Film Review: Deadpool

We caught up with Henry Heffer to find out his view on Marvel's latest instalment; Deadpool.

Deadpool. Blade is a better film. The hero is cooler, the environment has far more style and the swearwords actually land. People forget that Ryan Reynolds turned up to mess up that franchise in 2004, using pretty much the exact same character as Deadpool. But forgive and forget and start again, ‘cause you are able to do that in the Marvel Universe.

I feel sorry for Paul Rudd. Ant-man was the logical choice to turn the franchise around with an R-rating. Maybe if the producers had looked further than the pay check and let Edgar Wright finish the film, Ant-man would have had more legs (rather than just six). Instead, the result is Deadpool (played by that guy from Two Guys A Girl and a Pizza Place) who performs more crude comparison jokes in 108 minutes than Malcolm Tucker having sex with something.

Essentially the plot is business as usual, as Marvel struggle desperately to try and find an original way to present another origins story, like a sweaty octopus trying to unhook a bra. Wade Wilson, or Ex-secret service turned unconvincing mercenary, has a chance to save his own life by becoming a superhero, by enlisting in a shady medical procedure. Then, when his life is saved and he is a superhero, he is so annoyed that he looks like prune made it with a Chinese Shar-Pei (google it!), he must seek revenge on the ‘British Villain’ who made him that way. Oh and there is a girl in there somewhere too, who is definitely not a two dimensional Hollywood portrait.

The plot makes no sense. But who the hell cares. I mean, where did the big swords he has come from? What exactly are his new mutant powers? And wait, explain how he has supposed to have manifested these powers again? And when did he meet the X-men? Or at least the shiny, big one? It is clear that style has defiantly trumped substance here, but why should this not be the case in superhero movies.

I laughed, I got the references to most of the other films (I think) and the structure was quite an inventive one. But somehow I feel that this has dragged R rated attention away from the truly satirical comic books, such as The Boys, which would make a great movie and expose the cliques with far more panache. I mean the film isn't even an 18!

Overall, everybody will enjoy the ride. And the best marketing ploy ever (including releasing this movie over Valentines day weekend), has paid dividends at the box office. But eventually, just like every other superhero movie, rather than being satisfied, people will just expect the next one. And the whole cycle will just continue, round and round, till Ryan Reynolds and I are back in diapers.