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Deadpool (2016) Film Review

With so many superheroes out there these days you really don’t know what to expect when a Distributor invites you to a screening of yet another Marvel comic book character on film. Now if you are like this film reviewer did not read a lot of comics you are on the back foot to begin with. No doubt there were people in the audience who had read the comic that Deadpool movie originates from but I can happily say if you have not you will enjoy this film.Starring Ryan Reynolds (Woman In Gold) as our superhero ‘Deadpool’ we are taken on a journey of self-discovery. The old phrase ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is a lesson that our anti superhero learns by the end of the film and the people that count in his life will accept him for.

The storyline is, ex- Special Forces operative Wade Wilson (Reynolds) meets an attractive girl Vanessa (Morena Baccarin – Homeland) in a bar and they embark on a relationship that begins to get serious. Just as it reaches this point Reynolds discovers he has terminal cancer throwing their relationship into jeopardy. With no cure in site, Reynolds resorts to a radical experiment offered to him by strangers under the belief that his cancer can be cured. The experiment does give him healing properties but also goes horribly wrong in other areas. Reynolds finds himself on a quest to ‘fix’ what has gone so horribly wrong with his body by hunting down those that were responsible for the experiment. By ‘those’ the key villain is played by a character named Ajax (Ed Skrein – Game of Thrones) who has a strange relationship with depriving people of oxygen and some interesting healing properties himself.

Someone with great healing powers could come in handy to a group we have all come to know as X-Men but our ‘hero’ of the day has other plans as mentioned and he is actually the ‘anti-hero for the most part of the film. So if you are looking for a Marvel film that has a ‘superhero’ that is going to save the world, Deadpool is not your guy in this feature.

What is important to know from here is the screenplay written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick is a winner. The lines are delivered well by Reynolds and they leave you laughing in your seats as the action and I must admit violence unfolds (this is not a little kids film).The soundtrack (Junkie XL) that accompanies the movie is also in keeping with the tone of an action film. There is no chance of you falling asleep in this film.

Director Tim Miller in his first full length feature film debut has in my view succeeded where a lot of directors often fail at, incorporating flashback sequences but still retaining the audience’s sense of continuity. This is particularly well navigated with Reynolds narration in a comic delivery. Miller has certainly made an impact on his first big time feature outing. With very funny opening and closing credits, my film review conclusion is that I recommend you see ‘Deadpool’ on the big screen, I know I may even go back for a second helping.