A New Kind of Chimichanga (I Mean Hero)
By: Anthony Zangrillo
It’s here! It’s finally here! After nearly a decade of creative struggles, footage leaks, and a whole lot of Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool makes his proper and inglorious cinematic debut (no, not a 70 mm debut, this is a sideshow, not a “Roadshow”). Thankfully, the film perfectly nails the comical nature of the Rated-R vigilante. From its initial scene, Deadpool attains a mesmerizing balance of gratuitous violence and sophomoric self-awareness. However, as the initial shock wears off, the love story (capitalizing on Valentine’s?) and shallow villains detract from Reynolds’ juvenile, yet masterful portrayal. Furthermore, viewers unfamiliar with the comic book source material may have trouble comprehending Wade Wilson’s utterly insane personality. Still, audiences will be completely engrossed with the witty banter of the “Merc with a Mouth” and his brutal antics, which will keep theaters laughing from beginning to end.
Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
Ryan Reynolds was born to play this role. The former star of Van Wilder brings the same charm and humor to the charismatic vigilante (hero would be going too far). Reynolds’ energy and enthusiasm shine off the screen. In tune with his character, the actor nails almost every punchline, understanding the zany nature of this masked murderer. Adding an extra layer to his appearance, Deadpool’s costume is wholly immaculate. It’s not surprising that Reynolds cried the first time he saw the final version of the spandex. Choosing not to augment Deadpool with a cartoony definition of muscles was a brilliant creative decision.
The first big action scene expands on the snippet of test footage critical to launching this long-gestating product. Deadpool chasing down a procession of enemy vehicles armed with an obscene amount of hired guns makes for a thrilling action sequence. However, this film brings a whole new perspective to a possibly generic scene. Playing with audience’s expectations, Deadpool takes a cab to the fray, being dropped off on a bridge, where he waits to dive into the action. After descending on the unlucky passengers, Director Tim Miller freezes the action on a hysterical frame, involving a super wedgie. Making this shot even more significant, it originally opens the film’s credit sequence, which mockingly makes fun of the cast and creative team. This subversion alerts audiences to the changed demeanor that the Age of Deadpool threatens to usher into the comic book genre.
As the scene progresses, Deadpool becomes more referential, eviscerating the fourth wall between the screen and the audience. With a wink and a nod, Deadpool creates a counting bullets game that highlights the greatness of Wade’s damaged psyche. In fact, some of Deadpool’s schizophrenic traits begin to creep out during this battle as he begins arguing with himself over wasting some much-needed bullets. Yet, this is the full extent of Deadpool’s “craziness.” While it would be fascinating to see the film take a leap into the deep end of Deadpool’s mind, this decision could’ve confused audiences overall, so there is no shame in taking this less risky approach. Most of Deadpool’s signature lines weasel their way into the film, yet some fall on deaf ears. For example, when I saw the film on opening day, almost no one laughed at the “chimichanga” reference. I hope this reaction was an anomaly and that the Deadpool creative team includes just as many Easter Eggs for the “true believers” to geek out over in future sequels (yes, sequels are already confirmed). Furthermore, the soundtrack of the film rivals “Guardians of the Galaxy” for picking an odd mix of culturally relevant songs that successfully transform the tone of the film.
The fact that Deadpool exists in a larger X-Men universe is not forgotten by this film. Many Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, and Professor X references pop up throughout the film. Additionally, resident mansion sitters, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead attempt to constrain Deadpool in his quest for vengeance. This is undoubtedly the best portrayal of the Russian Colossus. The mutant’s undying commitment to heroism and selflessness is a perfect contrast to the selfish and irresponsible Deadpool. Even though Colossus remains powered up for the entire movie, Stefan Kapicic brings a whole new layer of characterization to the oft-forgotten X-Men fighter. Somehow, Colossus’ bleeding heart even overshadows Captain America’s idealism. One of the funniest battles within the film is Deadpool’s attempt to breach Colossus’ insurmountable shell. The mercenary’s unsuccessful flailing results in more pain to himself than he could have anticipated.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead (say that three times fast) also provides an interesting choice of representation from the X-Men forces. While a majority of audiences will have never heard of this brooding teenage girl, her character provides Deadpool with a number of easy gags. One of the best lines in the movie is Deadpool’s criticism of the studio for merely providing a bare X-Mansion with the lower-tier mutants (Sorry Colossus). Negasonic’s powers are surprising but awesome, and it would be interesting to see if future movies further explore Negasonic and Colossus in this universe.
Not everything is perfect in this mercenary’s first outing. Following the normal superhero formula, Deadpool provides an origin narrative, yet thankfully, the film tries to conceal this horrid truth. It was a fantastic idea to begin the film with a high energy action scene, having Deadpool take the audience back to his origin later. This unorthodox storytelling keeps the plot roaring at a smooth and intense pace. Still, the film probably would have benefitted from a story free of these origin constraints. Surprisingly, Deadpool’s romantic relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) is more realistic and genuine than many of the other love stories in the comic book genre. However, this happy ending, boyfriend material Deadpool conflicts with the scoundrel’s lustful, womanizing portrayals in other mediums. Once again, compromises obviously had to be made in order to make this a film more approachable for the general public.
The weakest part of the movie is the non-descript, stereotypically dressed villains Ajax (Ed Skrein) and Angel (Gina Carano). While the movie playfully acknowledges that their only purpose in the film is to suffer Deadpool’s wrath, it is painfully clear that they were merely an afterthought in the script. Ajax/Francis originally plays the mad scientist role forcing terminal patients to undergo grotesque mutations, which could also potentially save their lives. However, Ajax’s evil intent is made perfectly clear as his popular “superhero slave” line establishes his menacing plans. However, his character simply devolves into a mustache twirling villain kidnapping the film’s leading lady to set the stage for a final conflict with his lab experiment. On the other side of the villain spectrum, Angel plays the silent muscle of Ajax’s operation. The mutant barely has any lines, but she provides a nice level of physicality for Colossus. Even though these villains appear weak, I am glad that the film kept the plot simple. Attempting to perform a villainous reveal or utilize a major villain (such as Mr. Sinister) could have had disastrous effects, due to the balancing act required by a procedurally proper origin film.
Overall, the katana wielding, ammo bearing, “Merc with a Mouth” would be proud of his first real on-screen presence. Washing away the past sins of X-Men Origins, Fox has provided the spark for a new generation of Rated R action movies, likely headlined by a roster of masked vigilantes. The future looks bright for Marvel’s most unorthodox mercenary, especially considering that Cable will be joining the quest for chimichangas in the sequel.
Score: 8.5
