By Matt Fleming and Jarrod Jones. This is the ANTI-MONITOR podcast, where we don’t have time for your goody two-shoes bullshit, Colossus. This week, Jarrod & Birdy assess ‘Deadpool’, literally the last good movie in the X-Men franchise since ‘First Class’. They talk about Ed Skrein’s career thus far, play a game of “Name that Liefeld” (jump to 38:37), and generally overindulge in all this wanton R-rated language.
As always, be wary for spoilers throughout, and please enjoy.
Image: 20th Century Fox
ANTI-MONITOR — MATT: It’s hard to believe that in 2016 it’s still possible to deliver a proper Rated-R superstar, but thanks to the persistence of Ryan Reynolds and the faith of Fox Studios, we got one of the best flicks of the year. Sure, the origins of “The Merc With A Mouth” have been, eh, murky to say the least. And after a very loud misfire, it seemed Fox was terrified to take a damn chance on Wad Wilson, but the end result is one of the funniest, well-structured comic book movies we experienced in 2016. Deadpool is the hero we deserve.
Not only did Ryan Reynolds redeem his previous missteps in superherodom, he cemented himself as an anti-hero icon. His performance in and out of the red suit is phenomenal, bolstered by a killer script and a sheer desire to bring audiences a side of comics for which they have clearly been clamoring. While the movie has several bits that aren’t great (especially in the second act), it miraculously fixes itself whenever it drags or wanes. The tie to the massive X-Men franchise is subtle enough, and the self-referential humor is spot-on, making Deadpool an effective satire on the entire genre. Hell, the entire opening sequence should be locked in a vault or taught to film students as an exercise in getting filmgoers hyped.
ANTI-MONITOR — JARROD: A truly subversive movie to come out of a skittish Hollywood studio? It happened. Deadpool is a prime example of how incredible a comic book movie can be once its producers leave it the hell alone. All the stars aligned for Wade Wilson, the most unlikely comic book character to ever launch a mega-franchise: An A-list star gravitated towards the property and its fanbase was reliably insistent on getting the character right, so the studio, feeling the slag of its X-Men franchise, acquiesced to making it.
Of course, Deadpool is only as good as it is because of its limited budget, and because 20th Century Fox leaving it the hell alone, largely because it expected the movie to fail. Luckily, we’re getting another one of these. Deadpool is as funny as a birthday hat on a grizzly bear.
Image: 20th Century Fox
CONSENSUS: We love you, Ryan Reynolds. All is forgiven. 8 out of 10
Before: “We Owe A Lifedebt To ‘THE PHANTOM MENACE’,” here.
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