Movie Review | Deadpool

All great love stories begin the same way:  boy meets girl, they bond emotionally, and boy is subjected to dangerous medical experiments.  Okay, not all love stories begin that way, but this one does. 

Deadpool is a 2016 action-comedy film based on the titular Marvel character.  Detailing his origin story, the audience is introduced to Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) in the months leading up to his transformation.  We see him work, fall in love, propose, and develop terminal cancer.  Desperate for a cure, Wade volunteers for a program designed to create mutants; the catch is he’ll be subjected to extreme pain.  Run by the dastardly Ajax (aka Francis, Ed Skrein), the program gives Wade Logan-level healing, but disfigures his skin.  Angered and driven by unyielding desire, Wade is out to kill Francis, and find a cure for his disfigurement.

This was a film I dreaded re-watching.  While I enjoyed it in theaters, as time progressed I feared subsequent viewings would temper my enjoyment and kill the film.  While not that extreme, I didn’t laugh as much this time around.  Some jokes drew simple chuckles, while others a head-tilt.  That said, there are several moments where the humor works perfectly, and I genuinely laughed; Wade’s bridge fight with Colossus and the Minion offing montage are great examples.

The action scenes were executed competently, and at times complement the comedy.  Other than a handful of rubbery moments the special effects look great, especially Colossus.  While I still prefer the use of practical suits when possible, his superb rendering receives my stamp of approval.  What makes this feat more impressive is that Deadpool was produced for approximately $58 million, which is tiny compared to other comic book films; most Marvel Cinematic Universe films cost over $150 million.

Like with the X-men films, the acting is decent all around.  Ed Skrein is fine as Francis; he doesn’t stand-out when compared to other comic book film villains, but he serves the film's purpose.  He’s evil enough without being overblown or underdone.   Morena Baccarin works well in her scenes, and she has an interesting chemistry with Reynolds; makes their characters relationship stand-out.  TJ Miller is ok as Wade’s friend Weasel, serving as the subdued half of the friendship.  While not a deep performance, Brianna Hildebrand is perfect as Negasonic, striking the correct balance of teenage smug and joy; she also has a decent back-and-forth with Reynolds. 

Speaking of which, Ryan Reynolds gives the films best performance.  His passion for the character and film are evident every second he’s on screen.  While not the best actor—a fact the film pokes fun at—Reynolds has great comedic timing and his vocal inflections were spot on, especially once he’s put on the mask.  He also has great chemistry with his co-stars, to varying degrees.  While another actor could have played Wade, the film wouldn’t have been the same; heck, it might not have even been made if it weren’t for Reynolds passion and connection with the fans.  For that, he deserves a 21-chimichanga salute.

Tom Holkenborg’s score was decent.  No pieces instantly pop into my head, but they served the scenes.  What dazzled me auditorily was the use of popular music.  While not worked in as perfectly as Starlord’s mixed tape, the songs serve the film well, although the only tune that jumps into my head is “Careless Whisper.”  Thank you Seether for the cover.

While its luster has somewhat faded, Deadpool is still an entertaining film, carried by a lead whose heart is in the project.  While the sequel was better overall, it was a decent first step forward; once two hits home video I see a double feature in my future.  3.5 out of 5 chimichangas.

First Impressions | Reunited (Steven Universe)

I’ve heard of Diamond’s setting one in motion, but this is the first time I’ve seen Diamond’s end a wedding.

                “Reunited” is the concluding episode of the latest Steven Bomb.  Picking up where “Made of honor “left off, the wedding day has arrived.  Everything is set and the guests are gathered.  While a cloud hangs over, Steven does his best to push it away through song.  The wedding goes off without a hitch, but things turn dark during the reception as Yellow and Blue have finally come for the cluster.  Now it’s a battle for survival; Crystal Gems vs Diamond authority, No Holds Barred.  Curse you leaks for spoiling the ending.

                Having Steven begin the episode with a song felt right.  Zach’s vocal delivery was spot-on, carrying the right balance of emotion, tone and diction.  With everything that’s come to light this season, a cloud hangs over the Crystal Gems, as each deal with her own issues (Pearl with her secret, Peridot with Lapis, etc.).  As planner and friend, Steven focuses their attention back on the wedding.  While the issues are pressing, they will still be there after the wedding; why let them drag down the day? As the title states, today lets only think about love. 

                Ruby and Sapphire’s wedding was executed beautifully.  Peridot was an excellent flower girl, tossing them as only she can; I’m surprised there wasn’t a gag related her dress, but given how long she’s been with the Crystal Gems now it might have been viewed as redundant.  I applaud Rebecca Sugar and her team for switching things up and putting Ruby in the wedding gown.    Given how certain parts of the world censor aspects of the show for being too “gay,” this will make said censorship harder to execute.  While that was nice, what made this episode groundbreaking was the kiss.  While the couple have been affectionate before, this is the first full-on kiss depicted between the two; what better moment to show.  All the Gem’s human friends were in attendance, including Uncle Andy.  Episode pacing might be the answer, but I’m surprised he didn’t receive a single line.

                The episode turns serious once the Diamonds appear, having come for the Cluster.  While the gemstrocity hasn’t been a threat since Steven helped bubble them, the Homeworld Matriarchs destabilize this harmony.  Thankfully the Cluster retains enough sentience to know friend from foe.  While the Cluster Battles Yellow, the Crystal Gems fight Blue.  Even Lapis returns to help.  While she had feared the Diamond’s before, her reasoning is sensible:  if she’s going to be punished for being a Crystal Gem, she might as well stand with her friends.  Steven attempts to talk the situation out, but the grief-stricken diamond refuses to listen.  The fight is well choreographed and animated, feeling like a video-game boss battle at times.  Blue tanks everything, including Lapis dropping the barn on her.  The Diamonds had been talked up prior to this episode, but now we finally see the extent of their powers and durability.  On the Gem side, Steven shows how strong his shield has become, although he still has room for improvement.  Blue even shatters Rose’s sword.  While a simple action, given the episode’s ending it can be interpreted as the ending of one stage of Steven’s journey and the beginning of another.

                The climax reveals Steven’s mind-touch power has one further step.  After Yellow knocks him out, Steven enters a strange, ethereal dimension.  He can interact with Connie and the Gems, but only when engaging in physical contact.  He uses this dimension to boost his allies’ moral and attempt to reason with Blue and Yellow.  This reasoning leads to the Diamond’s attacking Steven together, and Steven finally revealing his latent Diamond abilities.  These abilities get through to the matriarchs, which leads to one of my favorite moments of both the Bomb and the series:  Blue and Yellow showing concern for Steven.  It’s a tossup between which Diamond has the cuter reaction.

                Like all good things, the Bomb’s ending means another brief hiatus is upon Steven Universe fans.  While past hiatuses have been during questionable points in the season—especially if only one episode contained vital story information— “Reunited” ends in a manner befitting a cliffhanger.   This episode could have been a season finale if Rebecca had wanted.  Like past hiatuses, there is a teaser.  While the previously leaked clip is not included, it shows Blue and Yellow are curious about how Pink survived.  While unsaid, they will probably inquire as to why Pink is in her current form.  Yellow’s reaction to her sister loving organic life—including having a child with one—should be interesting.  Like many of you, I also wonder how the pair will react to corrupted gems.  Will they be shocked at the results of their previous attack, or that corrupted gems can survive that long?

                It goes without saying that “Reunited” is one of my favorite episodes of Season 5.  While I haven’t gone back and watched every episode of the series yet—seeing early clips out of sequence will do that to you—I am confident in proclaiming this one of my top five favorites of the series.

First Impressions | Made of Honor (Steven Universe)

                Proposal's accepted, wedding planning has begun.  What could go wrong now?  Oh right, the guest list…

                “Made of Honor” is the penultimate episode of the latest Steven Bomb.  Taking place right after Ruby’s proposal, the Crystal Gems are filled with wedding bliss, preparing the temple  for the nuptials.  While everyone is excited, one small cloud hangs over Sapphire:  most of her old friends are unable to attend because they are Corrupted.  Steven takes it upon himself to free Bismuth from her bubble to invite the smith gem.  This leads to the two sharing a moment and reconciling.  The band is now back together.

                Given how Bismuth’s debut episode ended, her return was bound to happen.  The only questions were when and why.  When this bomb was announced I knew the when was approaching; the leaked footage with her in the background played a part, but the episode titles were another clue.  This one has a duel meaning.  The surface meaning is Steven wants Bismuth to be part of the wedding party, Garnet’s maid of honor.  The other involves Bismuth’s character development.  From the moment she reforms, Steven must fill the smith in on everything that’s occurred since they last met.  From corruption to Rose’s true nature, Bismuth is told everything.  Given the amount of knowledge Bismuth takes it well—what is lava to a Gem—but still has a chip on her shoulder.  If the Crystal Gems wanted her around, why didn’t one of them free her?  This viewpoint is logical given that Bismuth tried to shatter Steven last time.  If an old friend tried to kill a newer friend you’d be conflicted too.  This leads to a bonding moment between Bismuth and Steven where the pair make-up.  They had a tiff in the past, but have move past that.

                Bismuth raises an interesting point during their conversation:  why do the other gems stick around if everything was a lie?  While obviously the group care for one another, Bismuth raises another possibility:  they believe in Steven.  The gems view Steven as their best hope for the future, whatever it might entail.  While they rightfully question Rose when it involves the war, they trust the Diamond when it comes to her son.

                While it’s a small moment, a line Steven said early on made me smile.  He presents Ruby and Sapphire with a wedding planning book, one he claims to have assembled over his short life.  While on the surface played for laughs, there is depth too.  Steven has been thinking about marriage for years, even if only as a hobby.  This raises the question why?  Most likely we won’t get an answer, but it’s fun to theorize.  Hopefully Connie knows what she’s getting involved with.

                “Made of Honor” is another great episode.  Bismuth returns and gets some finality to her introduction arc, and the endgame is set.  Now, onward to wedding bells and war horns. 

First Impressions | What's Your Problem & The Question (Steven Universe)

I’m sorry for the delay; work following the first episode was hectic, and it was quickly followed by Anime Expo, which as an aside was fun; finally managed to hit up a Steven Universe Cosplay meetup, where I was one of two Gregs.  Sadly, still searching for pictures.  Now, with that out of the way, onto the episodes.

                “What’s Your Problem” and “The Question” are the second and third respective episodes of the latest Steven Bomb.  Picking up where the first part left off, Ruby is missing following Sapphire’s outburst.  Steven and Amethyst leave to find the Enteral Flame, but she is nowhere in Beach City.  This search leads to another bonding moment between the two.  A pizza stop leads them to Ruby, who has been calmed down by Greg but desires alone time.  This time alone leads to Ruby experiencing life as a cowboy and reflecting on her life. 

                While Amethyst blew off the Pink-Rose revelation initially, her guard slowly lowers as Problem progresses.  This lowering takes the form of frustration; at first it appears to be because of Ruby’s elusiveness, but it soon becomes apparent Amethyst is frustrated at the revelation and its implications for the Crystal Gems.  Amethyst feels that they shouldn’t have to deal with the mistakes Pink made.  While naïve when it comes to future encounters with Homeworld Gems, Amethyst has a point when it comes to their inner circle.  Pink lied to everyone, but that shouldn’t change how they feel about each other and Steven; the mother’s sins should not damn the son. 

                Ruby enjoy her alone time.  While she has been unfused before, the Eternal Flame has never had time away from Sapphire since that day in Blue Diamond’s court.  Even partners in the best relationships need me time, so this is long overdue.  As said before, Ruby masquerades as a cowboy, complete with hat, chaps and trail song; it’s always nice when Rebecca Sugar include a musical number, and hearing Charlyne Yi’s vocals is a bonus.  While Ruby enjoys herself, she misses Sapphire.  As the episode title foreshadows, this leads to Ruby asking Sapphire to marry her, a moment where every SU fan shrieked with glee.  While not a custom gems normally practice considering relationships between different casts are unheard of on Homeworld, it is romantic nevertheless.  Some might question the why, but Ruby’s reasoning is logical:  once married, even when the pair are unfused they will always be together.

                While only mentioned in passing, Greg talking Ruby down is an excellent touch.  Being the Crystal Gems longtime human friend, he knows their personalities and quirks well.  While he might not engage with Ruby as often, he knows her well enough to engage in deep conversation.  His reaction to Pink-Rose is what I expected; he’s fine with the truth, although I feel part of him wonders why Pink never told him the truth.  His spoken reasoning is logical, even if slightly humorous.  After this, Greg remains in the background as Ruby plays rider, but his dedication to friendship shines nonetheless.

                While not as packed as the two episodes that preceded them, “What’s Your Problem” and “The Question” both provided moments of character development and bonding that build beautifully off what came before.  The latter shows why this Bomb is called “The Heart of the Crystal Gems,” and hooks the audience for the final two.

First Impressions | Now We're Only Falling Apart (Steven Universe)

                “Rose Quartz was actually Pink Diamond!”  That revelation shattered everything SU fans thought they knew about the original leader of the Crystal Gems.  The fandom was split.  Some defended her while others lambasted her choices.  While I see the wisdom in both sides, I chose to wait for the Summer episodes before casting stones either way; information and proper context.  The latest Steven Bomb is upon us, and with the first episode SU fans have their answers, although I’m sure some corners of the fandom will still be annoyed.

                “Now We’re Only Falling Apart” picks up where the last episode left off, with the Crystal Gems digesting Pearl’s revelation.  Amethyst seemingly takes the revelation in stride—which is logical considering she was born after the war—but it literally destroys Garnet, undoing her fusion faster than Pearl’s previous lie.  This time it is Sapphire who is hurt, lambasting Pink for lying to them and cursing herself for not having seen this with her Future Vision.  She then storms off, with Steven and Pearl following to help calm the stormy gem down.  This calming involves another flashback, where more information is divulged about Pink Diamond’s past, including why she created Rose Quartz.

                Considering where the previous cliffhanger left this, character reactions and interactions were logical.  Amethyst has only known Pink as Rose and not having lived through the war she doesn’t have that painful baggage.  When combined with her laid-back demeanor, its logical she’d quickly forgive the lie.  Steven still seems to be digesting the information, which will most likely be his character arc through this Bomb.  Pearl is relieved, as a weight she’s been carrying for thousands of years is gone and she can finally speak freely, which she admits during the episode’s opening.  Garnet is the one I feel for.  Not only is her fusion undone, but everything she’s ever known since that day in Blue Diamond’s court is questionable.  Sapphire voices as much before she leaves, although she does take things too far.  Even if she’s upset, telling Ruby their relationship is based on a lie—among other things—is crossing the line.  Even when Ruby was mad before the Eternal Flame never spoke that harshly to her icy flame.  Given how much words can hurt it’s no wonder Ruby’s gone by the end.

                Pink Diamond’s backstory is the episode’s meat.  While the audience has heard stories about her before, the Rose revelation put everything into question, necessitating further exposition from Pearl.  We get that here.  While Pearl doesn’t reveal how Pink managed to get a colony—my guess is Yellow finally gave in—she goes into detail about how excited Pink was once her Quartz soldiers began to hatch.  This is where Rose was created.  Pink wanted to move among them, but couldn’t in her true form without hearing about it from her sisters.  One suggestion from Pearl and Rose is born.  As Pink explores her colony she slowly realizes how destructive Gem creation is to organic life.  As she puts it, “We’re not creating life from nothing.  We’re taking life and leaving nothing behind.”  She does attempt to undo the colony, but is overruled.  This is where her ultimate choice comes into play.  The Diamonds won’t listen to Pink, but they will pay attention to Rose Quartz. 

While some might still find this selfish—a viewpoint I respectfully disagree with—the Garnet situation makes it harder to throw that term.  While Pink originally was fighting to save organic life on Earth, Garnet’s creation added to her motivation.  She was not only fighting for Earth.  She was fighting for free Gems.  While the logic behind her ultimate decision can still be questioned—it is naïve on her part to assume Yellow and Blue wouldn’t do anything if their little sister was shattered—the why she made that choice is easy to see.  Pink did it for Earth and for Garnet.  Even if her specific actions were flawed, her heart was in the right place.

                In addition to Pink’s backstory, Pearl’s exposition also provides more information about her unrequited love.  While all Pearl’s adore their owners to a certain degree, as the story unfolds it becomes clear that Pearl was attracted to Pink’s boldness and dedication to her beliefs.  At first, this was awkward since it went against Pearl’s purpose, but over time this lessened; not everything is shown, but enough is divulged for the audience to fill in the blanks.  While brief, it was cute that Steven pointed out that Pearl’s feelings helped shaped Pink’s resolve, which garnered an appropriate subtle response from the gem

Some members of the fandom—hopefully a minority—are still calling Pink selfish when it comes to Pearl’s feelings.  While everything is entitled to his or her opinion, this is a view I’ll never understand.  One is not entitled to return another’s romantic feelings, even if they’ve been friends for millennia.  Feelings must develop naturally.  Despite their closeness—and the existence of Rainbow Quartz—Pink was under no obligation to love Pearl.  If she’s guilty of anything it’s being oblivious of the affections or ignoring and exploiting them.  It’s hard to say which one right now.

As a whole, “Now We’re Only Falling Apart” was a great episode.  It filled in backstory gaps, delivered moments of past and present character development and sets up the next several episodes nicely.  Boy, Sapphire’s going to need more than balloons and cake.