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Nothing that transpires in “Deadpool” is all that unique yet how the story is told sets it apart from
the norm. Deadpool resembles a cross between Spider-Man and Ant-Man yet, you know, more
profane and full of nasty quips. There are too many jokes and his motormouth skills (Merc with
Mouth) and rapid-fire zingers are like quotation marks that fill the screen and make you laugh in
spite of yourself. When Deadpool’s legs and hands are broken by a solid hulk of an X-Man
named Colossus, Deadpool’s only reaction is to make reference to “127 Hours.” Most
superheroes may not care if the supervillain dies but this character is one of the few who doesn’t
seem to care too much about himself – of course, that is the joke because cutting off one
appendage or breaking a bone only leads to regeneration. Armed with two katanas and several
firearms, Deadpool leaves a bloody trail wherever he goes. Though a lot of the hyperviolence
can get repetitious, Reynolds’ bravura performance and litany of curses keep the movie afloat.
When Deadpool isn’t joking around or killing people, he jumps around like a wired-on-espressoand-cocaine jack rabbit – the guy cannot sit still for long even when caressing an elderly blind
roommate with his slowly regenerating hand. He is one of the few that doesn’t just do a doubletake, he does a quadruple take.
“Deadpool” lampoons everything about the movie you are watching – it is like having Deadpool
sitting next to you and commenting on the action he is performing on the screen and out of it, a
hyperactive 3D black comedy of epic superhero proportions. It is the meta of all metas, the first
truly postmodernist superhero movie that tells you, “hey, stop taking these movies so seriously
comic-book nerds!” Yet despite its goofiness and self-reflectiveness, Reynolds and Baccarin lend
the movie and their characters a touch of humanity and some gravitas and they have unbreakable
chemistry. One can’t help but feel remorse for Wade when he discovers he has cancer or when
he is tortured to such a grueling degree. This is a superhero movie for people who love and/or
hate superhero movies, smoothly directed by an overpaid tool, that is debuting director Tim
Miller. As for Reynolds, it is a solid corrective to his bland “Green Lantern.”
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