Deadpool Review

I set impossibly high expectations for Deadpool, yet somehow it exceeded every single one of them.

I would have never imagined that such a cluster of gore, violence, swearing and casual misogyny would combine to make such an amalgamated block of perfection. Deadpool does this.

To cut to the chase Deadpool does everything I wanted it to.

The film is exactly how any fan of the character would want it. The fourth wall is continually broken, sarcasm is high and if anything serious comes up it is simply made fun of.

I have waited so long for this film, even since it was released it's taken me a fortnight of hearing how amazing it was before I was able to find the time to plan a trip to the cinema.

And man it was worth the wait.

From the opening sequence to the post credits scene everything is exactly how I pictured it.

I think this is the first time I've had a smile on my face throughout an entire film.

I especially loved the transitions from present day to origin story. It really helped break up the action and made sure we got straight into the film, rather than being slowly dragged into a character who has nothing of this nature about him.

Ryan Reynolds shines. He really is the perfect (and I know I'm throwing that word around a lot) actor for the role. His passion for the character and the franchise is noted and appreciated.

The addition of two X-Men is a great decision. Even if it is just because, as we are told by our hero in red, it's all the film studio could afford.

Colossus acts as a great counterpart to Wade Wilson, bringing true goodness to the film as he attempts to keep the language and violence to a minimum. This is juxtaposition at it's finest.

Then we have mega emo 'mom it's not a phase' teen girl who gives Deadpool unlimited ammo for mockery. Also known as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, this new character was a pleasant surprise from the film, and she turns out to be a total badass in battle.

The bad guys are fine for this films purpose, maybe a little bland but we don't want anybody to outshine our main man. Even if we are teased with mentions of the likes of Wolverine.

There may be plenty of great superhero films coming out in the near future, but none of them will be quite the experience Deadpool was. It instantly becomes one of my all-time favourites.

Niall's Rating: 94%

Mad Max: Fury Road Review

It's been a while since I've seen a film I genuinely wish lasted twice as long but the latest instalment in the Mad Max franchise managed to draw me in immediately and kept me totally engrossed throughout its two hour run time.

Mad Max himself, now portrayed by Tom Hardy

For no reason in particular I hadn't paid nearly enough attention to Mad Max: Fury Road in the lead up to its release. I'd obviously heard of the previous films but hadn't really begun to think about watching them.

Then one Friday night, slightly intoxicated, a stranger came up to me at the bar. Within seconds we were talking about our favourite films of the past year and he could not stop recommending what he called an 'epic non-stop fight on wheels.'

Of course I was immediately intrigued.

The morning after I woke up and there was one thing on my mind. I had to watch this film.

I was not lied to, the film was a masterpiece. From the raspy narration over the black screen I was hooked.

The whole thing was visually striking, everything looked amazing, even compared to some of the best scenes we've seen recently such as The Martian. The vast desert could so easily have become a dreary bore, however every scene seems fresh and introduces new breath into the surroundings.

Scenes are shot in a way I have never witnessed before. The escape scene right at the start of the film, where several frames are intentionally skipped, was one of my favourite bits. A high compliment when you take into account there wasn't a moment of the film I didn't like.

And then there are the characters and their vehicles. Since the majority of the film takes place on four wheels (or sometimes two), it was a very big relief to see the effort that had been put into the design. Each vehicle was different and introduced new elements to the film to make sure repetitive was not a word going through my head.

The design that went into this makes me very very happy

The main characters also stand out, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron shine as they so very often do, both managing to command but share their scenes beautifully. Obviously I haven't seen the earlier films (though I intend to as soon as possible) and cannot compare Hardy's performance to the previous reincarnation of Max, played by Mel Gibson. However I can say that he seemed to play the role in a way that portrayed his character exactly how it should in each situation.

I also really enjoyed the performance of Nicholas Hoult as Nux, a war boy. He immediately stood out, something that he needed to since he plays one war boy in an army of thousands of almost identical ones. Immediately loveable, even for a bad guy, Hoult will still have you rooting for the excitably loyal soldier.

Nicholas Hoult shines as war boy Nux

And whilst we're talking about characters and vehicles can we just take a moment to appreciate the amazing design of the monster truck with a flaming guitar wielding blind man. Easily the coolest thing I have ever seen in film, and when you think it can't get any better they include him in a fight scene.

This guitarist is definitely the best character in the whole film

Overall I was very very pleasantly surprised by this film. I would go as far as saying it immediately goes into one of my favourites of all time and the fact that I was so clueless going into it made every second that bit sweeter. Every minute is non-stop action but the story and characters aims remain in the helm for the entirety of the film.

Niall's Rating: 92%