1249. Deadpool (2016)

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein

Director: Tim Miller

Running Time: 108 mins

Deadpool is an American film about Wade Wilson, who, in an effort to cure his cancer, agrees to be subjected to an experiment that leaves him with super abilities. Armed with his new powers, he goes on the hunt to take revenge on the man who destroyed his life.

This movie is completely mad. Thanks to the brilliantly funny, no-holds-barred brand of comedy that is absolutely everywhere from start to finish, Deadpool is a consistently hilarious comedy, made even better by a very well-written plot, excellent performances, and amazingly-directed action.

Deadpool is a movie made first and foremost for the fans. In comic book lore, he’s the ultimate foul-mouthed, wise-cracking rogue superhero, and the movie takes that character and places him on screen in exactly the same form. Therefore, rather than the more family-friendly, action-oriented superhero movies that dominate the box office nowadays, prepare for something completely different.

Although the story and action are great, and I’ll talk about that in a second, it’s the humour that’s the real stand-out of this movie. There’s so much bad language, and so much adult humour, but in this movie, it works like magic.

I didn’t think Deadpool was the funniest movie ever, but I was laughing on a consistent basis right the way through this movie. The shock value of the swearing, extreme violence, self-referential humour and countless fourth wall breaks didn’t wear off at all, which is testament to just how brilliant a script this film has. Even if you’re not into the world of superheroes, Deadpool can still be a fantastically enjoyable movie just because it’s so funny.

That leads me into talking about Ryan Reynolds, who was amazing in the lead role. He pulls off the chatterbox superhero so well, delivering on the comedic front time and time again, whilst also managing to make a character that really won’t shut up hugely likeable, which again meant that you could keep enjoying the mad comedy right up to the end of the film, because everything that came out of Deadpool’s mouth was just hilarious.

But don’t think that this is just a comedy, because it does shine on the story and action front too. Whilst tying into the X-Men Universe, Deadpool is a very unique superhero movie. It’s not all about saving the world, it’s just a story of a guy who wants to get revenge on a man who completely ruined his life. And because of that, you can actually relate to this guy more so than any other big blockbuster superhero because his determination is so simple and real.

As well as being a revenge story, Deadpool is also a bit of a love story. It’s the revenge that drives the film, but the relationship between Wade Wilson and his old girlfriend is a genuinely believable one (helped by the fact that Reynolds and Morena Baccarin work so well together), and is yet another brilliantly-written plot point that allows you to get more invested in what is a hugely entertaining film.

Finally, let’s talk about Tim Miller’s directing. Despite being his feature debut, Miller has done an absolutely stunning job with Deadpool. Whilst the comedy is the driving force, one of my main takeaways from the film was how brilliant the action was. There could definitely have been less CGI, but when we see Deadpool either in gunfights or hand-to-hand combat, it’s thrilling to watch, getting better and better until the excellent final act, which I absolutely loved, making this one of my favourite superhero movies ever.

Overall, this film is completely off the chain. Its foul-mouthed and self-referential humour are fantastically entertaining to watch right the way through, as is the action and Ryan Reynolds performance, but beyond that, there’s still a brilliant plot that helps to make the film even more exciting, and that’s why I’m giving Deadpool an 8.2.