This is how many superhero movies come out: I find myself repeating the phrase "I'm so sick of superhero movies" over and over and over again in these reviews. And I am. Yet, because binge watching TV has become the new norm for us (thanks Netflix, you dicks) I have to keep up with the story. It's never truly over. Oh, I've seen three Iron Man's and two Avengers films... well, obviously I'm going to have to see the new Captain America... it's just the next episode. Except I'm sick of the show. I'm sick of the characters and the same CGI and explosions. But, I have to know how this shit ends. Now, every once in awhile there is a brand new and original "superhero" film that breaks ground and changes the game so that it doesn't FEEL like you're watching the same standard Marvel fare. Guardians of the Galaxy did it. Kick-Ass took the superhero genre and flipped it on its ear. And The Dark Knight (a reference I will continue to use) felt like a great crime drama than a superhero movie. So, now we've got Deadpool... the anti-superhero. And, I will admit, it's a lot better than I expected. However, and I'm sure I'll get chastised for this, other than the excessive gore, gratuitous nudity, and foul language... it wasn't exactly that far off from, say, Iron Man.
Just hear me out. So, we have an origin story about giant dickhead Wade, who falls in love with a hooker with a heart of gold, finds out he has cancer, decides to use the superhero program thingy to rid his cancer and becomes a burned-looking dude who can't get hurt. The catch: he's still a vulgar dickhead. He wears the spandex, shoots the bad guys and calls them cocks while doing so. That's the only difference. He pairs up with a couple of unknown X-Men, tracks down the bad guys, and has a big fight scene complete with a big CGI boat explosion at the end. And once I was aware that this was the case, it kind of took me out of the story a little. Not enough to ruin the movie for me... just a little bit. So, I guess if you're a fan of superhero films and the Marvel universe, but you're tired that they're all family-friendly PG-13 fare... this is the superhero film to end all superhero films.
What Deadpool does, however, that is exceptional is this: it takes risks. Even though it really does follow the same superhero structure, it does everything in its power to convince you that it isn't... in a good way. The opening credits list nobody's names but things like "The Comic Relief" or "A Celebrity Cameo". There's the anti-hero Reynolds who is allowed to say what EVER the hell he wants to say and as crassly as he can, and for the most part it's funny. About 85% of the quips out of Reynolds' mouth is pure comedic gold. 15% you're shaking your head wondering how any of it made the final cut (a lot of these lines are wasted in the trailer, thank God). There's awkward, yet hilarious sex scenes, amazingly violent action (which, I still think could've gone harder, but it was still good) and it was a very risky move for everyone involved. We can see now that it's definitely going to pay off. For a film that is adapted from a comic book and following a very specific structure... it's pretty original. I realize that's kind of an oxymoronic thing to say, but it's true. And it's aware of this as well. Every time it starts to fall back into the structure of a superhero film, Deadpool will break the fourth wall and talk to the audience reminding us that this is the way shit is done... he may not agree with it... but it's happened.
So, did I like Deadpool? Yes. Am I recommending it to you? Absolutely. Is it already in the running for best film of the year? No. It was very entertaining, but I'm sick of superhero movies. And unlike Guardians of the Galaxy and Kick-Ass it didn't take me OUT of that world. I was still very much in it. The biggest difference between Deadpool and Iron Man is that Tony Stark is restricted by a PG-13 rating and Deadpool is not. If Stark got his own R rated movie, it would probably be a lot like this one. And those are decent films too... I'm just sick of them. So, here's hoping that Deadpool does more good than bad. We've already seen that an R rated superhero movie can still make box office bank (and I'm hoping and praying that Suicide Squad doesn't puss out and hit us with PG-13). It's a fun ass movie... but will not change your mind about being sick of the Marvel world. Okay, maybe a little bit.
B
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