Complete review transcript:
There’s a lot riding on the success of new release DEADPOOL. Will the hyper-violent merc with a mouth find a fandom on film, and confirm an ever elusive super-stardom for Ryan Reynolds?
I was in the audience at San Diego Comic-Con when Ryan Reynolds premiered the trailer for DEADPOOL that subsequently nearly broke the internet. Since then, the buzz has been high and finally, the release is happening, and just in time for Valentine’s Day. DEADPOOL will not disappoint. In fact, it may surpass your expectations. It’s all filthier, and more hilarious, exciting, and ultra-violent than you can probably imagine. This is not a movie to take your kids to, or for that matter, your parents.
The production sets itself up for success with what may be the best opening titles ever, building expectation in audiences that they’ll equally enjoy the rest of the movie. That’s a bold and ballsy move. It’s like with nothing left to lose, as star and producer, Reynolds just pushed every single aspect of DEADPOOL to create the ultimate anti-superhero movie.
Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, a mercenary with a dark, twisted viewpoint and a smart mouth to match it. He also has a soft spot for people in trouble. His violent life on the fringe is made infinitely better by meeting his match, girlfriend who needs no rescuing Vanessa, played by Morena Baccarin, who adds to her long list of strong, complex roles redefining women on film. Cue the montage of moments from their twisted and very sweet love affair. Yes, DEADPOOL actually makes the perfect anti-Nicholas Sparks love story, like a chick-flick for dudes.
When Wilson gets terminal cancer, he takes a mysterious stranger up on a proposition to cure him and make him indestructible. Things go decidedly south from there, and he spends the rest of the movie seeking revenge and a cure for his cure. A great collection of costars add variety and additional connectivity for the audience, including sidekicks and would-be partners in crime, or crime fighting, as the case might be. The comedic and box office bucks, however, begin and end with Reynolds’ embodiment and portrayal of the character.
There comes a point where an actor’s trajectory goes so far off the rails, the public at once gives up on them, and turns sympathetic. There’s no question Reynolds can act, as exampled by MiSSISSIPPI GRIND, but his career is littered with bad choices. For his steadfast fans, DEADPOOL is powerful validation and reason for a renewed A-list status. Make no mistake. DEADPOOL is finally going to throw his career into the stratosphere, and will likely come close to doing the same for Baccarin. Ironically, Reynolds, 2010’s “Sexiest Man Alive”, is climbing to the top again with a movie where he spends a large majority behind a mask or significantly disfigured. Apparently, pretty can get in the way.
I give DEADPOOL an A-. Minus, only because it still couldn’t shake the cliche of a protracted fight scene at the climax, and A because it’s still entertaining and finds invention throughout, from the opening titles to the end credits. Ryan Reynolds is officially, and finally, a superhero success.
