Review of DEADPOOL: Rapidfire and Raunchy

February 12, 2016

I confess I only knew about Deadpool when I saw the trailers for this film last year. This trailer promised graphic violence and a naughty sense of humor (so evident in that cheeky poster!) that was very interesting. When the film was rated R-16 for its local showing this week, I knew this film was going to far exceed the typical Marvel superhero fare which had previously been rated PG, or even G, despite the violence and language in them. I am not a fan of Ryan Reynolds, but for this film I was willing to endure him to see what all this rabid anticipation was all about. 

Deadpool was a mutant superhero who was invincible as he can heal himself even of the most injuries. He was a quick wit, a sarcastic sense of humor and a rapidfire foul mouth. Behind his red mask is Wade Wilson, a professional urban mercenary stricken with Stage 4 cancer. He was recruited to undergo a radical treatment regimen to treat his cancer. Little did he know that the regimen involved extreme torture under the hands of the ruthless insensate Ajax (an intense Ed Skrein) and his sexy super-minion Angel Dust (a hefty Gina Carano). While this did give him superhuman abilities, his face and skin were majorly disfigured in the process. 

We also meet the various important people in Wade's life.There are his pretty and similarly quick-witted girlfriend Vanessa (lovely Morena Baccarin), his elderly female black cokehead roommate Blind Al (a delightful unexpected role for veteran Leslie Uggams), his bartender best friend Weasel (a dweebish T.J. MIller) and his comic relief taxi driver Gopinder (Karan Soni). Also in the mix are a couple of X-Men mutant guest stars, the gentlemanly metallic giant Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapičić) and the atomically explosive young heroine with the long and cool monicker, Negatronic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). 

Finally, Ryan Reynolds finds the role that is a perfect fit for him. He was on point as Deadpool, cool, relaxed, funny, coming across very positively (despite his potty mouth). That Deadpool is able to break the fourth wall and directly address the audience added so much to his charismatic appeal. For his whole career, he had been flitting around in forgettable rom-coms, never really connecting memorably with anything he had done before. His first foray in being a superhero was the critical and box-office disaster that was "Green Lantern." 

I really liked all those numerous witty and comical pop references, which surprisingly even included DC Comics with a Batman and Robin joke. As Deadpool, Reynolds was actually able to poke fun at himself and his acting style or lack thereof. There was also that scene where he said he did not want a green animated costume (we all know what he is referring to, right?). Both these hilarious zingers really had me in stitches. It may take a second or third viewing to catch all of them, as most of the lines in the script probably had one. 

Taking a cue from one of the reasons for the huge success of "Guardians of the Galaxy," the unlikely retro pop hit soundtrack will give you pleasant surprises, from "Angel in the Morning" by Juice Newton over the wacky opening credits, to "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago, from "Careless Whisper" by Wham! to "Shoop" by Salt-N-Pepa as the credits scrolled up. 

There were no ordinary fight scenes in this film. All of them really featured incredibly hardcore violence, with no qualms about showing splattering blood and broken bones and dead bodies. Swords, daggers, bullets will be seen penetrating bodies and exploding heads. Those cars crashing and motorcycles flipping over were executed in a most no-holds-barred style, you would feel your stomach lift up like you were in a roller coaster ride.  

Apart from the unbridled violence and the "F" word and raunchy jokes galore, parents who plan to sneak their pre-teen kids into the moviehouse should also know that there will be sexy scenes here between Wade and Vanessa, although these were done via a humorous montage. There will be some brief but full-on nudity of the dancing girls in a strip club as well. (Do not miss that quick cameo of the DJ in that strip joint though). 

Vulgar as it may be, this film will be a guilty pleasure for most. The humor was vibrant and wicked, never falling flat. I enjoyed myself the whole time laughing at all those little jokes of all colors in practically every scene. (This was despite my aversion to hearing profanity -- the sheer frequency of those F bombs probably made me immune to it already after the first few.) The breakneck action scenes were literally breathtaking. There were just the right number of tender scenes and cheesy love songs to temper the testosterone overload. That extra teaser scene at the very end of the closing credits will make you smile.  "Deadpool" is definitely fun adult entertainment at its rip-roaring best. 9/10.