The Case for Pooling the Dead

Its no surprise that I loved Deadpool as it has been the surprise hit of the Kiwi Summer and a surprise hit around the world.

Perhaps “surprise” is not quite the word: I was always keen to see a wise cracking, R-rated super hero flick so I always had every intention of going.  The studios were caught by surprise though, underestimating how much that would appeal to the general public.  And that the film itself is great.

Deadpool owes a lot of its appeal to Ryan Reynolds, reprising the role and remoulding it into a crude smart ar$e with super powers, and great abs underneath a scarred exterior.  He is ably supported by a small yet dedicated cast, including the gorgeous Morena Baccarin as his soul mate.  They all zing together and click in every way that matters, but it is Reynolds who drives things and keeps things on track.

The story weaves all over the place: forwards and backwards through time, through the fourth wall and back to confines of the fantasy movie genre.  Like a lot of comedies, some of the jokes miss, but a lot hit, especially for the fan boy audience who will know all the superhero movies that are referenced.  And there were plenty of things I didn’t get either, and had to be reminded of afterwards.

The cruder the humour, sometimes the funnier it is.  The violence can be pretty gory, sure, but I am used to that watching Tarantino films.  And other films such as the Revenant (how many times have a name checked that film?) feel more painful and vicious than the cartoon violence and improbable gun wielding that goes on in this film. 

To explore some of the jokes is to perhaps ruin some of the film, so I won’t go into that here. 

And I am not saying that the film is perfect: it dragged a little at times, and there are those comedic misses that had crickets chirping away in my head.

But overall, the film is brilliantly entertaining and well worth more than one watch.

Well done, Mr Reynolds.  Well done.

Verdict: Deadpool is everything the trailers promised and more.  Rude and violent and with a sense of humour to help get through all that, Ryan Reynolds shines and superhero movies may never be the same again.  9 chimichangas out of 10.