Deadpool review

So, yesterday, I wrote a film review on Carol, a lovely story about two women who have an affair against the background of a fifties homophobic society. Today, I'm reviewing Deadpool. And it ain't an indie drama about two cowboys finding love. Nope. Deadpool is a fourth wall busting, kick-ass action comedy. I meant Deadpool could have had gay cowboys but that wouldn't fit the plot. Maybe next time, Deadpool 2, The Sequel could have subplot about gay henchmen.

Deadpool shows you the tone of this movie during the opening credits. I don't think I've ever seen funnier opening credits which destroyed the superhero genre. Yes, if you know anything about the comic book hero Deadpool, you know he will break the fourth wall. Anyway, the film starts out with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) chasing the villain Ajax (Ed Skrein) and his henchmen in a wild car chase and firefight. But before we find out what happens, the film then flashes back to show how Wade Wilson (Reynolds) became the mutant Deadpool. You see it was Ajax that mutated Wilson and now, Wilson aka Deadpool, aka The Merc with a Mouth, seeks revenge.

I like the idea of a superhero movie making fun of its genre. Ryan Reynolds delivers his sarcastic lines with more than a little mischief as many fanboys thought he would be the perfect superhero. See Reynolds in Green Lantern (2011) or don't as it bombed. By the way, there are a couple of good jokes at Green Lantern's expense in this movie. With that and those opening credits, Deadpool frequently demolishes the fourth wall. And many times the jokes hit their target the way Deadpool's bullets blow off the heads of bad guys.

Alas, not everything is chimichangas, Deadpool's favorite food. Not all the jokes work. And believe it or not the filmmakers seem to have curbed some of jokes. For example, during a sex scene between Wilson and his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), she is um... having her way with Wilson. Well, you have to think about the punch line and Reynolds facial close up to get the joke. Would have been much funnier if we got to see the, ahem... marital aid. Yeah, it could be done in a "R" movie as this one. There was much worse in The Hangover II. You think they were afraid the kiddies would sneek in to see this or worse yet, the parents brought the kids to see it. Which makes me wonder if you brought your children to see Deadpool and say, "Are you nuts?" No wonder why Mike Huckabee thinks the country is going to hell.

I'm also not a fan of the flashback to orgins plot device. It pretty much brought the movie to a halt as it was too long, and at times, too serious. I mean you start out with a wild action scene, interrupt it and then we have to wait for about forty minutes for it to resolve. Deadpool should have also stuck to its more satirical roots. Because a third of this movie felt more like a conventional superhero flick.

So, you might have some questions after reading this review. "Is this movie any good?" "Will we ever see a Green Lantern II and III starring Ryan Reynolds?" "Should I vote for Ted Cruz?" The answers to those questions are: Yes, no, and hell, no. Ted Cruz? Really? You probably think Richard Nixon was not a crook. The grade for Deadpool is B.

No, you are not getting the red band trailer. This is a PG-13 blog.