Amongst the color and the pageantry of last night’s big game, a multitude of movie trailers were released, and one that caught our eye was The X-Men Apocalypse trailer. Check it out!
Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-Men Apocalypse Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshiped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.
X-Men Apocalypse is in theaters in May.
Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, Ben Hardy
Super Bowl 50 featured Peyton Manning winning what has been widely reported as is his final game, but we were also treated to a unique teaming of Marvel Studios and Coca-Cola as they had a big advertisement airing the big game. Even though you’ve probably seen the ad that played during the Super Bowl, it’s online for you to watch over and over again. Check it out!
The best thing about Super Bowl by far is the awesome new trailers and teasers we get for upcoming films. We’ve already had the Captain America: Civil War one this evening.
It’s now time to welcome back Matt Damon in this first look at the new Bourne film Jason Bourne.
In this trailer we get brief flashes of a much leaner Bourne than before. It looks like he’s been watching Fight Club and can be seen taking down a couple of opponents with ease. We also find out he now remembers everything about his past. Could this now mean that he is on a path of revenge or is he still trying to keep a low profile.
Now for your viewing pleasure, here is the first look at Jason Bourne, and he looks more badass than ever.
Marvel just released the Super Bowl spot for Captain America: Civil War. In total its only about 30 seconds of actual footage but its all new and its fantastic. This is how trailers should be done. Barley any dialogue and just enough to make you ask more questions and want to see the film now.
Couple of things to watch out for. The look on Tony’s face when Bucky tries to shoot him point-blank but most importantly check out Ant-Man in the line up with Team Cap. It also looks like he’s snagged himself an upgrade to the suit.
I’ll end this with a simple, well-played Marvel, well-played.
Ensemble casts are a tricky thing to get right. When you’re dealing with large casts, a danger is that someone may get lost in the crowd and not get noticed. There is also the chance of someone not performing as well as the others.
This is not the case with the four films we will look at below.
Ocean’s Eleven
I remember watching this film and at the end just thinking “that looked like it was so much fun.” The cast’s chemistry is excellent throughout the film, particularly between George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
The way they convey a friendship is fantastic to watch. Sometimes it doesn’t even take dialogue, it can just be a simple look that the other one reads without a break.
While you might think the rest of the cast could just sit back and let Clooney and Pitt do the hard work, this isn’t true. The whole gang has a rapport which is hard to come by these days.
The remaining cast includes Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jemison, Shabo Qin, Carl Reiner, Julia Roberts and Don Cheadle.
Inception
The greatest achievement this cast pull off, is getting the audience to buy in to the story. This is no easy task considering you are talking about dreams within dreams. Leonardo Dicaprio is fantastic as the leader of the team, trying to find a way to get back home. The whole cast has their work cut out for them during the film and Christopher Nolan handles them all well.
Starring Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Ken Wantanabe, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Tom Berenger and Dileep Rao. This is a slick cast who showed they had trust in each other and their director.
Saving Private Ryan
It would be easier to tell you who wasn’t in this film than run through the cast list. When Steven Spielberg took on Saving Private Ryan, he more than had his work cut out for him. Even though the film has a large cast, they do such a good job you become invested in each characters story. With this being a war movie, not everyone survives, which affects you much more as the actors are top-notch.
Tom Hanks is the man in charge of leading Tom Sizemore, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribsi and Jeremy Davies on the hunt for Private Ryan (played by Matt Damon.)
To give you the scope of the cast, here are some others worth mentioning. Paul Giamatti, Dennis Farina, Ted Danson, Bryan Cranston and Nathan Fillion. I could have listed a lot more but if I’m honest, it would have taken forever.
The A-Team
No, I’m not talking about the tv series (although that was a great cast.)
I mean the 2010 movie starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quinten ‘Rampage’ Jackson. This is another great example of a cast who look as though they are having the time of their lives. It can’t have been easy to step into these parts as they are such iconic characters you don’t want to let the fans down.
Luckily this isn’t the case and the team is spot on in their portrayal of the soldiers of fortune. My favourite is Sharlto Copley as Murdock. He is exactly the right amount of crazy to not be over the top. I also think Bradley Cooper was perfect as Face. I for one would love to a sequel to this film one day.
Also worth mentioning is Patrick Wilson as the shadowy Agent Lynch, who brings a lot of laughs and a great bad guy.
This list is by no means the be all and end all. This is just four of my favourites. When discussing with colleagues and friends there were some fantastic suggestions. It wasn’t only films mentioned either, there were some great tv shows included.
For example The Great Escape, Young Guns, Harry Potter, Italian Job ( both of them) and Sin City. TV shows which got a mention included Lost, Breaking Bad, Wet Hot American Summer and The Big Band Theory.
What are your thoughts on the subject? Is there a cast you think is perfect or do you disagree with any of the above choices? As always, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Batman and Robin buried the Caped Crusader’s silver screen appeal, and the late 90s weren’t a great time for superhero movies. There were a few attempts from directors like Darren Aronofsky and Joss Whedon to make another Batman movie, but studios weren’t interested in bringing the character back. Audiences didn’t really accept the entire superhero genre again until 2000’s X-Men, which reopened the doors for traditional superhero stories. 2002’s Spider-Man and later both its sequel and X-Men’s sequel began to make superheroes main stream. However, while both of those franchises are good and entertaining (albeit their third films are not well-loved) they’re both traditional superhero franchises. They follow specific structures, have “over the top” bad guys, and feel like a typical superhero comic. Again, these aren’t bad by any means, but they are by the numbers superhero movies. Batman Begins is the first superhero to elevate the genre into something more.
It’s a darker, more complex film in terms of narrative, and character development. It has similar superhero tropes and gimmicks seen in other movies of the same genre, but Batman Begins is more grounded with a sense of dread, despair, and realistic setting. It doesn’t keep a linear narrative structure, it has multiple villains, and focuses on more philosophical ideas that create an interesting dialogue among fans and audiences. It’s one of the best retellings ever, and definitely takes a more unique look at the caped crusader.
Christopher Nolan takes the helm as the film’s director, he also wrote the script along with David Goyer. Nolan’s film is much bigger in scope, and yet he created a world very similar to our own. He filmed throughout the city of Chicago, and made the city feel like another world that was almost like a mirror image, only slightly distorted unlike Tim Burton’s Batman that created a city that seems unreal. Both are good, but Nolan’s goal was to create a more realistic Gotham City. One that is more akin to real life than fantasy. However, he kept the scope as big as possible to make the audience feel overwhelmed by Gotham City. It becomes its own character, as it can be majestic and pretty, but also twisted and uninviting. And while Burton’s Gotham City is timeless, it still looks very much like a film set and subsequently fake. Nolan kept his entire world feeling as real as possible.
The story is a telling of Bruce Wayne’s origin story. It has all the beats any fan would want to see: the death of his parents, the state of Gotham City, his training, and his eventual discovery of becoming Batman. Batman Year One, a Frank Miller story that details how Bruce Wayne adopted the identity of Batman, is the film’s main influence. But, Nolan and Goyer were smart enough to make the movie its own thing and focused on specific unique elements of the origin story and expanded on them. For example, there’s a lot about how Bruce Wayne deals with his anger and guilt. And it help build the epic tale of the character’s evolution by having him fight his own mentor, Ra’s Al Ghul. The conflict between the two adds to the larger scale the film is trying to go for.
Christian Bale plays Batman and his alter ego, but he also has a lot more to do than any other actor playing Bruce Wayne before. Bale has to play Bruce Wayne as the billionaire, Bruce Wayne as the young man, Bruce Wayne as a student of Ra’s Al Ghul, Bruce Wayne as a criminal, and then finally Bruce Wayne as Batman. It’s a lot for any actor to play, and Christian Bale does the best job possible. He definitely understands the side of Bruce Wayne and the struggles of hiding an alter ego, but as Batman he just doesn’t own up to the role as well. Part of that is the outfit, Nolan’s wish for a more realistic interpretation made the outfit look more like SWAT armor than something truly iconic. Bale constantly looks like he’s fighting the outfit as much as he is fighting the criminals of Gotham. And then there’s the infamous growl. In retrospect it makes sense about why they thought that it was a good idea; Batman needs criminals to think that he’s otherworldly and monstrous. But, he does sound like he swallowed a bunch of limestone. That all being said Bale is still a pretty good Batman, it’s certainly easier to believe him fighting criminals than Clooney or Kilmer.
The other actors all do fine jobs as well, Michael Caine is a wise and compassionate Alfred. Cillian Murphy plays a creepy and funny scarecrow. Morgan Freeman is great in everything he does, so he does a great job as Lucius Fox. Gary Oldman is an older, world-weary James Gordon. Tom Wilkinson is a chilling Carmine Falcone. The only actor everyone seemed to hate was Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. I’m not entirely sure why she got so much hate; I don’t think she was fantastic or anything, but I don’t think she deserved the hate. She was active, inquisitive, tough, and had a compassionate side to her. She was a bit more than the damsel in distress. Perhaps it was the fact that her relationship with Tom Cruise was everywhere at the time and audiences were just sick of it. The only actor who I didn’t think did as strong a job as everyone says is Liam Neeson as Ra’s Al Ghul. The mentoring Bruce Wayne aspect is strong, but when he reveals himself to be the villain he just plays it a little too quiet, and I never got the sense that he was really this all-powerful villain that was going to destroy Gotham City. Plus Ra’s Al Ghul without the Lazarus Pit just isn’t as fun.
Despite Nolan’s name being associated with complexity, the story to Batman Begins is actually very simple. Bruce Wayne’s parents die, he finds purpose through Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Shadows, he goes back to Gotham City to fight criminals, uncovers a plot by his former mentor to destroy the city, and then stops him. The simple story allows for complexity in different areas such as the character development of Bruce Wayne and his transition into Batman. They take their time exploring how he comes up with bats as his motif, his weapons and gadgets, his car, and his motivation. Most of these aspects are just glanced over in the films, but this one really its time and develops a fascinating and unique character arc for Bruce Wayne. The climax is also cleverly set up from the beginning of the movie, and it is a simple well-rounded film that goes deep into its main character.
The film is not perfect however, its biggest hindrance is the dialogue. The script is well structured and well composed and set up, but when it comes to the actual dialogue, Christopher Nolan and David Goyer tried way too hard to be more philosophical than they needed to be. Every character has a fascinating speech prepared about the nature of fear, and justice, and vengeance just ready to go, and bless the actors they try, but all of them just sound forced. For a film that’s trying so hard to look at a mythical character through a realistic lens, they certainly didn’t write how the characters speak in a realistic fashion. The only actor that manages to do it well is Tom Wilkinson, but honestly I don’t want to see the characters talk about every philosophical ramification of their actions. I want to have those conversations with my friends, or see the critics discuss them. Show these implications through action, and imagery, don’t tell the audience about them through the dialogue.
But, overall the film is still solid. There are some fantastic scenes that are well shot, and well acted. As stated before the size of the film felt huge, and epic in its scale. There are a lot of great action scenes, the film is wonderfully structured, and the acting is solid overall. Definitely give it a watch if you’ve never seen it, and if you have, give it another watch. Definitely a great movie to come back too.
Next time, we’ll be looking at Superman’s Return to films… And it wasn’t as well received as Batman’s beginning.
In Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster two things happened. The first is that fans finally got the nostalgia-heavy, monster-of-the-week episode they were waiting for. The episode features so many X-Files references that fans will feel giddy. For a full list, Vulture has put together a handy article. The second thing is Mulder got more screen time than Scully.
Although episode three focuses primarily on Fox Mulder, the ever-adaptable Dana Scully shines through. This episode makes fun of how Mulder has aged, and not like a fine wine. The X-Files have come back to life, and Mulder finds himself having a mid-life crisis. What has he been doing with his life chasing these monsters? While Mulder pouts in his office throwing around files folders, Scully comes in to save the day. It’s unlike the two previous episodes this directly references (‘War of the Coprophages’ and ‘Quagmire’). This time Scully drags Mulder kicking and screaming to a new adventure. The two FBI agents are back in the X-Files groove. Mulder proposes wild supernatural theories, while Scully looks for the facts and cuts up dead bodies.
The theme of this episode is transformation, and this plays into Mulder’s midlife crisis. The monster, which transforms into a man, is the epitome of your typical straight white male suffering a midlife crisis. Guy’s human experience is a parody on everything that’s wrong with Western society. Mulder knows better than this. His arc over the episode is learning to adjust to the new X-Files. Mulder fumbles around, including the priceless scene where Mulder can’t use a smartphone camera. He’s believing and disbelieving.
Now the narrative of ‘Scully is essential’ still holds up, even if she’s not heavily featured. Scully solves the crime, while Mulder goes off chasing myths and monsters. Scully figures out there’s a logical explanation after all. She’s adjusted to modern society. She doesn’t need backup. Once again, without Dana Scully Mulder would just run in circles like Daggoo. Get the woman a desk.
Deadpool is the Merc with the Mouth, a lovable psychopath with an unstoppable juggernaut’s whose popularity kind of came out of nowhere. Emerging from Rob Liefeld’s time on New Mutants that truly kicked off the dark age of comics that was the early 90s, Deadpool went from being a ruthless, albeit smart-ass, killer to the comedic powerhouse that he is today. The forthcoming live-action movie has had a similar history when it comes to gaining traction with fans. Chances are that if you asked the mainstream movie-going audience who Wade Wilson was a few years ago, you would have gotten weird looks or may a faint recognition stemming from his role in the reprehensible X-Men Origins: Wolverine and various video game spin-offs. The totally unintentional and not in any way staged leaking of the test footage has brought the character into the public consciousness and that traction is what allowed this movie to be made. Deadpool is the Howard the Duck of the modern age, a weirdly charming and subversive character and if you have only just discovered him here are five comics that you need to read.
New Mutants #98
As New Mutants was on its last legs, the emergence of Cable would bring with it a character that would forever change the landscape of the Marvel Universe. Deadpool would rise from the ashes of this oft-forgotten X-men spin-off and go on to play a minor antagonistic role in its successor; X-Force. Another victim of the Weapon X project and a long-time rival of Cable and Kane, Deadpool was a new kind of antagonist for a more cynical age. Everything that you would come to love about this character is set-up or hinted at in this one issue, from the yellow dialogue boxes to the witty banter. It’s very much proto-Deadpool, a strange mixture of the Punisher, Wolverine and Spider-man, that is very much of its time, but worth reading for it’s historical importance if nothing else.
Deadpool: The Circle Chase mini-series
Deadpool and his pal Weasel, along with a cast of assorted mercenaries (read as secondary X-men characters) are all on the hunt for the world’s greatest weapon. The catch? They don’t necessarily know what is it and are being targeted by various members of the Weapon X project. This is where we first start to see Deadpool as the Bugs Bunny of comic books and it’s the first to show that there is potentially more to this character than a flare for the theatrics and a love of gore. Funnily enough, this is one of those comics that takes place in a country that no longer exists; Yugoslavia and that’s always an interesting thing to see that reflected in the cultural space.
Dead Reckoning (Deadpool #23-25)
Much of Deadpool’s character development is based around his desire to be seen as a hero without knowing what that truly means.He likes the idea of being a hero, but his methodology doesn’t add up. He still enjoys evisceration and making heads go “boom”, but Deadpool tries to be better, even if he doesn’t always succeed. “Dead Reckonin” is a story about exploring that aspect of us character. For months, Deadpool has been working with the clandestine private espionage outfit of Landau, Luckman, and Lake in preparation for the arrival of a “messiah” who will bring the world “bliss”. Deadpool’s role is to protect that messiah and in doing so become the hero that he do eagerly wants to be. Things don’t go according to plan and although the “messiah” brings about world peace, it comes at the expense of free-will. Ultimately, Deadpool is faced with the choice of allowing world peace to prevail or to sacrafice it all for the sake of free will. It’s a choice even he, himself, is not sure of, but he’s the only one left capable of making that choice. In the end, Deadpool is left in a world which doesn’t remember what he did or sacrificed for them, resigning himself to be whatever the world needs him to be. It’s funny, it’s tragic and it’s essential Deadpool. If you have the time check out all of Joe Kelly’s Deadpool run, it’s the series that made me fall in love with the character and showed me that there was more to comics than just Spider-man and Wolverine.
Deadpool Vol.2 #11
Have you ever seen that Deep Space Nine episode “Trials and Tribble-lations”? In it, the crew of DS9 travel back in time to an episode of the original Star Trek series and through subtle uses of green-screen and clever editting interact with Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise. If you like that sort of meta-storytelling then this issue is for you. The pitch is that Deadpool accidentally travels back through time and ends up in an earlier issue of The Amazing Spider-man (issue #47 for those interested). After he accidentally knocks out Peter Parker, Deadpool is forced to assume his place in the original story and defeat Kraven the Hunter. The artwork is a loving homage to John Romita, stubtlely recreating the original work panel-by-panel with a dark comedic twist. If you don’t believe me, put the two-side by side and see for yourself. This one-issue story is hilarious, showing Deadpool at his funniest.and more than certainly served as inspiration for last year’s Deadpool’s Secret Wars which wasn’t as good, but is worth your time if you are interested.
Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force
If you want to know why people like Deadpool, but are turned off by the character’s over-saturation and tendency to break the fourth wall, then this is the comic for you. So Wolverine has re-formed X-Force as a black-ops militant wing of the X-Men aimed at tackling the biggest threats to mutant-kind and ending them permanently. It’s first mission? Assassinating long-time X-Men villain; Apocalypse. A necessary evil, no doubt. but the catch here is that Apocalypse has been reborn as a young child, unaware of his true nature. It’s a vicious series that doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to the violence on display and one that gives a unique insight into the darker aspect of some of your favourite characters and Fantomex, who will become a favourite character before long. Deadpool joins the team as a hired gun and in a strange twist of fate, becomes to team’s moral center and its comic relief. He may be despicable, he may be in it for all the wrong reasons, but there are lines even he won’t cross. It’s interesting to see him being welcomed into the fold, but only to the extent he serves as a weapon to be pointed at whoever Wolverine deems unworthy. This is a fantastic series and the ramifications of which are felt in Remender’s later work on Uncanny Avengers which just so happens to currently feature a certain Merc with a Mouth.
Honorable Mentions: “Dead Presidents” because really who doesn’t want to see Deadpool take on zombie versions of former US Presidents. So while we wait for next week’s release, head over to your comic service of choice and check out some the character’s defining moments. Make sure you keep a chimichanga handy.
After the Deadpool press screening on Thursday, the Monkeys Fighting Robots crew grabbed initial reaction of the film from our very own Dewy Singleton, CW44’s T.M. Powell, and two random guys off the street, Tracy Hopkins and Patrick Hill.
After the 'Deadpool' press screening on Thursday, the Monkeys Fighting Robots crew grabbed initial reaction of the film from our very own Dewy Singleton, CW44's T.M. Powell, and two random guys off the street, Tracy Hopkins and Patrick Hill.About 'Deadpool'Based upon Marvel Comics’ most original anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, he hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.'Deadpool' is directed by Tim Miller and stars Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano, and Brianna Hildebrand.The Merc with a mouth will be in theaters on February 12.
Based upon Marvel Comics’ most original anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, he hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
Deadpool is directed by Tim Miller and stars Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano, and Brianna Hildebrand.
The Merc with a mouth will be in theaters on February 12.
This Valentines Day weekend, Marvel and 20th Century Fox are set to release Deadpool directed by Tim Miller and starring Ryan Reynolds to a nationwide audience of eager fans. Moviegoers won’t be disappointed as it is the best superhero movie that I’ve ever seen due to the stellar writing, fantastic action, and a hard, unwavering commitment to the source material.
Ryan Reynolds takes on the title role while Morena Baccarin plays Wade’s girlfriend Vanessa, who is the furthest thing from a “typical” girl. In fact, there are instances where Baccarin seems to be thinking in more of stereotypical male mindset while Wade is more interested in fun and games (especially skeeball). Deadpool’s enemy is Ajax played by Ed Skerin (The Transporter Refueled). Ajax is the man who handles Deadpool‘s transformation and to compound matters; he’s a twisted/sadistic bastard. Ajax takes an incredible amount of pleasure in torturing Wade during the whole process. Ajax has heightened agility and strength. He also is numb to pain and human emotion which makes him quite the nemesis for Wade Wilson. Ajax doesn’t come off as a person who would go into a fight alone which is why he has help in the form his henchwoman Angel Dust played by former MMA Champion Gina Carano. While there’s sometimes a thin line between Deadpool’s enemies and mutant allies, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead agree to assist Deadpool even though they can’t stand the guy.
Performance wise, Ryan Reynolds tackled the role of Deadpool with unbridled joy. Many actors have tackled a variety of superhero roles, but none has been so in tune with the character, that you felt that this was the real Deadpool on screen and not Blake Lively’s husband. While Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans each did a tremendous job in their respective roles as Iron Man and Captain America, neither have come close to having that occur in their respective films. Ryan Reynolds brought such wit, irreverence, and intensity to the role that it’s not a stretch to say that he was born to play Deadpool. Ed Skerin, Gina Caron, T.J. Miller, and Morena Baccarin all play important yet complementary parts in the film. Together, the cast is quite the ensemble and is a contributing factor to why Deadpool is the best superhero film ever.
Deadpool right from the first moment the first frame hits the screen makes it clear that the movie’s core commitment is not to building towards a potential “franchise” and more towards creating a fantastic film for the fans. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (who both wrote and produced Zombieland) have proven that they have the talent for intertwining humor and action throughout a film and Deadpool is no exception. Reese and Wernick made it clear in an interview with Collider last November that Deadpool was going to remain faithful to the comic book, and that comic is notorious for its violence and humor. Many superhero films make slight alterations to the material to make the character a bit more “PC.” Shane Black is a perfect example of what happens to these other superhero films as he co-wrote the screenplay for Iron Man 3 based on “concepts” from the “Extremis” storyline. These studios want to produce superhero films but don’t have the guts to go all in on a character.How can you create a fully realized superhero if what you are relying on are just “concepts” and “ideas” rather than sticking to the subject matter? Can you imagine if Marvel did a movie the highlighted all the exploits of Tony Stark? It was almost as if the director of Deadpool watched the “PC” Tony Stark in Iron Man 3 and turned to each other and were like ” yeah … we aren’t doing that.” This type of commitment to the material and creating fully realized characters certainly validates my claim that this is the best superhero film ever.
Speaking of Tim Miller, one couldn’t help but feel blown away by his initial foray as a director. Remember that up until this point, Tim Miller‘s claim to fame is that he was the person behind the amazing title sequences in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Initially, it seemed odd that Twentieth-Century Fox was trusting an American animator with such a “risky” first project, but when he revealed that he had a $400 a month comic book habit, it all made perfect sense. Who better to tackle such a “risky” first project than a talented visually gifted superfan? Miller also managed to address the issue of getting people caught up on the backstory of Deadpool by incorporating the use of flashback and flash-forward. As someone who had little to no exposure to Deadpool before watching this film, having that knowledge added a level of enjoyment to the movie that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
When these factors add up, the result is a superhero film that dwarfs all other superhero movies. Prior to seeing Deadpool, my favorite superhero film was Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Captain America: The Winter Soldier certainly has great action and plenty of suspense which makes that film such a blast. While, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an excellent movie, it certainly has its flaws. Chris Evans doesn’t seem too engrossed in his role as Captain Steve Rogers, and the writing is good but not stellar. Deadpool is the complete package. While some superhero movies in the past may have made you laugh or blew audiences with action sequences, Deadpool is on another level. The action sequences in the junkyard will dwarf any action sequence that has ever occurred in a superhero film. The writing is so stellar and committed to the source material that there will be a point where you will have tears in your eyes from all the laughter while gripping on to your seat rest due to the pulse-pounding action. This complete of a film is certainly deserving of the title best superhero film of all time, and everyone should flock to see it Thursday night.
Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force
