'Blu-ray or Bust' - DEADPOOL

'Blu-ray or Bust'

DEADPOOL (2016, R, 108 minutes, MARVEL STUDIOS/20th CENTURY FOX)

Almost eight years ago, a smart mouthed guy encased in iron redefined the superhero movie.  It reinvigorated a genre that had become stale and overindulgent (SPIDER MAN II & III), and incorporated something into the mix we had not yet experienced: a sense of humor.

This year has already seen the release of sequels to the Superman and Captain America franchises—and not too many giggles from that bunch.  No, if you want humor, stay away from the stony-faced Man of Steel, the Apocalyptic Mutants (from the upcoming X-MEN sequel), and the stalwart Captain.  Instead, boys and girls, seek out ‘The Merc With a Mouth’.

Ryan Reynolds gone and done something…well, kinda special.  He took a superhero, stuck it in a blender with gore, bad language, and boobies, added a liberal amount of violence and hilarity, and turned that sucker on high.  WITHOUT the lid on.  He plays Wade Wilson, a muscle-for-hire that finds out he has terminal cancer.  In order to save his fiancé from the heartbreak of watching him die slowly, he undergoes a process that cures his cancer but leaves him scarred and pretty freaking ugly.  He goes after the “scientist” that messed up his good looks (but gave him the ability to heal from any injury), and he does so with a grandiose sense of insanity and moral disengagement that makes my inner, psychotic child scream for more.

One of the things that sets this apart from your typical superhero flick is the fact that everyone holds their own with the smartass hero.  Vanessa (the beautiful and hilarious Morena Baccarin of “Firefly” and “Homeland” fame), his rather enthusiastic girlfriend, matches his wit and crassness with her own special charms; Weasel, played by comedian T.J. Miller, would normally be called the “comic relief” of the film—but that could also be said of everyone else, including the sassy “Blind Al” (Leslie Uggams, an industry veteran of TV and film), Wade’s blind roommate/landlord who keeps the insults and attitude fresh.

Basically, the movie is kinda freaking awesome.  And the Special Features are some of the best; there are deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, and a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes that make up almost a feature-length film.  Plus, you get “Deadpool’s Fun Sack”—almost every brilliant piece of marketing released before the film, from PSA’s to the web teasers from last Christmas.  This is literally hours of extra stuff that would borderline on overkill if it wasn’t so much dang fun.

There is a reason (actually, there are at least twenty-two, but we don’t have enough space for the full list) this movie has grossed over $754 million.  Percentage wise, it has made the studio more money than any other superhero film this year—when you figure that it was made for less than sixty million, and made more than THIRTEEN TIMES that much, you know the studio stumbled upon something special.  And keep in mind that “stumbling upon” translates to “practically blackmailed by Reynolds and director Tim Miller”. 

A sequel is in the works—which is actually good news.  This film is a different take on the genre that provides a nice break from the seriousness of other superheroes always trying to save the world.  It is rather refreshing to see one just trying to save his girlfriend, not to mention himself. 

Even if he is a butthole.

Film Grade: A

Special Features: A

Blu-ray Necessary: Abso-freakin’-lutely

T.S. Kummelman