The Best Adaptation of a Superhero

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2016)

In what has probably been the greatest and most outrageous marketing campaign for any film, Deadpool finally made it to the big screen. No X-Men Origins Wolverine doesn't count, because there is absolutely no way we can call that character Deadpool, and luckily, this film takes a few stabs at that. Nonetheless, it has been a long road for the 'Merc with a Mouth' but I think now is the right time. With the abundance of comic book films pouring out every year, Deadpool brings a refreshing take on the genre. Much thanks to his daring comic creators in the 90's, he's an uncompromising, foul mouthed, anti-hero that has fun doing what he's doing. That's a great way to describe this film, insane fun.
The film tells the relatively paint by the numbers narrative of Wade Wilson falling in love with Vanessa, played by Morena Baccarin, and then having to look for a cure to his terminal cancer. Enter a Weapon X like program run by Ajax, played by Ed Skrein, who offers Wilson the chance to become cured from his cancer and also gain special abilities. The film is told in a non-linear structure for the first hour or so which can feel a little strange at first, but after a few scenes you grow comfortable with it knowing the chaotic and absurd nature of the character of Deadpool himself, thus a non- linear structure fits the bill.
Ryan Reynolds was absolutely born to play Wade Wilson/Deadpool. Over the last year or so seeing all the marketing material, we have gotten plenty of reasons why he was the perfect fit for him, but I still went in with reasonable expectations. There are a lot of great characters in the film that have fun playing alongside Deadpool, but make no mistake, Reynolds is the star of this film in more ways than one. Reynolds has had difficulties in the past with picking the right roles to fit his strengths, but this is the role that will define his career, and I sure hope he sticks around for awhile.
Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead provide us and Deadpool with the extra heroes and X-Men characters that help Pool against Ajax and crew, but also confirm to the audience that he does have the potential to crossover with the X-Men at some point. Deadpool's banter with them two makes for some of the best comedic relief of the entire script. Not only that, but they served a purpose for the character of Deadpool in his emotional arc of the story and also the physical arc as well.
First time feature film director Tim Miller does a brilliant job bringing a lot of people's favorite comic character to life and Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese do an impeccable job writing the screenplay. I came out of this thoroughly entertained and with a giant smile on my face. Surprisingly, it didn't have anything to do with the well choreographed action sequences, the hilariously placed cameos, or the perfect after credits sequences, but the fact that the writers, producers, director and everyone involved, got this character right. It's only been a few months since Fox messed up another one of their comic book properties but the fact that this film started of the 2016 superhero slate with a bang just makes me happy.
For all intents and purposes, this film is made for nerds, myself being one of them. It's made for those who begged Fox to make a Deadpool film all these years even after Ryan Reynolds got stuck in Green Lantern Hell, another area in which Deadpool enjoyed poking fun at. In reality though, I think everyone can at least enjoy themselves watching the film. They pitched it as a love story for Valentine's Day weekend and you definitely get that. Vanessa and Wade worked well together and a love story that you care about in a superhero film is usually tough to come by. There's something for everyone here, but those who truly care about this character will appreciate it the most. Whether it was presence of the X-mansion, ripping Hugh Jackman/Wolverine, surprising Batman and even Marvel universe nods, the amount of easter eggs are endless. This was the Deadpool film we all wanted to see, and boy did we get it.
+Reynolds is perfect
+Dirty, brutal, and hilarious
+Spot on interpretation of Deadpool
+So many easter eggs
+Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead fit in well
9.2/10