Deadpool is all... heart?

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2016)

I'd heard the buzz about the movie and read the gushing reviews, but it takes a lot to get me to the theater in the dead of winter, and I ultimately decided to wait for Mr. Pool to arrive on Blu-Ray. Big. Mistake. Boasting more belly laughs than any pure comedy I've seen in years, this is a movie I should've seen with an audience. I love that communal joy with a group of people when a movie is hitting all the sweet spots. It's so rare and I regret that I missed it here.
The laughs I expected. Everyone I'd spoken to said it was really funny. That it worked so well with the stylized action was a bit of a surprise, but not a total shock. What did surprise me though was just how invested I was in the characters. The film does a great job of making you care about Wade Wilson, and he's easy root for here. He's not a perfect man when we meet him (or when we leave him). Far from it actually. But he and Vanessa's love story reminded me a bit of Rocky and Adrian's from the original 'Rocky'. There's that moment when Paulie asks Rocky what he sees in Adrian and Rocky says that she fills gaps. Paulie, now utterly confused, asks Rocky what he means and Rocky replies "Gaps, you know? I got gaps. She's got gaps. Together we fill gaps.". Wade and Vanessa are two damaged people who just sort of fill gaps. The humor and the action may be its calling card, but the heart of this film is that love story and that's what holds it all together. There's also a really great villain in Ajax, who is as cold and ruthless as any I can remember seeing. Certainly in a "comic book" movie. Too often I find that I'm ambivalent toward the bad guys in these kinds of movies (See; 'Captain America: Civil War'), but here I was actively rooting against Ajax. I mean ACTIVELY. Ed Skerin was great, as was the entire cast. Reynolds was born to play Wade Wilson/Deadpool and I wasn't surprised that this--being somewhat of a passion project for him--saw him deliver. But he gets a lot of help from Morena Baccarin, who is just exceptional, TJ Miller, Leslie Uggams and his would be X-Men compatriots Brianna Hildebrand Stefan Kapičić as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus respectively. Both were critical in bringing out the best ( and worst) in Deadpool.
Funny. Exciting. Moving. Yes, moving. 'Deadpool' is a refreshing entry in the crowded, somewhat fatigued, comic book movie genre.