With both the regular and the "red band" trailer launching yesterday for the 2016 film Deadpool, it may be time to go back to 2009 to see Wade Wilson's first cinematic appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine to really fully appreciate the awesomeness in the trailer.
Ryan Reynolds played the role of Wade Wilson in the Wolverine origins film and the opening introduction to the character has him cleaning off his sword and spouting quip after quip, and he gets told he has a big mouth, which is true, but he's totally funny. Now, this is supposed to be a "pre-Deadpool" Wade. That's pretty clear, as the film goes on.
The team made of characters like Sabretooth and Blob make their way up an elevator, and Wade rushes in and swings his swords around, ricocheting bullets back at the shooters, killing them all. Ok, that was a bit silly, but every time Wade talks, it's awesome and the idea that he's a really awesome mercenary is pretty cool too. The sword swinging, well that's a tad forgivable. Why does everyone keep telling Wade that "he'd be the perfect soldier, if it weren't for his mouth?" There's no way they're foreshadowing something later on, right?
He's so good with swords that he can cut a bullet in half and the pieces of said cut bullet take out two shooters? I can still forgive that. It looked cool, right? Wade gets told a couple more times that he's a loudmouth. Why do people keep pointing that out? There's no way that'll come back into play later on though, right? Anyway, after this whole scene and a following one where Wolverine stops Sabretooth from killing random folks, after Stryker, the guy running the show, said "kill em all" (not literally, mind you), Wade Wilson disappears, and the movie starts to head pretty far south, which stinks because the opening to the film and the opening credits were so awesome and even this whole scene with the swinging swords was pretty awesome too.
Later on, we get to see Wade again, in Stryker's lab, and Wade is referred as "Weapon XI." We catch a quick glimpse of him and... wait, why is his mouth sewn up? At this point, Wade is being turned into Deadpool, and Stryker has been collecting mutants around the world, but for no reason, obviously. There's no way that will come into play with this character, right?
Wolverine and crew free a whole bunch of mutants Stryker had locked up and as they're heading out, "Wade" makes his entrance as Deadpool... kinda. Wait... so that whole "you have a big mouth" thing everyone kept saying WAS foreshadowing? Man, that went way over my head! This "Deadpool" has giant adamantium blades coming from each arm. He actually looks really familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.
Not sure what all the black lines are on the guy either, but Deadpool is controlled by Stryker, through a computer and some brain implants or something. Deadpool also has more abilities. He can heal fast and he can teleport and he's a pretty tough opponent for both Wolverine and Sabretooth.
Wait... he has Cyclops' optic blasts too? Oh! I get it now! Deadpool, being controlled by Stryker completely, is essentially dead, and in addition, he has all these super-human abilities and is like a "pool" of mutant powers. Hence the name "Deadpool." It's like the writer of the film knew two things about the character: he talks a lot and his name is Deadpool. Anyway, he gets his head cut off and dies...
Or is he? MWAHAHAHAHA!
Here's the thing, I'm a big supporter of well-written, well-established adaptations of characters as long as the essence of the character is still there. If this whole film was about the Wade Wilson from the beginning of the film turning on the other mutants, for Stryker because Stryker held something over his head, that would have worked fine because Ryan Reynolds portrayal of Wade Wilson felt like a toned-down Deadpool. In fact, it also wouldn't completely muck-up that third act.
However, the direction was so far off it was unrecognizable, which can work if it really adds something to the movie or character, but it felt more like it stripped down the character, and frankly, it felt like those involved with making the film were trying way too hard to make something "cool," and when that happens, it always undoubtedly uncool. Anyway, let's forget the whole movie happened and appreciate everything the new Deadpool trailer has to offer fans, starring Ryan Reynolds, the only thing that worked for Deadpool in the early moments of Wolverine.
The real Deadpool fires his way into theaters on February 12, 2016.
