[MUSIC PLAYING]
This is Deadpool, maybe not the one comic book fans know,
but this was the one introduced to the film-going public
in 2009.
Sometimes the movie goes so hard against its source material
it's almost admirable.
Other times we're left with scenes
like this, a sequence so far removed from its base
it feels like a deliberate middle finger to the ideas that
came before it.
OK, people are dead.
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X-Men Origins-- Wolverine was the first
of a planned series of movies based on popular characters
from the then thriving X-Men franchise.
Making his film debut in Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000,
Hugh Jackman was celebrated as the fan favorite character
Logan.
He immediately became the film's breakout star.
You actually go outside in these things.
What would you prefer?
Yellow Spandex?
As the franchise trekked on, the studio
knew exactly who to focus on when
they broached their first solo film experiment.
The main throughline up to this point
involved Logan seeking revenge for his murdered girlfriend
while meeting fan favorite characters
in a sort of cameo scavenger hunt
until we reach this moment.
Wade, is that you?
After briefly being introduced to a katana-wielding Wade
Wilson in Team X, we see the results
of his participation in the Weapon X program,
and his physical appearance alone
is enough to take a brief moment to wonder
what exactly the filmmakers wanted to accomplish here.
Affectionately referred to as the Merc
with a Mouth in the comics, Deadpool
was known for his quips, foul mouth, and fourth wall breaking
humor.
Fourth wall break inside a fourth wall break.
That's like 16 walls.
Debuting in New Mutants Number 98,
Deadpool or Wade Wilson was a beloved anti-hero
who had gained a lot of traction through various successful
comic book series.
Ryan Reynolds had fallen in love with the character when
he saw an issue where Wilson described himself
as Ryan Reynolds crossed with a shar-pei.
For most fans, it was an exciting idea.
Reynolds was known for his self-deprecating humor
and sharp wit.
You know, I just always felt a kind of a kinship to him.
I've always been a fan of effervescent witticisms I
suppose, also known as sarcasm.
When Origins decided to work Deadpool into its script,
Reynolds told them this was not the version of the character
fans would want to see, but the studio
insisted this was what they were doing with the character.
Yes, we deliberately took Deadpool and gave him
certain things and attributes in the past that has never
been seen in the comics.
Good.
We hope we surprised you a little.
In fear of being recast, Reynolds
accepted the role knowing how far removed it was
from the Deadpool people loved.
Great.
Stuck in an elevator with five guys on a high-protein diet.
Oh, Wade.
Dreams really do come true.
Now just shut it.
Deadpool here is the culmination of powers
derived from several mutants--
John Wraith's teleportation, Cyclops' laser beam,
Logan's healing-- but none of those powers
come with any sort of consequence or price.
As Logan and Deadpool flip, stab, vanish, grunt, and kick,
everything feels so alien.
Deadpool is more Baraka from Mortal Kombat
than his well-known comic book personality.
His signature red and black costume
is replaced with what looks like red pajama pants and water
socks, and to add insult to injury, with literally no mouth
to speak of, there are no jokes or fourth wall breaks
at least until a post-credits sting where
he shushes the audience, which is far too little way too late.
My God, do you ever shut up, pal.
No.
Not when I'm awake.
The scene is so incredibly bad, it's almost impressive.
It's an empty display of balletic carnage
that has no emotional undergirding or greater point.
And the goofy lets fight on smokestacks
set pieces just screams we need to come up with something
visually cool but don't actually have any ideas,
and that's to say nothing of the fact
that at the theoretical emotional apex
the scene is the inscrutable line Sabertooth
grunts while saving Wolverine.
Nobody kills you but me.
But don't despair.
This is one of the very few times in comic book movie
history where a happy ending actually materializes.
The fan outcry after the release of X-Men Origins--
Wolverine was deafening, but the one thing everyone agreed on
was that Ryan Reynolds was pitch perfect as Deadpool.
Sure, it's a little bulky, tough to get on a plane.
You whip out a couple of swords at your ex-girlfriend's
wedding, they will never, ever forget it.
If only he'd been given a proper shot.
So Fox actually listened.
They hired Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick,
the writers of Zombieland, to tackle a new feature
script that would reposition Deadpool back to his roots.
The script they wrote was equal parts comedy
and super hero love letter.
Meanwhile, Fox had attached the first-time director and founder
of the visual effects company Blur Studio Tim Miller
to helm the project.
However, the studio was losing confidence
that the public would show up in support of a niche
character in an R-rated project after the release of Green
Lantern, which was an abysmal failure.
Fake laugh hiding real pain.
As a last ditch effort, they agreed
to let Miller create an animated test footage
reel with Reynolds portraying Deadpool in order
to come to a final decision.
Tragically, the footage was completed,
and then the project stalled.
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
Until in July of 2014 the footage mysteriously
showed up online weeks before San Diego Comic-Con,
setting the whole world on fire.
Everyone rejoiced and opined that this is what the Deadpool
movie should have been, and shock
of all shocks, the heads of Fox listened again.
They greenlit the movie.
Deadpool learned all the lessons from the mistakes of origins.
It was unabashedly comic book-y, the perfect example
of this being Deadpool's mask.
I know, right.
Remember, this is what he looked like in Origins.
No thank you.
Deadpool was courageous enough to come up
with the idea of animating his mask.
This simple detail goes to show you
just how fastidious the creators are about bringing
the character to life.
This version of Deadpool uses the quintessential comics
element of the character as a strength, not a flaw.
It never apologizes for the fact that the character
is wearing a costume, has a code name,
or has a complicated backstory.
It celebrates that fact and even mines it for humor.
As far as I'm ever going to win the--
Deadpool.
Captain Deadpool.
No just--
Just Deadpool.
Just Deadpool, yeah.
Deadpool as a movie is funny but never
at the expense of the characters or the world.
Deadpool's meteoric success as a solo film
was astonishing to most of the people at Fox, so much so
that they rushed a sequel into production.
Despite Tim Miller departing the film over creative differences
with Reynolds, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick returned to pen
the sequel, one which featured the big screen debuts of Cable,
Domino, Shatterstar, and multiple other fan
favorite X-force alumni.
Was that Benjamin Button?
Brad Pitt!
How-- how did--
You're here, aren't you?
Yeah, but I didn't agree to--
Oh.
And just like the creative solutions
they came up with for the first film,
Wernick and Reese along with John Wick co-director David
Leitch crafted a pitch perfect sequel.
All you need to do is compare this guy
and his previous cinematic outing
to see that they stayed right on the creative bull's eye.
Ultimately, it all comes down to one simple emotion, love.
You can feel in every frame of both Deadpool movies
that the people behind it love what they're doing
and love the character.
They're trying their best to accurately translate him
to the big screen.
That emotion is nowhere in Origins.
With every eyeball laser blast and weird arm sword slash,
their version of the character diminishes the film he's in.
Hey, it's me.
Don't scratch.
Just cleaning up the timelines.
[GUNSHOTS]
The people that are tasked with producing these comic book
blockbusters are stewards.
They're protectors of these modern day myths,
and when they don't take it seriously,
you can feel it from a mile away.
While you're here, feel free to check out our other videos
related to Marvel's favorite mutants
and let us down in the comments below what
mutant you'd like to see get their own solo movie.