Deadpool

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*As usual…spoilers ahead”

One of the most surprising and best films of 2016 so far is Deadpool. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld in 1991 and debuting in The New Mutants #98, this character has a long history and is one of the most popular in Marvel’s line of mutant characters. In recent years the character has taken on a more adult sensibility and added large amounts of over the top humor to make the fans want a movie adaptation for some time.

We did get to see Wade Wilson/Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and even though Ryan Reynolds showed us the potential for the character earlier in the film the ending dashed all hopes at the time (just watch the ending of the film to see why so many people abhor it). Despite all this Reynolds still wanted a Deadpool solo movie so he could do justice to the character and give us a much better interpretation of the ‘Merc with a Mouth”.

20th Century Fox seemed to have zero desire to greenlight this film based on the previous movie’s reception, but that did not deter Reynolds. Test footage was leaked in 2014 that showed a hilarious, action packed scene that gave fans the Deadpool we all wanted to see. this caught the attention of Fox and the movie was finally greenlit  and the world is better for it!

What we got was a dirty, foul mouthed, action packed movie that broke all sorts of box-office records for an R-rated film and gave the audience the Deadpool we all wanted and deserved. The beginning of the money shows us the finalized scene of the test footage that went viral and was an amazing way to start the film. The violence, over the top humor, and amazing action got this movie off to the right start and let the audience know up front that they were in for a treat.

Ryan Reynolds has finally found the role of his career so far. He is simply hilarious and knows the character inside and out which gives us an incredible performance. There is no one that could of played this character any better.

The cast is solid overall, but the one who really sticks out is T.J. Miller as Weasel who is Wilson’s best friend. He delivers some classic lines in his unique way that only adds to the humor of the movie and makes it that much better overall.

I also enjoyed Deadpool’s sidekicks Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus (Brianna Hildebrand and Stefan Kapicic respectively). Both performers played their roles perfectly and held their own despite the outstanding performance of Reynolds.

Every moment of this film is fun, exciting, and leaves you wanting more when the movie is done. The post credits scene is very memorable as well showing Deadpool’s homage to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off while letting the audience know that there will be a sequel featuring Cable which we have seen in the comics as a hilarious duo.

I cannot stress more that this is a very adult movie. With heavy violence and gore, very adult language, nudity and sex, this is a movie that young children should not see. I only stress this because I heard several stories about the movie’s theatrical run with many an ignorant parent bringing their children to see the film because a “superhero” is in it only to complain over the content. FYI…it is R-rated for a reason.

If you are not too sensitive to adult material and are looking for a fun movie with big laughs then go to the store and buy a copy on blu-ray. You will not be disappointed.

Green Lantern

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Green Lantern was a much maligned movie that I feel very strongly did not deserve the poor reviews it received. Was it a great movie? No. Was it bad like Ghost Rider? No. It was a very entertaining film that had more good moments than bad.

The positive…

I felt that Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern was a good fit. I do agree with a lot of people that Nathan Fillion would have been better, but with Reynolds they got a very well known actor who did a good job in the role.

Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond was another strong point. You did feel sympathy for him regarding his strained relationship with his father, but he was a creepy villain that you definitely wanted to see get his behind kicked.

Possibly the best part of the movie was Mark Strong as Sinestro. He is not yet the villain, but Strong did a masterful job of portraying a complex character and giving just the right amount of nuance to hint at his eventual turn in future movies.

The not so positive…

Parallax…the main issue is the CGI was just not up to par. He looked too cartoony at times. Also, he is a major villain who affects Hal Jordan in a major way  in the comics and having been relegated to just a one-off in this first movie seemed a real waste. Parallax is a nemesis that should have been built up to in future movies for a much more dramatic final battle.

Blake Lively as Carol Ferris was sort of eh..she was not terrible, but her portrayal of Ferris could have been much better especially since this a major character in the Green Lantern universe and goes though many interesting changes.

The most unfortunate situation with the mostly negative reaction to the movie is we will not get any sequels. Seeing Sinestro’s full turn in a second movie would have been amazing, but we will have too settle for only a small scene in the credits. With a full-on, bad guy Sinestro, the second movie could have taken a huge leap forward in quality in many people’s eyes. I really feel a second movie could have righted the ship for many people and perhaps made this a more viable franchise.

With Warner Bros./DC pushing ahead with a Justice League movie I really hope they include the character of Green Lantern. He is an important part of the League and whether they recast Hal Jordan or go with the John Stewart version, I sincerely hope they do not leave this character out due to the solo movie’s negative reception.

It is a good movie that deserves a viewing no matter what you may have heard about it.