DEADPOOL (2016) Movie Review

The new Marvel film, Deadpool is so brilliantly written and acted that it wasted no time overreaching its young competitor, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I haven’t laughed so hard in years. Every moment of those 108 minutes spends packed with irony, humor, action, romance and suspense. Eleven years of brainstorming shines through.

Unlike its serious, often tragic predecessors, Deadpool serves as the unconventional, goofy cousin in the Marvel family. Unconventional, however, is not exclusive to inspired. Underneath its unconventional shell lies a very real and relatable love story.

Hero Deadpool begins as mercenary Wade Wilson, an ordinary man with a pretty face, terrible health, and a fortunate love life. He falls madly in love with Vanessa, the girl of his dreams. They are extremely compatible, adventurous, and realistic. The perfect unfolding of their relationship almost seems too good to be true. And it is.

Until the unthinkable happens. He faces the ultimate test of his love. His gorgeous body is riddled with cancer, a very real and relatable tragedy of this world. The feeling of hopelessness and fear Reynolds portrays is almost too devastating to bear. Despite Vanessa’s unfaltering resolve to stand by his side, his own resolve fails.

He tells himself he could not force her into this terrible experience as he walks away from her and down an unrealistic path of outlandish promises of strength, immortality, and glory. He immediately discovers it is a path of lies and feels the regret of his decision. Though granted immortality, but it comes at a terrible price. He is enslaved, tortured, and stripped of his physical beauty.

What begins as an excuse not to cause her pain becomes a crippling fear of rejection due to his physical appearance, even though he should know better. True love looks to inner beauty. His face does not matter to her at all.

It’s a lesson he takes far too long to learn, but once learned he is able to focus on rebuilding his life in a positive way. He can commit to love, find his purpose with the X-Men, and continue to help people. He has a long way to go. I look forward to seeing his progress occur in the pending sequel.

It would be an understatement to recommend this film, because it is more than a film. It is a cathartic and uplifting experience. It is food for the soul. It is the ultimate escape. It is a strong life lesson of inner beauty versus outer beauty.