Jack’s review published on Letterboxd:
“Wow, this is such a big house, but I only ever see the two of you here. It's like the studio didn't have enough money for any more X-Men..”
It has been a long time since I last saw Deadpool, and it is difficult to review it honestly in 2024 for a number of reasons. Firstly, Ryan Reynolds has spent the last 8 years regurgitating the Deadpool shtick in countless films, and I’ve long grown weary of him. Secondly, the novelty of Deadpool, an R-rated superhero film released in the peak of the MCU’s popularity has lessened after a sequel, Logan, Birds of Prey, etc. And finally, the formulaic superhero origin story has simply been done to death over the last 20 years.
Deadpool is ultimately harmless, mindless fun. The humour misses a lot more than it hits all these years later, and at times it veers dangerously close into Reddit “le-epic-meme” cringeworthy juvenile humour. But Ryan Reynolds is made for the character of Wade Wilson, and my annoyance at his annoyance in real life is a perfect match for the Merc with a Mouth.
I appreciate the budgetary-required small scope of Deadpool, and the rough around the edges (but still passable) CGI. The narrative is simple, and the stakes are refreshingly non-world threatening. Reynolds is the key to the success of Deadpool, make no mistake; the supporting cast ranges from fine (Karan Soni) to terrible (Gina Carano), the direction is nothing to write home about and the jokes try too hard. Reynolds’ redemption as the titular Deadpool is still a feel-good moment given how mistreated he was in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and his self-deprecating humour towards his past missteps in the comic-book film space are some of the films best moments.
Ultimately, Deadpool is a film that is funnier the younger you are when you watch it. And as a cranky 27 year old, I didn’t find it that funny at all - a bad sign for a film so hinged on it’s humour. But Deadpool does justice to it’s titular character, and deserves its flowers for being something truly different in a sea of overly serious superhero fare at the time.
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_cd26e155-3eb2-43c3-87b5-60b6ffdad872" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-cd26e155-3eb2-43c3-87b5-60b6ffdad872'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-cd26e155-3eb2-43c3-87b5-60b6ffdad872'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-cd26e155-3eb2-43c3-87b5-60b6ffdad872'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_79a1110e-17fe-4df8-ad0b-7aca61b58785" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-79a1110e-17fe-4df8-ad0b-7aca61b58785'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-79a1110e-17fe-4df8-ad0b-7aca61b58785'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-79a1110e-17fe-4df8-ad0b-7aca61b58785'));
