10 OKAY Movies Elevated By ONE Phenomenal Performance
2. Deadpool - Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds gets the lion’s share of screen time in Deadpool, with Ed Skrien and Brianna Hildebrand each playing decent parts too. However, the movie lives and dies by Reynolds’ role, and he certainly elevates this one.
The plot is so inconsequential that when budget restrictions meant they couldn’t have a final epic battle, they simply skipped it, Monty Python & The Holy Grail style. The jokes needed to land, the meta needed to work and the attitude needed to be badass. After X-Men Origins: Wolverine butchered the character, there was a lot of pressure to deliver.
Thankfully, Reynolds brought it in spades and another cult movie was born. It spawned successful sequel, Christmas spin off and a third, so he’s finally received his redemption after being upset at the character’s treatment in Wolverine.
The sequels were smart enough to give Hildebrand more screen time, as well as bringing in Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz to help build more of a core plot.
However, the first movie needed Reynolds natural wit to survive, and he embodied Deadpool’s offbeat humour and childish personality perfectly. It was never going to be an Oscar winner, but it was a massive hit with the fans.