Deadpool [Blu-ray] [2016]

Good

Funny but adults only.

Deadpool is the latest comic book movie in an industry over-saturated with comic book movies. And it knows it. The movie’s self awareness is one of the strongest elements of the film from a first time director, and there’s a lot to love about Deadpool. Yeah, I loved it. It’s not the best movie ever made, but it’s the most fun I’ve had in the theater since Ant-Man. So, what’s so great about it? I’ll discuss below, with some light spoilers. Nothing major.ProsThe Comedy. This movie had me laughing within the first 30 seconds of the film, and kept me in stitches the entire run time. It’s funnier than most comedies. The humor comes mostly from Deadpool himself, but TJ Miller, who plays Deadpool’s best friend, probably has my favorite line in the movie. I won’t ruin it for you if you haven’t seen it, but if you have, it’s starts with, “I’d come with you…” Deadpool is a self aware character who constantly breaks the fourth wall. The movie had to reflect that, and it did in spades.The Action. It’s not just funny, it’s exciting. The action is top notch and there are real stakes, unlike some comic movies. The R-rating allows the movie to show fighting in very explicit and creative ways. It’s bloody, but not gruesome. Think Kick Ass or Kingsman.The love story. Too often in comic books and comic book movies, the female love interest is bland and interchangeable with any other. Not in Deadpool. Morena Baccarin plays the love interest perfectly, and you really believe these two people are in love, and you can understand why. If the love interest didn’t work, the movie’s finale would feel empty. Luckily, it rings true.The Pacing. At the end of the day, Deadpool is a basic origin story. Again, the movie is self aware. This opens the possibility of creative editing choices, which are used. Flashbacks and fourth wall breaks fill in the gaps to explain where Deadpool came from, and it keeps the movie moving along at an exciting pace. As someone who is not too familiar with the character, I found the movie’s explanation of Deadpool’s origin to be very easy to follow and very entertaining at the same time.The casting. Two words: Ryan Reynolds. He’s never been better. To a large extent, the success of Deadpool rests of his performance, which is fantastic. Deadpool is a wise ass, and Ryan Reynolds is a wise ass. I don’t know who could have played Deadpool any better; the casting was perfect. The fact that he played Deadpool before in the terrible X-Men Origins: Wolverine also opens up a lot of comedic possibilities, which were thankfully exploited. The rest of the cast was top notch as well. I already mentioned Morena Baccarin, but credit is also due to the villain played by Ed Skrein (of Game of Thrones).ConsThis was another movie that was difficult for me to come up with the cons. However, I did think of some. No movie is perfect.The trailer. It’s not a bad trailer, but it ruins a lot of the best jokes. However, as a piece of marketing, it’s perfect. I just turned this into a “pro,” didn’t I?The bad guys. With the exception of Skrein’s Francis, the bad guys were a little underdeveloped. I would’ve liked to have seen more of Gina Carano’s character and more of “Agent Smith.” Also, the terrorist character at the beginning of the movie is kind of forgotten after his one scene. Maybe he’ll show up in the sequel: Deadpool 2: Electric Boogaloo.The final fight. The final fight is a bit by-the-numbers. Why not use Deadpool’s tropes while he’s fighting? I saw one commenter mention that he’d love to see Deadpool beat a character with a boom mic grabbed from off-screen. That’s a great idea. I hope they use it in the sequel.Final verdict: The highest praise I can give this movie is that it made me want to read the source material. I ordered a Deadpool comic on Amazon right after seeing the movie. (Get yours by clicking the link.) Deadpool is a lot of fun, as a comic book movie should be. It knows what it is, it knows what beats it needs to hit, and it does the job almost perfectly. It’s just definitely NOT for kids.Story: ★★★½ of 5Directing/Editing: ★★★★★ of 5Acting: ★★★★ of 5Comedy: ★★★★★ of 5Overall: ★★★★½ of 5

Good movie at a good price, well packaged, arrived sooner than expected

I really, really liked Deadpool. And you know what? I didn't expect to. Seriously, I was never a fan of the character (in the sense that I hardly knew anything about him) and the humor as well as the violence seemed forced and overdone in the trailers.Still, I remained interested in the film, I just never expected it to actually be good - until the reviews arrived. After most critics unexpectedly showered this newest superhero movie with praise, I went in cautiously optimistic (but still fully prepared to hate the film).The first thing I noticed was how inventive the storytelling is. The film throws you into the action from the first moment (literally: the very first moment) and then it goes back and forth in brilliant and unexpected ways to slowly unspool the story of this insane - but oddly charming - antihero. Flashbacks and fast-forwards can be annoying as hell, but when done right, they can help render even a somewhat simple story fresh and exciting. And that's exactly how Deadpool felt to me right from the start: like a fresh (if somewhat dirty) jolt of energy.The action itself is beautifully designed, employing playful visuals and using pretty much every camera technique available; it never feels repetitive and the pacing is close to perfection. But, and that was probably the key to me liking the film so much, there's a beating heart underneath all the action and carnage, and that has a lot to do with how brilliantly Ryan Reynolds portrays the character and the great chemistry he has with co-star Morena Baccarin. What came as a complete surprise to me was how unabashedly romantic Deadpool is. The love story in this film is probably the most sincere I've ever seen in a superhero movie and it gives the film the strong emotional core which so many of these movies lack.The humor, which I initially feared would just be non-stop juvenile wisecracks and soon become distracting, also works surprisingly well. Not every line or every joke lands - but that's the beauty of this character: they don't really need to. Deadpool can't help himself; as long as he's able to breathe he'll crack wise and make fun of himself and those around him. It's a clinical condition; he's not a stand-up comedian whose jokes need to land: he's a madman (albeit a very entertaining one) and the comedy in his case is born out of tragedy.Despite all my praise, it's not a perfect film. The villain in this revenge tale could be more memorable and the story itself is a bit too derivative to really do its highly unconventional protagonist (he insists he's not a hero) justice: but it's a damn good first entry in a franchise that will hopefully explore the character and his world to a much larger extent in the sequel(s). And it's actually a very important film for another reason. If Deadpool is a financial success - which at this point is already clear it will be - this could play a vital role in how studios henceforth view the financial prospects of R-rated superhero films, and we'll hopefully see more of them in the future.Many people might feel different - and I respect their opinion - but I've grown tired of the entirely bloodless CGI overkill in all those 200 million productions where even the most terrible villains talk like Mormon schoolgirls. I mean: there's a gigantic audience out there that is over the age of 18, loves to read comic books and can absolutely handle real-world language, real-world sex and real-world violence in superhero movies. This genre is so diverse; it's ridiculous to believe just because comic books have pictures in them all film adaptations - regardless of the material - must automatically be made for kids in order to be successful.As it is, I think Deadpool - a dirty, funny, sexy and violent film which is decidedly NOT for kids - just proved my point perfectly. 8 stars out of 10.P.S. (for new IMDb users): If you want to get a better reference whether this review might be valid for you or not, just click on my user name and you'll see what kind of films I like.