself a hero, just a man who dislikes bullies. He has a best friend named Weasel (T. J. Miller) and a girlfriend named Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Life is going pretty good until he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. At that point things go downhill fast.
He is contacted by a man who offers him a cure, but the cure turns out to be complicated. He develops regenerative abilities as well as increased strength and other physical abilities. On the other hand his skin becomes pock-marked and aged so that he looks like a burn victim. One man knows how to get him back to looking normal but he isn’t talking.
The movie become one fight sequence after another with very little offered in the way of a back story. And the violent sequences are never suspenseful because it seem no one can die, or stay dead. There is a running side story of how two members of “X-Men” are trying to enlist him and it is fairly funny but outstays its interest potential.
Baccarin is good as the love interest but she seems to be living in another movie. She doesn’t have the light hearted attitude her co-star Reynolds has and tries to build a real character in a world of comic book characters.
As Deadpool, Reynolds treats everything as a joke, which is the way the part is intended and as it is written. It is a perfect part for him as he can toss off the one liners with ease and can be sardonic and sarcastic with the best of them. For the majority of the film he is either behind the “Deadpool” mask or the “mutant” makeup so his natural good looks are not on display.
The jokes are good and the action sequences are sharply done. The tone of the movie is consistent. It is all snarky comments and four letter words galore. We even get some nudity thrown into the mix. This all accounts for the R rating, which might provide a mild stumbling block for the target audience which is teens.
If you are in on the joke and thrive on off color commentary you will have a great time. If the “uniqueness” wears thin halfway through, then not so much.
I scored “Deadpool” a cesspool 6 out of 10.
