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When it comes to offensive material in movies, the line keeps getting pushed further and further out. Gross-out gags, profanity for profanity’s sake, and ultra-violence are the norm in certain genres, but the majority of the time those elements only seem to be there to cover up storytelling or filmmaking deficiencies.
Not so in Deadpool, which manages to maintain its wit and charm despite being offensive as hell. Ryan Reynolds stars as the titular anti-superhero — real name: Wade Wilson — a mercenary who’s subjected to a torturous experiment that allows him to develop supernatural healing powers, at the expense of having his entire body look like melted cheese.
The film, helmed by first-time feature director Tim Miller, jumps back and forth in time. It trails Deadpool as he tries to hunt Ajax (Ed Skrein), who inflicted much of the pain on him, while also showing earlier, happier times with girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Bridging both worlds is a friendship with Weasel (T.J. Miller), the bartender at the bar full of rogues which Wade/Deadpool frequents.
What is a constant throughout, though, is a stream of never-ending jokes. It starts in the title sequence, which eschews actual names for insults for everybody from Miller to Reynolds, and Wade/Deadpool carries it on, as his sense of humor and mouth have no off buttons. Not all the jokes land, but the vast majority of them do, leaving the audience bludgeoned by an avalanche of comedy.
That theme transfers over to the film’s multiple violent scenes. What Miller and his team, which includes the writers of Zombieland, understand is how to keep the balance between being too inane and too serious. It could be that Deadpool cracks wise even while carrying out his dastardly deeds, or that the bloodshed is gratuitous without being off-putting. But somehow the filmmakers found a way to appeal to a broad audience without treating us like we’re idiots.
They also provide a ton of fan service, referencing both real and movie world events. Deadpool is related to the X-Men universe, with two characters — Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead — making appearances here. Jokes made at the expense of Deadpool’s ill-fated appearance in a previous X-Men film and of Reynolds’ own checkered superhero past are among the funniest in the whole movie.
The biggest reason for the film’s success is the inherent charisma of Reynolds — his good looks don't even figure into the equation. He utilizes multiple funny approaches, including “breaking the fourth wall” (i.e., talking directly to the audience), making it next to impossible to be disgusted by anything he does, even when he does distasteful things. It was Reynolds’ passion for the project that led to its finally seeing the light of day, and he appears to be relishing every second of it.
After a month and a half of stinkers, Deadpool is finally the first movie of 2016 worth paying money to see in the theaters. It’s an equal-opportunity offender, and it’s completely awesome.
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Movie Review
Movie Review
One reason the majority of movies based on video games have failed is because their filmmakers didn’t understand how to translate the appeal of the game to the relatively-limited storytelling ability of film. Players can often spend hundreds of hours in the world of a video game, and trying to condense that experience down into 90-120 minutes is close to an impossible task.
Minecraft, a sandbox adventure game which contains countless possibilities for its players, turns out to be the exact right type of game to turn into a movie, at least in the proper hands. A Minecraft Movie is completely and gloriously ridiculous from beginning to end, with the filmmakers — led by director Jared Hess — understanding that to make a movie about a game in which (almost) anything can happen, you have to match that energy.
And so they tell an uproarious story in which Steve (Jack Black) is a miner on Earth who discovers a portal to the Overworld (aka the world of Minecraft) where everything from animals to plants to food is made up of blocks. After getting trapped in the Nether, a dangerous, hell-like dimension, he sends his trusty dog back to Earth with the cube that opens the portal between Earth and the Overworld.
Through a hilarious series of events too detailed to properly explain here, the cube falls into the hands of ‘80s video game legend Garett Garrison (Jason Momoa). When Henry (Sebastian Hansen), a 14-year-old who’s just moved to town with his sister, Natalie (Emma Myers), discovers the cube at Garett’s store, the two of them - along with Natalie and local realtor Dawn (Danielle Brooks) - get pulled into the Overworld as well.
Usually when a film is written by a team of five writers, as is the case here, it’s a sign that the screenplay will be less than cohesive. While they didn’t manage to come up with a comprehensible story, they do fill the running time with as many gags as possible, a strategy that pays off handsomely. Taking the creative ethos of Minecraft and amplifying it immeasurably, the film features too many off-the-wall jokes to know where to begin.
The connections between the human characters are about as random as can be, and yet due to the nature of the “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” approach, they develop a strong bond nonetheless. Steve and Garett are both pompous characters whose egos are the sources for much of their humor. Henry and Natalie bring the heart, while Dawn complements the group well despite not really fitting in with everyone else.
Of course, the whole point of making A Minecraft Movie is to pay tribute to the game, and they are able to throw plenty of bones to the gamers while still entertaining anyone who’s never played it. They incorporate the essentials of the game like building massive structures, crafting items, and interacting with creatures (aka mobs), but in such a fun and engaging way that it doesn’t really matter if a lot of it doesn’t make complete sense.
Black’s style of acting is one you either love or hate, and this might be the epitome of a Jack Black performance. He dials up virtually every line he delivers, a manic tour-de-force that sets the tone for everyone and everything else in the film. Momoa is also great, delving into comedy in a way he rarely has before and succeeding mightily. Hansen and Myers both work well, giving the film the youthful feel it required, and while Brooks is mostly along for the ride, she gets in a few good scenes of her own.
Could A Minecraft Movie now take the throne as the best adaptation of a video game ever? That’s purely subjective, but the way Hess and his team put the pedal to the metal from minute one and never let up, it certainly deserves to be part of the conversation. It’s a silly, fast-moving romp that works both as an homage to the game and as a stand-alone movie.
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A Minecraft Movie opens in theaters on April 4.