Deadpool promises successful reprise
To say Ryan Reynolds has had a rough time playing roles in tights and capes is an understatement — he was in a terrible attempt of bringing the Green Lantern to the screen, he was the Hannibal King in the more than rough-around-the-edges Blade: Trinity and in X-Men Origins: Wolverine — a film that anyone would have trouble finding at least one good thing to say about. His first time playing the character Deadpool was so grossly distorted, it was unrecognizable. However, Reynolds is getting a second shot at the character, and it looks promising.
In Marvel’s latest release of Deadpool, Reynolds plays the Merc with a Mouth, also known as Deadpool. For those who are unsure who this character is, the best way to describe him is a raunchy, hilarious, charismatic and straight-up bizarre mercenary who treats the fourth wall like it was never there to begin with. He’s not a hero, but he’s not a villain either; he simply does what he wants.
Deadpool is about Wade Wilson, who develops near-inoperable cancer and goes through a risky operation that gives him superhuman healing powers. The treatment cures him, but his new benefactors have ulterior, evil motives that include turning him into a slave, and the treatment leaves his entire body scarred and disfigured and turns his mind unstable. In order to exact revenge on the people who left him debatably worse for wear, he develops an alter ego named Deadpool: a masked vigilante who is lethal, nearly indestructible and simply refuses to shut his mouth.
Deadpool is an efficient killing machine and leaves a trail of bodies wherever he goes … right before making a crude set of jokes to lighten the mood. This will likely be the strength of the movie, as it will do what X-Men Origins: Wolverine failed to do with the character — let him talk. It seems like common sense to let a character whose nickname is “the Merc with a Mouth” to actually open his mouth and let viewers see why he’s earned the nickname, and thankfully, Marvel realizes this. Reynolds is a funny guy, and it seems like the movie is going to let him simply do his thing on screen, which will be a treat for the audience. He’s waited a long time to make this movie, and he plans on making the character something moviegoers won’t forget anytime soon.
This movie is also a treat for comic book fans who can’t get enough of Deadpool, since the movie has the potential to create a faithful representation straight from the comics. With the last showing of the character, however, this isn’t saying much, as it’s hard to go anywhere but up from rock bottom. If the trailers prove anything, this character dismantles the fourth wall, is weird but lovable and can be a mercilessly effective killing machine without taking anything seriously. In other words, this is copy and pasted right from the comic books, which is great news for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
The only potential drawback to this movie is that it could be trying too hard to wash their hands clean of the previous portrayal of the character. If it hasn’t been made clear by now, the last time Deadpool was on a screen was horrifically awful. The trailers alone will make someone laugh, but nobody likes a movie that panders to the crowd for cheap laughs. It’s easy to see that the character is meant to be funny, but the danger here is trying too hard to prove their point. This is unlikely, as Reynolds would have easily dropped the project and waited on a better attempt before making another inaccurate and just plain bad attempt at playing the character.
Deadpool is shaping up to be the contender for the funniest movie that Marvel has made to date. Marvel has proven that they can make movies alternative to the superhero genre with the sleeper hit Guardians of the Galaxy, and Deadpool looks to be like the next alternative movie that moviegoers who are sick of the stereotypical superhero movie will want to see. Anyone tiredsick of the capes and do-gooders who want to see a funny, action-packed movie with a very out-there character will want to see Deadpool this Friday. To quote the man himself, “This is a different kind of superhero story.”