“X Gon’ Give It To Ya.” Thoughts on Deadpool

Deadpool (2016)

Directed By: Tim Miller

For Galentine’s Day, I spent my night watching the movie, Deadpool, with two very special girls in my life. In a gender defined society, one would assume that women like to watch films on romance and girly things when Valentine’s Day is coming up. Nope, that’s not what we were interested in. We wanted to see violence, explosions, raunchy comedy, and immoral behavior because that is what girls want!

Wade Wilson joins a special experimentation project that is capable of curing his cancer as an act of desperation to prolong his life with his girlfriend, Vanessa Carlysle. It just so happens that what he signed up for was actually a program to sell man-made mutant slaves to powerful people. As a result, Wade Wilson (Deadpool) is out for revenge against Ajax, (whose real name is Francis Freeman) the man who destroyed his face.

To be honest, the plot was straightforward, but there wasn’t anything interesting about it. A man is seeking vengeance against an antagonist that caused him pain and suffering, and it just so happens that the antagonist kidnaps the man’s lover, as a wager for the final showdown. (But I guess that’s the plot you will get on a budget.) It’s a typical formula used in superhero films. However, the beauty of this type of plot in this particular film is that Deadpool isn’t the type of goody-two-shoes superhero we are known to see in other franchises. Deadpool does whatever he wants, not for the good of other people, but for his own personal benefits. Hence, Deadpool is a superhero we can easily relate to because let’s be real, some of us are actually selfish and do things that put us at the top regardless of the well-being of others.

Also, it is interesting to see how Deadpool takes on the issues of beauty. Wade Wilson is a man with a handsome face, in which his appearance may be one of the factors that got him the girl, Vanessa Carlysle. Yet when Ajax puts him in the airtight chamber that lowers and raises oxygen levels, it left Wade’s entire body disfigured. Wade looks like a monster and he realizes his horrid appearance when people started giving him blank stares on the streets. As a result, Wade becomes self-conscious and does not try to reunite with Vanessa due to being worried about how she will react to his monstrous appearance.

Despite a standard plot, the strength of the film comes from the comedic antics and characterization of Deadpool. I enjoyed the raunchy jokes and the fourth-wall commentary. It really makes you feel like you are part of the film. I will never look at Ajax and unicorns the same way again. Ryan Reynolds was destined to play Deadpool and I think it will be the role that defines his acting career.

Furthermore, this film shows the problems that average superheroes have to face. I mean, he had to make his own superhero suit, he has to take a taxi in order to do his superhero duties, and he always seems to forget his weapons and tools. He forgot his gun bag, twice. These moments may be for comedic purposes, but it does give some insight into the superhero business when you are not funded or sponsored by the government to do heroic assignments. Being a superhero is a tough job.

On a side note, though, I like the little side story of Colossus and his trainee, Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Colossus appears in many of the X-men franchise movies but doesn’t get enough screen time even though he should be considered an important member of the X-Men. So it was nice to see that he got some action and dialogue.  Also, it is great to see members of the X-Men in a more light-hearted role.

In the words of DMX, Deadpool really did give it to us.

5/5