Deadpool (film)
Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is a spin-off of the X-Men film series and its eighth installment overall. Directed by Tim Miller and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, it stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role alongside Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, and Brianna Hildebrand. In the film, Wade Wilson hunts the man who gave him mutant abilities and a scarred physical appearance, becoming the antihero Deadpool.
Not to be confused with The Dead Pool.Deadpool
- Ryan Reynolds
- Morena Baccarin
- Ed Skrein
- T. J. Miller
- Gina Carano
- Brianna Hildebrand
Ken Seng
- February 8, 2016 (Le Grand Rex)
- February 12, 2016 (United States)
108 minutes[1]
United States
English
$58 million[2]
$782.8 million[2]
Development of a Deadpool film starring Reynolds began in February 2004, before he played the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Reese and Wernick were hired for a spin-off in 2010, and worked with Reynolds to adapt the character more faithfully (including his fourth wall breaking) after the portrayal in Wolverine was criticized. Miller was hired in 2011. An enthusiastic response to leaked test footage he created with Reynolds led to a greenlight from Fox in 2014. Additional casting began in early 2015, and principal photography took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, from March to May of that year. Several vendors provided visual effects for the film, ranging from the addition of blood and gore to the creation of the CGI character Colossus.
Deadpool premiered at the Le Grand Rex in Paris on February 8, 2016, and was released in the United States on February 12, after an unconventional marketing campaign. The film achieved both financial and critical success. It earned $782.8 million against a $58 million budget, becoming the ninth-highest grossing film of 2016 and breaking numerous records, including the highest-grossing film in the X-Men series and the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time. Critics praised Reynolds' performance, the film's style, and faithfulness to the comics, along with its action sequences, though some criticized the plot as formulaic and were divided on the film's adult humor. It received many awards and nominations, including two Critics' Choice awards and two Golden Globe nominations.
A sequel, Deadpool 2, was released on May 2018 to comparable critical and commercial success. Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the character's film rights were returned to Marvel Studios alongside the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Deadpool & Wolverine, a third film starring Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, which will integrate the characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), is scheduled for release on July 26, 2024, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.
Plot[edit]
As the wisecracking and foul-mouthed masked vigilante Deadpool, Wade Wilson ambushes Ajax and a convoy of his men on an expressway. Throughout the ambush, Wade shows the viewer the events leading to how he became Deadpool. After being dishonorably discharged as a Canadian special forces operative, Wade works as a freelance mercenary until he meets a prostitute named Vanessa. They become romantically involved, and a year later, she accepts his marriage proposal. Wade is later diagnosed with terminal cancer, and he leaves Vanessa without warning so she will not have to watch him die.
A mysterious recruiter approaches Wade and offers him an experimental treatment for his cancer. He is taken to a laboratory run by Ajax and Angel Dust, who inject him with a serum designed to awaken latent mutant genes in his body. They subject Wade to days of torture to trigger any mutation he may have without success. When Wade discovers Ajax's real name is Francis and mocks him for it, Ajax leaves Wade in a hypobaric chamber that periodically takes him to the verge of asphyxiation over a weekend. This finally activates a regenerative healing factor that counteracts Wade's cancer but leaves him severely disfigured with tumor-like scars over his entire body. He escapes from the chamber and attacks Ajax but relents when told his condition can be cured. In the chaos, Ajax subdues Wade and leaves him for dead in the now-burning laboratory.
Wade survives due to his new healing abilities and seeks out Vanessa, but doesn't reveal to her that he is alive out of fear that she will shun him because of his new appearance. After consulting with his best friend Weasel, Wade decides to hunt down Ajax for the cure. He becomes a vigilante, adopting the name "Deadpool" (from Weasel picking him in a dead pool), and moves into the home of an elderly blind woman named Al. Throughout the next year, he questions and kills many of Ajax's associates until one, the recruiter, reveals Ajax's whereabouts. This information allows Wade to enact the ambush. He kills all of Ajax's henchmen, subdues Ajax himself, and demands the cure, but the X-Men Colossus and his trainee Negasonic Teenage Warhead interrupt him. Colossus attempts to convince Wade to mend his ways and join the X-Men, but Wade turns him down. Taking advantage of this distraction, Ajax escapes and regroups with Angel Dust. They then head to Weasel's bar, where Ajax hears of Vanessa.
Ajax kidnaps Vanessa and takes her to a decommissioned helicarrier in a scrapyard. In response, Wade convinces Colossus and Negasonic to help him get her back. They battle Angel Dust and a group of Ajax's men while Wade fights his way to Ajax. During the battle, Negasonic accidentally destroys the supports keeping the helicarrier stable. Deadpool protects Vanessa as the ship collapses all around them, while Colossus carries Negasonic and Angel Dust to safety. Ajax attacks Wade again but is overpowered. He reveals a cure never existed to begin with, and despite Colossus's pleas, Wade kills Ajax, though he does promise Colossus that he will try to be more heroic moving forward. Vanessa then angrily berates Wade for leaving her, but she reconciles with him after she sees his disfigured face and learns the real reason why he never came back to her.
In a post-credits scene, Wade imitates the post-credits scene of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, stating they only have enough money left to announce that Cable will show up in the sequel.[a]
Stefan Kapičić provides the voice of Colossus, an X-Men who can transform his entire body into organic steel.[4][21] Writer Rhett Reese called him "a great foil to Deadpool because he's very self-serious and goody-two-shoes".[10] Director Miller changed the character drastically from his previous film appearances, where he was portrayed by Daniel Cudmore. Miller felt the Cudmore version, which he described as "[t]hat dude with the shiny skin" was not Colossus. He wanted the character to be seven and a half feet tall.[7] Andre Tricoteux stood in for a computer graphics version of Colossus on set,[22] and Kapičić was cast to give the character an "authentic Russian accent" like he has in the comics.[21]
Leslie Uggams portrays Blind Al, an elderly blind woman and Deadpool's roommate.[23][24] Uggams said that Al has "been through British Intelligence, she's done all kinds of wild and crazy things ... she's old, but she's feisty." Uggams added that Al has a "love/hate" relationship with Deadpool.[24] Karan Soni appears as Dopinder, a taxi driver who befriends Deadpool,[25] and Jed Rees portrays a recruiter for Ajax.[7] X-Men co-creator Stan Lee and Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld make cameo appearances as a strip club emcee and a patron of Weasel's bar, respectively.[26][27] Rob Hayter makes a cameo appearance as Bob, Agent of Hydra, a recurring character in the comics alongside Deadpool.[27] The rights for Bob are owned by Marvel Studios. They did not give permission for him to be used in the film, so his comic history and connections to the Hydra organization are not referenced in the film. He is explained, instead, as a former special-forces operative like Wilson.[28] Hugh Jackman, who portrayed Logan / Wolverine in the X-Men film series, was very supportive of Deadpool and it making fun of himself and his character. He is seen in the film on a People magazine Sexiest Man Alive cover.[10] A scene featuring Nathan Fillion as a bathroom attendant was cut, but was included in the deleted scenes of the home media release.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Artisan Entertainment announced a deal with Marvel Entertainment in May 2000 to co-produce, finance, and distribute several films based on Marvel Comics' characters, including Deadpool.[29] By February 2004, writer and director David S. Goyer and Ryan Reynolds were working on a Deadpool film at New Line Cinema. They had worked together on the Marvel film Blade: Trinity.[30] Reynolds was interested in the part of Deadpool after learning that in the comics the character refers to his appearance as "Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei".[31] New Line executive Jeff Katz, who thought Reynolds was the only actor suitable for the role, championed the idea. However, there were rights issues with 20th Century Fox and their X-Men films, and the project did not move forward.[32]
By March 2005, Reynolds learned that Fox had expressed interest in a film featuring Deadpool.[33] The character was set to make a cameo appearance in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, with Reynolds cast in the part. His role was expanded during the film's production.[34] Katz was an executive at Fox at that point and said that Deadpool was "nicely set up to be explored in his own way" in a future film.[32] The film's portrayal deviates from the original comic character, "imbuing him with several superpowers and sewing his mouth shut". Deadpool apparently dies in the film, though a post-credits scene showing him still alive was added to the film shortly before its release. After the successful opening weekend of Wolverine, Fox officially began development on Deadpool, with Reynolds attached to star and X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner involved. The spinoff was set to ignore the Wolverine version of Deadpool and return to the character's roots with a slapstick tone and a "propensity to break the fourth wall".[35]
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were hired to write the script in January 2010.[36] Reynolds, who worked closely with them, said they were chosen because, "Tonally, they got it. They just [understood Deadpool] right off the bat."[37] By that June, Robert Rodriguez had been asked to direct the film.[38] He confirmed this a month later, saying he had been sent a "really good" script and was considering taking on the project.[39] By October he was no longer interested in it, and Adam Berg was being looked at to direct the film.[40] In April 2011, Tim Miller was hired after working on the visual effects for some of the X-Men films,[41] in part because of his work creating animated short films. These included the Academy Award-winning Gopher Broke and a DC Universe Online trailer, which was "epic and cinematic, everything [Fox wanted] their comic book movies to be".[42][43] Miller would make his directorial debut with the film, while Reynolds closed a deal with Fox to produce the film.[41]
Reynolds' Green Lantern superhero film was released later in 2011 and was a disappointment. This tainted the Deadpool project. Fox executives were already concerned about its R-rated content. After several meetings the studio agreed the film could not be reconfigured for a more traditional PG-13 rating, and gave Miller "a low-six-figure budget" to produce some test footage.[42] He created the footage using CGI at his animation company Blur Studio in 2012, with Reynolds voicing Deadpool.[44] The footage did not convince Fox to green-light the film.[42] After the successful May release of Marvel Studios's The Avengers, Reese and Wernick thought Deadpool might be approved as an already developed superhero film. Fox was actually even more doubtful about the script, however, and began exploring ways to include Deadpool in an Avengers-esque team-up film.[45] At different times during development, James Cameron and David Fincher, both friends of Miller, read the film's script and championed the project to Fox executives.[46]
Release[edit]
Theatrical[edit]
Deadpool's world premiere was held at the Grand Rex in Paris on February 8, 2016,[102] before its initial theatrical release in Hong Kong the next day. This was followed by releases in 49 other markets over the next few days, including the United States on February 12.[49][103] The film was released in several formats, including IMAX, DLP, premium large formats, and D-Box.[82]
Kinberg explained that unlike the previous X-Men films, Deadpool is "a hard R. It's graphic. Nothing is taboo. You either commit to a truly outrageous boundary-pushing kind of movie or you don't."[104] China forbade the film's release because of this. Though R-rated American films are often "cleaned up" for release there, it was decided that doing so was impossible without affecting the plot.[105] It was not released in Uzbekistan after theater owners in the country decided against showing the film because of its age restriction and how it violated the country's societal norms.[106] Deadpool received seven "general cuts" to obtain approval for release in India.[107] Despite being blocked in China during this initial release, Deadpool eventually premiered in the country during the 2018 Beijing International Film Festival, which ran over a week from April 15–22. The original version of the film played at the festival without any edits being made specifically for Chinese censors.[108][109]
Home media[edit]
Deadpool was released for digital download on April 26, 2016, moved up from the physical home media release, which came on May 10. The latter release, for Blu-ray and DVD, included behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and two audio commentaries: one by Tim Miller and Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld, and another by Reynolds, Reese, and Wernick.[110] On November 7, Fox rereleased the film and its special features on Blu-ray for the holiday season, as Deadpool's Holiday Blu-ray package.[111] The film was re-released again in April 2018 in a Deadpool Two Year Anniversary Edition Blu-ray package, with collectible covers as well as "stickers, car decals, temporary tattoos and a set of paper dolls". A 4K UHD Steelbook version was also released exclusively through Best Buy featuring original artwork.[112] As of July 2022, the film is available to stream on Disney+, alongside Logan (2017) and Deadpool 2, marking the first R-rated films available on the streaming service.[113]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Deadpool grossed $363.1 million in the United States and Canada and $420 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $783.1 million, against a budget of $58 million.[2] It broke many records with its opening weekend gross across the world, and went on to become the highest-grossing X-Men film,[114][115] as well as the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2016.[116] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $322 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film, making it the second-most profitable release of 2016. When discussing potential reasons for the film's surprise success, the site highlighted its marketing campaign.[117] It also became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, dethroning The Matrix Reloaded.[118]
At the end of January 2016, the film was projected to earn $55–60 million over its opening weekend in the United States and Canada.[119] Fox's rivals projected the film to earn closer to $80 million. It ultimately opened at No. 1, making $132.4 million for the weekend, and $152.2 million over the long Presidents' Day weekend.[120] Trying to explain this surprise, Fox's domestic distribution chief, Chris Aronson, said, "It's hard to comp and predict. You're doing something that's never been done. It's like you throw the rulebook out the window." The weekend included $12.7 million from Thursday preview showings on February 11, $47.5 million on its opening day, $42.5 million on February 13, and $42.6 million on February 14, as well as $19.8 million on February 15 to end the long weekend. These were all day-of-the-week records for R-rated films and days in February for Thursday through Monday. $16.8 million of this came from IMAX screens, a record opening weekend for R-rated films and February releases in that format.[121] Deadpool also broke Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith's record for having the biggest opening weekend for any 20th Century Fox film.[122][123] The film earned an additional $55 million in its second weekend.[124] This kept it at No. 1, and made it the fastest R-rated film to cross $200 million, doing so in nine days.[125][126] It became the highest-grossing X-Men film and R-rated comic book superhero film the next day.[127] It remained in the No. 1 position for its third week,[128] but fell behind Zootopia and London Has Fallen the following week.[129] Deadpool's domestic run ended on June 17, after 126 days, with $363.1 million.[2][130] This was shortly after it became the highest-grossing R-rated film worldwide.[114] The film's U.S. audience, across its whole run, was 59% white, 21% Hispanic, 12% African-American, and 8% Asian. It was also 62% male, and had an average age of 35.[131]
The film was released in 80 markets around the world, many of them in its first week. This included the United Kingdom, France, and Australia on its first day, February 9, where it was the No. 1 film and broke several records. The film also opened well in Asian countries, notably Taiwan—where Reynolds had traveled for promotion and made the "central hub" of South East Asia for the film—and Hong Kong, where the film had the biggest Chinese New Year single day ever.[103] It went on to gross $132.2 million for its international opening weekend, which included $9 million from IMAX showings breaking opening weekend records for February releases and R-rated films in that format in several markets. It was the No. 1 film in all markets where it was released over the weekend, except Poland and Malaysia where it was No. 2 behind local films Planet Single and The Mermaid, respectively.[132] The film broke the record for biggest opening weekend in Russia and Thailand, and set records for biggest R-rated film and February opening weekends in several other markets.[133] It remained No. 1 for the international box office in its second weekend, making an additional $84.7 million from 77 markets. The film made No. 1 debuts in 17 new countries, including Korea, Spain, and Italy, and maintained its No. 1 position in countries like the UK, Germany, and Brazil. Its South East Asia performance was compared favorably to bigger superhero films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (both 2014).[134] Deadpool was No. 1 for a third consecutive weekend,[135] before falling to No. 3 behind Ip Man 3 and Zootopia in its fourth.[136] Deadpool opened in its final market, Japan, in June, and was the No. 1 film there, with a $6.5 million opening weekend.[137]
Critical response[edit]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 348 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Fast, funny, and gleefully profane, the fourth-wall-busting Deadpool subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining—and decidedly non-family-friendly—results."[138] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[139] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. PostTrak reported an average positive score of 97%, with 45% of filmgoers saying the film exceeded their expectations.[121]
Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post scored Deadpool three-and-a-half out of four, calling it a "voraciously self-aware comedy" and the first R-rated Marvel film "with real teeth". He praised the film's attitude and tone, Reynolds for making Deadpool a likeable character and the film's action scenes.[140] TheWrap's Alonso Duralde said Deadpool "shouldn't work, but it absolutely does", feeling that it successfully balanced comedy with superhero action, and that the chemistry between Reynolds and Baccarin gave enough weight to the plot to support the tone and violence.[141] Calvin Wilson at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also gave the film three-and-a-half out of four, saying it was "smart, sexy, and outrageous", but that it would not work without Reynolds.[142] The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave the film four out of five calling it "neurotic and needy—and very entertaining", comparing it to Kick-Ass (2010) and Kill Bill (2003). He did feel the film's villains were underused.[143] Writing for Uproxx, Drew McWeeny described it as "the world's most violent and vulgar Bugs Bunny cartoon", and praised the film's unconventional plot structure, its personal stakes, the difference in tone and storytelling from other superhero films, and the cast.[144] Variety's Justin Chang said the film is "terribly arch and juvenile [but] also startlingly effective", praising Reynolds' performance (and the film's willingness to hide his looks under prosthetics), the script, and director Miller for staying "out of the way of his script and his star".[145] Todd McCarthy at The Hollywood Reporter felt the film took a while to get going, "but once it does, Deadpool drops trou to reveal itself as a really raunchy, very dirty and pretty funny goof on the entire superhero ethos".[146]
Rolling Stone's Peter Travers said the film "goes on too long and repetition dulls its initial cleverness", but the "junky feel is part of its charm". He praised the cast, particularly Reynolds as well as Tim Miller's action sequences.[147] At The Boston Globe, Tom Russo gave the film three stars. He criticized the "featherweight" plot, but said that there is enough humor to support it, and that Reynolds was "born to play" Deadpool.[148] Chris Nashawaty graded the film a 'B' for Entertainment Weekly, saying it "doesn't have the most adrenalized action sequences or the deepest origin story" but makes up for that with R-rated fun. Nashawaty felt Reynolds was the perfect star for the film and is "a blast of laughing gas in a genre that tends to take itself way too seriously".[149] Tasha Robinson at The Verge felt there was too much juvenile humor. She noted the film did not make homophobic, racist, or sexist jokes, and that its overall tone remained joyous despite the material.[150] David Edelstein of Vulture said the film's jokes save it from a lack of subtext and strong villains and noted the "gratifyingly twisty" structure.[151] Manohla Dargis at The New York Times was not impressed with the listing of the film's genre cliches in the opening credits before they were used. She highlighted the "human" elements in the film and the moments where Reynolds and Tim Miller did "more than hit the same bombastic notes over and over again".[152] IndieWire's Kate Erbland gave the film a 'B−', praising its style, and Reynolds' Deadpool for breaking the superhero mold, but criticizing the overall film for following genre conventions and focusing on "numbing" violence and un-original swearing and nudity.[153]
Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan said that Deadpool "gets off to a fun start" but the character "eventually wears out his welcome". He noted that though the film has a complicated narrative, it is masking a conventional Marvel origin story. Turan did highlight the film's romantic element and Baccarin's performance.[154] Jonathon Pile of Empire gave the film three out of five, saying the number of jokes "will soon numb you to their impact". He called the film a fun alternative to other superhero films.[155] Robbie Collin at The Daily Telegraph also gave the film three out of five, saying it is not "the future of superhero movies", calling it "an enjoyably obnoxious detour". He felt some of the film's jokes about superhero cliches were out of date by the time the film was released.[156] The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle did not appreciate the humor, fourth wall breaking, or violence. He concluded the film is "bad, borderline garbage, but disturbing, too, in that it's just the kind of fake-clever awfulness that might be cinema's future".[157]