I’m getting pretty tired of superhero movies.
Over the past eight years, there have been twelve Marvel Cinematic Universe films alone (not counting X-Men or DC movies). Like Westerns way back in the day, most people love and will pay to see these kinds of films; but they have a repetitious and formulaic feel that can make them lose their relevancy quickly. At this point, I can hardly care less about what’s going to happen between Iron Man and Captain America come May.
Now, after being in developmental hell for the past decade, “Deadpool” has hit the scene and is shaking things up. Instead of reinventing the superhero genre, “Deadpool” takes what has been recycled by comic-book movies since Iron Man, tosses in a heaping dose of crude humor and gratuitous violence and gives the film industry a big, fat middle finger with a sense of gleeful sadism that only a pitch-perfect Ryan Reynolds
can deliver.
A hilarious, game-changing opening grabs you by the seat of your pants and promptly demonstrates just how different this flick is from the rest. Deadpool makes fun of nearly everything and everyone (including himself). Brilliantly choreographed action sequences happen within moments of the films opening, giving the audience a taste for just how bloody and over-the-top the movie will become. Reynolds, who has been trying to get the film off the ground since that god-awful, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” couldn’t be better—this is the role he was born for.
Disposing of linear storytelling, a creative time-jumping mechanism offers a fresh way to tell the origins of the Merc with a Mouth. We learn of his cancer, his love, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin, who is both wonderful and funny) and his fateful transformation from Wade Wilson into the foul-mouthed anti-hero in what is perhaps the most entertaining origin story yet. The best part is, Deadpool is acutely aware that he is living within the confines of a superhero movie, which result in snarky jabs at character stereotypes and generic plot points throughout the film.
With so much time and effort put into making Deadpool as unforgettable as he is, it is understandable—though a bit regrettable—that none of the other characters in the film get the same treatment. TJ Miller is solid but underused as Wilson’s bartender best-friend, though he is not nearly as underutilized as Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) who is as awesome as her name implies. Along with Colossus (Stefan Kapicic), Deadpool and Negasonic form a fun trio, but a boring and forgettable villain (Ed Skrein) proves disappointing.
Like a whiff of vodka-Redbull breath straight up the nostrils, “Deadpool” is the filmic equivalent of a drunk uncle who wishes he was younger and encourages everyone to drink. “Deadpool” is the rude response to the overused superhero story audiences have all been waiting for, so quit pussyfooting around and get an eyeful of what he has to offer—unfortunately, all those other superheroes are now going to be dreadfully boring
by comparison.
Scott may be reached at [email protected]
