Since his first appearance in 1991, Deadpool has evolved into one of Marvel Comic’s most popular characters. The ‘merc with the mouth’ has become known for his sense of humour and his fourth wall breaking asides to the audience.
In 2009, these traits were only hinted at when the character made an appearance – as his alter ego Wade Wilson – in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Now what has been promoted as a more faithful interpretation of the character has been brought to the big screen in Deadpool. In the film, Ryan Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, a man diagnosed with late stage cancer. During a meeting with a mysterious man in a bar, Wilson is offered both a cure for his cancer and an opportunity to gain superhuman abilities. He takes up this offer and while the resulting procedures – which are closer to torture than therapy - do grant him amazing healing abilities they also leave him horribly disfigured.
Wanting revenge, Wilson then takes on the alias of ‘deadpool’ and begins to track down Francis (Ed Skrein), the man responsible for his transformation. At the same time, he also tries to find a way to re-connect with his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), who is unaware of the changes Wilson has undergone.
As a film, Deadpool offers a welcome change from the grimly serious tone of many recent superhero movies. Its irreverence is backed up by some good writing from Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese and some precisely targeted jokes, many of which naturally come at the expense of the X-Men and their most famous member Wolverine.
Solid performances from Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin also hit the mark as do the action sequences which are thrilling but not overdone.
Big bad Francis does seem like an inadequate foe for Reynold's wisecracking antihero, however. While a bigger role for the amusingly sullen X-Men trainee Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hilderbrand) wouldn’t have gone amiss. These are minor criticisms, though, for what is ultimately a hilarious, smart, and immensely re-watchable contribution to the superhero genre.
Star Rating: 4/5
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