Deadpool

#StokerScore 8/10

I've been waiting to see this movie. Not because it's a Marvel universe movie, nor even that it's a superhero movie, certainly not because it's got Ryan Reynolds in it. No I've been waiting for this because in much the same way I liked Kick Ass and Kingsman I rather like movies that don't take themselves too seriously.

With Superhero movies that can often be the case, they end up dwelling too much on the hero's angst and it has often taken away from the fun that should be inherrent in these kind of films. Marvel/Disney do seem to be doing quite a good job of rubbishing everything I just said but that's still a fairly recent development. 

Deadpool isn't a well-known character. If you'd asked most people prior to the excellent marketing for the movie to tell you anything about the character I'm sure most would have looked a little befuddled. I know the character, but not that well. I was aware he has a propensity for bad language and breaking the fourth wall whereby he often talks to the audience directly, either through the panels of a comic book or in this case through the screen. I was also aware that he knows he's a comic book character and so doesn't really take anything too seriously.

This movie used all of these character habits to a greater or lesser degree and as you can see from the score I gave it they nailed it pretty much spot on, from the irreverent opening credits to the characters behaviour. I'm also not sure that anyone other than Reynolds, who in previous movies could have been accused of egotism, arrogance and downright smarminess at times, could have played the part better.

He is at pains to remind us that he's not a hero, in fact his motives are generally rather unheroic although he obviously has his saving graces. Think Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly or better still Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2 where he ended up in a situation where by trying to help himself, he inadvertently helped others. Deadpool has similar situations thrust on him and walks the line between good and bad himself, more often than not falling onto the latter. When you realise that the character is in fact insane it's nearly akin to expecting The Joker to magnanimously do someone a favour. 

I have to admit that I wasn't expecting too much. I've seen movies well marketed before and turn out to be shockingly bad; League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to name just one, but I have to admit that I found myself laughing at a lot (you're supposed to) and with the exception of Ed Skrein's forgettable bad guy I really enjoyed it. I certainly think the immediately greenlit Deadpool 2 could potentially be even better given the name dropped at the end of this first one and, if they can find any way to link him into Fox's mutant-verse, even as a cameo, it might help Bryan Singer to rely less heavily on Wolverine for screen presence.

If you're looking to have a fun movie experience, don't mind (a lot of) bad language and can get past most of Ryan Reynolds previous movies you're in for a treat.