Tuesday 16 February 2016

Deadpool (15)

So, after all the hype, the hoopla, the fuss - Deadpool is finally here.

It's got all it's swears in, there's violence and nudity, finally we have a superhero show adults can enjoy.

Because grown-ups like the boobs and the swears, right?



Well, maybe some, yeah. Others think Daredevil and Jessica Jones are the way to go if you want to be all growed-up about these things.

But I digress.

Some of you may have somehow slept through all the broo-ha-ha. Well done. Here's what you missed.

Wade Wilson (played by a shockingly good Ryan Reynolds) gets diagnosed with terminal cancer, decides to take an offer of help, doesn't die.

In fact, can't.

And so Deadpool is born. And he immediately wants to take out the guy who did the thing to him.

Off we go then, jumping about the time line as the back story is weaved into current events as we hightail towards the final showdown fighty bit.

It really is that simple.

And fun. It's a lot of fun. The fights are gory, if not brutal, and there are more quips than you can through a throwing star at.

But it just feels like it's trying too hard at times.

Granted, I'm not Mr Pool's biggest fans where the books are concerned, but I had really been looking forward to the movie.

I'd seen the trailer more times than I can count (that's more than two at least) without even looking for it - it was being shared everywhere.

But you hit a problem when most of the opening sequence is in the trailer.

Before you've seen anything, it feels like you've already seen the film.

You can get past that, and the fast pace of the movie helps you to not dwell on such matters as the next bit of sweary action soon comes flying at you.

And it strikes a good balance between drama, romance (they're not kidding when they try and tell you it's a love story) and fighty fighty bits.

But something still doesn't quite feel right.

It could be the puerile humour - it would seem childish adults are the target - or it could be the unwieldy shoe-horning of Mr Pool into the already existing Marvel universe.

You'll have seen the two X-Men characters he hangs out with for a bit, but they seem out of place in an otherwise crazy world.

Then there's the scene of the final kick-off.

No one felt the need to anchor Guardians Of The Galaxy into Marvel's cinematic universe, and Ant-Man was always going to be and that was done well.

But with the sex and language and endless breaking of the fourth wall, Deadpool would have been just fine dancing along the edge.

He didn't need placing among already existing events.

We've already got the films crossing over, we've got the TV tie-in in Agents Of Shield (even if only four of us are still watching it), at no point has anyone thought 'hmm, we're missing Deadpool here'.

He should just be allowed to do his own thing.

To be fair, Reynolds has earnt that right too.

It's not easy to act without using your face (although the less charitable among you will already be suggesting he's made a career out of it) but somehow Reynolds manages to infuse Deadpool with expression through his physical acting.

No mean feat, and one he pulls off with aplomb.

And he's not alone in putting in a good performance.

Morena Baccarin as Wilson's girlfriend Vanessa is in her element - playing it for smut and laughs in equal measure, she hasn't been this good since Serenity.

After that, though, things take a bit of a dip.

T.J. Miller looks a little lost, while Ed Skrien doesn't have quite the level of menace you're looking for.

It throws the whole thing out of balance, with Reynolds leaving everyone but Baccarin in his lycra-clad dust.

That's not to say it ruins the film, not at all - it just leaves you wanting more.

And by more, I mean more than the end credit sequence.



As I said there is a lot of fun to be had here, and Reynolds puts in the kind of performance that'll make you forget (if not forgive) the Green Lantern abomination.

It's just trying too hard to be edgy and funny, which takes the edge off what could have been an early frontrunner in this year's race for best super hero movie.

1 comment:

  1. I knew you had reviewed it...only saw it last night...and I'm amazed how much I agree with you but i do think you might have mentioned the villains terrible mockney accent whilst I take it his female sidekick is some wrestling star or summat? She sure aint an actor.

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