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Deadpool
Fox // R // February 12, 2016
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Fandango]

Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick don't try to complicate matters with an elaborate plot, deliberately modifying the structure of an origin story with comical -- and surprisingly affecting -- nudges and winks at what the audience might be expecting. Yes, the focus falls on a down-and-out antihero, Wade Wilson (Reynolds), whose military experience has derailed into a life of semi-valiant deeds as a mercenary, specializing in punishing bad guys with his brutality and snarky charm. Things were going well for Wilson, even leading to a tender relationship with a local escort, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), until he discovers that he has terminal cancer that's spread throughout his body. Desperate, Wilson humors a proposition from a suspicious individual claiming that his procedure -- to be performed by svelte back-alley scientist Ajax (Ed Skrien) -- will not only cure the cancer, but empower the mercenary with new abilities. What Wade doesn't know is the methodology, the underlying reason for the program, and the degree to which the process will transform his body, leaving him barely-recognizable and seeking a cure from those who made him like that.
That isn't where Deadpool begins, though, which actually starts in the moments before our red-and-black, spandex-wearing hero chats with the audience before unleashing his fury upon a fast-moving SUV, a modified take on that test footage that truly ignited interest in the character's standalone film. Director Tim Miller pieces together Wilson's origin story through a series of flashbacks amid brutal bouts of violence, unafraid to lop off heads, demolish limbs, and chalk up a bodycount while the Merc with a Mouth

Thankfully, while Deadpool messes around with the machinations of a standard superhero origin story (not unlike that of Wolverine's, oddly enough), the humor rarely falls flat. Despite this being a story about a guy with terminal cancer and a murderous streak, it rarely takes itself seriously. Powered by Ryan Reynolds' pitch-perfect comedic timing as the jubilant Wade Wilson, the character's rancorous conversations with his enemies and toward the fourth wall achieve their desired result, drawing the audience to laugh at how he's meta-contextually poking fun at the genre status quo -- even at himself -- instead of relying on the method as nothing more than a gimmick. Ever pointing out that he's not an everyday hero, Deadpool eventually collides with a pair of semi-traditional X-Men, Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), putting him face-to-face with abandoning his vigilantism for a greater good. The ways he resists and turns the tide on that nobility probably aren't things that younger comic-book audiences should be absorbing, but there's a lot of wit in how Deadpool rebelliously navigates the valiant CG man of metal and a "reformed" gloomy teenage firecracker.
There is something Deadpool does take seriously, though, and that's relationship between Wade Wilson and his girl, Vanessa. From a clever (and sexy!) progression through the seasons of their budding romance to the mercenary's response to hearing about his cancer diagnosis, the script fleshes out the emotional core of this idiosyncratic superhero with care, ensuring that there's enough substance underneath the suit to keep him from being nothing but crass quips and bloodshed

Deadpool operates in a constant state of escalation and volatility, whether it's the action or the meta-commentary spilling from the Merc with a Mouth, never sitting still across its well-paced rush up to a chaotic conclusion full of flying blades, energy bursts, and a very irritated Gina Carano. Director Miller telegraphs shrewdly-photographed combat and impressive visual effects that defy a modest $60-million budget, filled with plenty of bluster within the film's constrained scope and a lot of smart, restrained computer work in bringing the powers and appearances of the mutants to life. The action continues to deliver in spades across its 110-minute runtime, but so does the writing as it stays true to the spirit of the antihero, complimenting each uptick in brisk activity with another interjection of Deadpool's unyielding style and absurdity, even being so bold as to mock the film itself. The unpredictable end result resembles what has made the comic-book character rise in popularity over the past twenty-plus years, striking that delicate balance between parody and working well as an installment in its respective genre. This chimichanga was worth the wait.
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