"F***ing Awesome;" "Bloody Hilarious;" "Game-Changer" - DEADPOOL Reviews Are In & They're Really, REALLY Good

 

Two Deadpools, one cup. Your turn #💀💩L

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Feb 6, 2016 at 8:15am PST

At this point, a movie studio would have to torch its headquarters, donate its merchandising revenues to charity, and produce a seven-hour art film performed in Ukrainian sign language to do something that truly qualified as a subversive gesture. Until then, viewers should gladly submit to the gleefully self-skewering pleasures of “Deadpool,” a scabrously funny big-screen showcase for the snarkiest of Marvel’s comic-book creations — a disfigured and disreputable mercenary who likes to crack wise, bust heads and generally lay waste to the idea that he’s anyone’s hero. As a vehicle for the impudent comic stylings of Ryan Reynolds, this cheerfully demented origin story is many, many cuts above “Green Lantern,” and as a sly demolition job on the superhero movie, it sure as hell beats “Kick-Ass.” And given the resurgence of fanboy interest following a well-received trailer at last year’s Comic-Con (plus the benefit of Imax showings), “Deadpool” should show plenty of life at the box office, especially if its well-earned R rating functions less as kiss of death than as badge of honor.

For the multitudes who feared that, after Fantastic Four, Fox might simply be rummaging too far down into Marvel's basement in search of a few more scraps of lucre, the joke's on them. It takes a little while to get in gear — or perhaps just to adjust to what's going on here — but once it does, Deadpool drops trou to reveal itself as a really raunchy, very dirty and pretty funny goof on the entire superhero ethos, as well as the first Marvel film to irreverently trash the brand. Just what anyone suffering from genre burn-out might appreciate at this point, as well as a big in-joke treat for all but the most reverent fanboys, this looks to be hitting the market at just the right time — with Christmas releases now in the rear-view mirror — to rake in some sweet returns.

It’s a film that’s amused with itself, but thanks to a screwball screenplay by Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick (“Zombieland”) and a charmingly snarky lead turn by Ryan Reynolds, that amusement is both thoroughly earned and completely contagious. If you loved the way “Guardians of the Galaxy” turned the standard superhero formula on its spandex-covered ear – and you’re old enough to handle some very R-rated language and violence – “Deadpool” delivers a similarly delightful surprise.

The jokes in Deadpool are delivered with such a sly, smart-aleck wink that it takes a while to figure out that it’s selling a jokey tone rather than actual jokes half the time. But it’s got the perfect salesman in Reynolds. Even with a face that’s been horrifically crispified into what his pal (Silicon Valley’s T.J. Miller) likens to the offspring of an avocado that had sex with an older avocado, Reynolds and his character are a blast of laughing gas in a genre that tends to take itself way too seriously. Deadpool may not be a cutting-edge comedy, but it is a cutting-edge Marvel movie. And right now, that’s something. Rating: B

One of the things that's interesting about the film is the way it paints the relationship between Vanessa (Morena Baccarin, who has never been more appealing in any role) and Wade. "Your crazy matches my crazy," she tells him at one point, and that seems like as great an explanation of love as you're likely to see in a pure popcorn movie. When they meet, they compare hard-luck stories, and immediately see that they are kindred spirits. There's a "romance montage" near the start of the film that features a gag that is both juvenile sex joke and genuinely progressive. What other mainstream superhero film can you think of where the lead character gets pegged, likes it, and it's treated as just one part of a healthy adult sexual relationship? Sure, it's a quick thing and a small thing, but I think one of the reasons I liked Deadpool as much as I did is because it avoided being the nihilistic dick joke that I was afraid it would be. Tim Miller's got a fun, clean visual style, and he knows how to sell a visual joke. The film is positively loaded with background jokes and small details, and I feel like a dummy for not realizing that the entire setting of the film's third act is a sort of Easter egg/tie-in to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Regardless, Deadpool is wickedly funny, especially after the onslaught of mainly serious comic superhero properties that have pervaded both the big and small screen, and will continue to do so, for now. More than just a comment on blockbuster franchises, or simple parody, Deadpool is a love letter to the infamous anti-hero that gets its character and the tone just right. Go see it so the poor struggling juggernauts at Marvel can make even more money.

It’s simple – if you like the Deadpool comics and appreciate the character see this. It’s made for you. By the same token, if you loathe the character stay away. If you’re more of a casual fan or not really a comic reader, you’d be well-advised to go in with an open mind. If you don’t mind a gloriously silly 100 minutes fanboy ride, you’ll have fun. But, if you expect a KINGSMAN style cross-over hit that’s not at all what this is. It’s been made for a specific cult audience but it can’t be denied – that audience will absolutely love it.

However, the conventional framework continually prevents “Deadpool” from ever really flying gloriously off the rails. Even the film’s climactic action sequence features a relentlessly dull showdown between Deadpool and Ajax that's boxed into a feat of CGI-drenched mega-destruction that would make Zack Snyder proud. For all of Miller’s faux middle finger wagging at the comic book establishment, “Deadpool” sometimes functions like a reel or resumé to graduate to the same big leagues he half-pretends he wants no part of. Indeed, instead of reinventing the wheel, “Deadpool” only reinforces the genre expectations of the superhero movie, hoping that a string of profanities, some winks to the camera, and the occasional flash of nudity will distract from what is ultimately, a very by-the-book story. [C]

Wade Wilson has been successfully revived on the big screen in a movie that’s full of amusing one-liners, stylish action, and heaps of fan service. Weak villains and an unsatisfying revenge plot ultimately hold it back from being something more distinctive, but Deadpool delivers a large dose of unwholesome fun. Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Now the verdict is in, and the good news is that director Tim Miller’s Deadpool is a blissfully unique and hilarious action-packed blockbuster that stands as one of the best big-screen superhero origin stories that we’ve had the pleasure of seeing. Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Deadpool is just about everything you could hope for from a Deadpool movie given the boundaries of A) it’s an origin story; B) it has to bring in people who are unfamiliar with the character; and C) it’s upending traditional superhero tropes. Even with these restraints, the film is often an absolute blast that had me rolling over with laughter again and again. It’s a shame we had to wait so long for Deadpool to mouth off again, but hopefully he’ll be serving up some chimichangas in the not-too-distant future. Rating: B+

First of all, I really wanted to like Deadpool more than I did, because if any movie genre needs a well-done satire, it’s the superhero movie. (“Well-done,” so this excludes the terrible Superhero Movie, which somehow came out more than a month before the first Iron Man movie.) But the biggest problem with Deadpool is that it just keeps telling us over and over just how edgy and clever and crazy of a movie it is, but what we see on screen is just the same ol’ stuff we see in every superhero movie. Yeah, sure, there’s more CGI blood and guts – and cussing!!! – but who cares? (I guess maybe teens. Teens will probably like the blood and expletives.)

The sheer number of dick jokes will soon numb you to their impact, but this is a fun, if patchy, alternative to the glut of ‘the world is about to end unless we do something’ comic-book films. Rating: 3 stars out of 5

My knowledge of the original comics is limited, but I have a feeling that if I had been a diehard fan of the character, I would have plenty to complain about. In the comics, Deadpool tells raunchy jokes, insults people with humiliating put downs, and is generally labeled an anti-hero. The movie hits those first two notes, but I wouldn’t consider this version a true anti-hero. When I picture an anti-hero, I see a brooding, silent-but-deadly, emo kind of guy. This Deadpool is not that. He’s the most obnoxious friend in your group. He’s ‘that guy’ without a filter. He’s an idiot with a heart of gold, but nevertheless, he deserved more from this movie. Rating 2.5 out of 5

Deadpool takes some getting used to, and though not every joke lands as dead-on as his blades and bullets, the characterization and visual creativity — paired with Reynolds' commitment and comfort with the character — make for an ultimately satisfying version of the Merc With the Mouth.

So I’ll give the movie a fresh (now this review is getting as meta as the movie) because it’s being so true to itself. Sure, it’s about as shocking as a middle schooler giving his teacher the finger, but there’s something adorable about that kind of juvenile nonsense. And while Deadpool’s flood of bad language and violence makes it too ‘adult’ for kids, it’s nice to see a comic book movie that embraces SOMETHING juvenile.

While Deadpool may be more of an X-Men film than some fans might expect, it is a well made X-Men film. Director Tim Miller shoots great action, finds the right moments for Deadpool-style humor and even gives the romantic element its proper place. Though not as anarchic as the marketing might suggest, it is certainly a solid debut for Deadpool (for real this time) and a much better film for the character and Ryan Reynolds than X-Men: Origins: Wolverine.

Unafraid to rip the very genre it's now a part of, "Deadpool" is the ballsiest comic book movie any studio has dared attempt. Hopefully it will be rewarded with a big enough audience that this won't be the first and last time we see the infamous merc on the big screen. Rating: 4 out of 5

Deadpool works as pure action entertainment, as well as an over-the-top comedy. It’s a revenge tale, a love story, an origin story, and a damn good time. Justice has finally been done to the “Merc with a Mouth.” Is it the next Citizen Kane? No. Is it the perfect Deadpool movie? You bet. Rating: A+

Deadpool is funky, fresh, and ferocious, which is the shot in the ass that superhero movies need right now. His opening credits alone are enough to have audiences in stitches, as blurbs like “The British Villain” or “The Comic Relief” flash while a gossip rag showing Ryan Reynolds on the cover flies through the air. Self-aware doesn’t even begin to describe the levels of saccharine satire that skewers today’s barrage of spandex-wearing good guys, and it’s all done while achieving more entertaining levels of comic book fun than most of the film’s competitors.

Deadpool is the dead cool, foul mouthed anti-hero eager for revenge against the man who deformed him. It may not be original, but what the film lacks in freshness it makes up in cinematic bravura, from 'breaking the fourth wall' (talking to the audience) to self referential nonsense amidst violent mayhem. References to X-men also abound, often with pejorative subtext.

Reynolds is right. Amid the extreme, cartoonish violence and sex that mark a departure from 20th Century Fox's vaguely coy Marvel productions (namely the X-Men universe, where this film is set), Deadpool offers up a brilliantly chaotic approach to the costumed crusaders of the past, faithfully translating the elegant insanity that made Deadpool such an unique comic book character into the craziest and most unusual film of the year. There’s more blood, sex, and foul jokes than you can shake a Chimichanga at — and it’s glorious.

This thematic wrinkle adds an intriguing, almost humane layer to the many jokey topical references and crude quips Deadpool throws around. The filmmakers cannily suggest that their main character's penchant for snark isn't just a shtick, and if one accepts the film as a misanthropic extension of its characters worldview, then the relentless stream of self-aware one-liners and topical jokes seem less like smart-assery for its own sake than a defense mechanism—a way for more than one character to shield him or herself from the disappointments of the world, or say what's really on their mind until forced to do so. If the film ends up being less obnoxious than might have been, it's because the filmmakers have at least made an effort to inject the film with a bit of a wounded soul to offset all the superhero-genre winking.

It may be aimed squarely at the 41-year-old male who still feels 14 inside; the kind of Gen Xer who adores graphic comic-book violence ironically and Wham’s “Careless Whisper” sincerely, and might masturbate to both (seriously, there’s more “self-love” and talk of same in this movie than any since Beavis and Butt-head Do America). But let us also consider the reaction of my 26-year-old wife, who was completely unfamiliar with the character of Deadpool save that “the trailers look funny.” Specifically, she opined that Deadpool 2 needs a plus-sized stripper character so that she can play the role and do onscreen nudity for the first time. We’ve spent the last decade proving to people that girls like comic books, action figures, and video games just as much as boys; Deadpool may be the movie that finally proves to Hollywood they love dirty jokes in spandex equally too. Rating: Five burritos out of five.

"Deadpool" tightly packs every kind of gag, from juvenile dick jokes to '80s referential humour to under-the-radar witticisms, into a shotgun. And once the chambers on that scatter gun approach are out of ammo, the movie then resorts to punching you in the face with seven more kinds of cracking wise. Running gags about Sinead O'Connor and "Say Anything" sit alongside Weasel (TJ Miller) riffing on just how ugly a post-transformation Wade is. It's blunt-force, rapid-fire comedy, and it's unrelentingly funny. (And as always, stay til after the credits.)

Deadpool is neurotic and needy – and very entertaining. An innocent pleasure. Rating: 4 out of 5

Deadpool does an impressive job of bringing its insane and loveable anti-hero to life, with energy and a level of detail that marks it apart. It's not for everyone, of course, but what did you expect? For fans of the Merc with the Mouth, Deadpool is everything we could ask it to be.

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, 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.