Review | Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool is a thrilling ride – as long as you’re a fan of w**king jokes

For those of us who bothered with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, you’ll have met Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool before. 7 years later and the concept of the character has changed somewhat, however, and we’re now presented with the character more in line with the comics’ original designs: Our antihero is unhinged, neurotic and quick-witted (well, depending on how funny you find wanking gags).

Deadpool is the black-sheep of the X-Men franchise. In this story of revenge, Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool, seeks revenge for the man who took away his good looks and left him burnt and alone. The action is revolting, crude and ultraviolent and we’re given a hero we should never really be getting on board with (due to his inane habit of slaughtering masses of people). Unlike your typical superhero film, this is not family friendly.

It’s the general rule in big budget action flicks that our protagonist is as heterosexual as they are heroic. In the run up to Deadpool’s release, it was made known that Wade Wilson was to be presented as the first openly pansexual superhero in mainstream cinema.

Unfortunately, as refreshing as the idea of being shown anything but your usual, straight male superhero is, in the finished product, it remains as little more than marketing buzz. There are moments in the script where possibly, Deadpool hints at the ideas of his sexual fluidity, but it’s all hidden under light-hearted humour – there’s nothing to explicitly suggest that he’s pansexual without being something that could also be passed off merely as a joke. It doesn’t help that the film’s core plot is a somewhat generic heterosexual love story. It’s your simple boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy gets superpowers, boy goes to save girlfriend story.

While not all of the gags are quite as funny as they think they are, Deadpool’s inability to take itself seriously is also what makes it a refreshing watch. And after a series of mediocre film choices (including 2011’s underwhelming The Green Lantern), Reynolds really takes a moment to show his Hollywood worth. His comic timing, blends perfectly with the writing and he oozes sexuality even through his red suit.

The one thing that’s really missing here is a real lack of a strong antagonist, the handsome Ed Skrein gives his all as mutant-maker Ajax, but there’s nothing truly threatening about his character, as he feels, ultimately, like a villain’s henchman, rather than the big bad he’s supposed to be.

But for all its flaws, Deadpool is a refreshing, fun and thrilling experience and if you can put up with the sheer amount of dick jokes, it’ll leave you wanting more.

Rating: 3/5

Words: Joe Passmore

‘Deadpool’ hits UK screens on Wednesday, February 10.

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