Once again we’re hit with another comic-book film, the first of many to come this year. Like every other film of this nature, we should expect action, some comedic relief, and a somewhat cohesive plot just to keep the ball rolling. However, this isn’t your ordinary superhero film. No my friends, this is Deadpool (AKA “The Merc with the Mouth”).
As we’ve witnessed through their brilliant marketing strategy, Deadpool has been hard at work to distinguish itself from the rest of the comic-book family. Striving for that hard ‘R’ rating, Deadpool truly deserves the praise it has achieved. With an impressive first weekend, Deadpool has shattered records from highest grossing February movie to highest grossing ‘R’ rated film.
The movie opens with your usual intro presenting the names of all those extensively involved with the film and both the head and supporting actors, but things are different. Instead of the usual names, we’re presented with every single generic name you could think of for these roles. Things like “written by The true heroes” and “a decent yet predictable cameo” appear on screen and send the crowd into roars of laughter because we all know how true these statements are. It quickly sets the tone with these jokes and the first action scene filled with all the action and violence superhero are certainly not known for.
Deadpool goes on to explain his origin story by breaking the 4th wall and simply telling the audience what exactly is going on (plus all his crude thoughts at every moment). The plot itself was actually interesting and, although predictable, it truly was a love story with a nice message at the end.
Throughout the film, we’re presented with jokes ranging from the current overload of comic-book movies to all the failures Ryan Reynolds has faced as an actor (those are my favorite btw). However, this movie would not be complete without Deadpool’s two X-Men pals who come along to join the ride. Colossus serves as Deadpool’s moral compass practically begging him to join the X-Men and consider doing things differently (no killing!). While Negasonic Teenage Warhead, an amazing name that Deadpool points out, is the disgruntled teen who’s under Colossus’s training and finds herself caught up in all this. To me, she’s the true hero, saving everyone in the end with her incredible powers. The placement of these two characters allow for a relief from Deadpool who can get annoying at times. Moreover, they also set up for some great, and I mean truly funny, X-Men jokes.
All in all, Deadpool is the film we’ve been asking for. Not only does it single-handedly take down the superhero trope that we all know and are beginning to get tired of (not me), it manages to create a name for itself. Already confirmed for a sequel, we’re about to get a change in perception for comic-book films as Wolverine 3 is on the lookout for that ‘R’ rating as well. Nevertheless, the question remains: can Deadpool keep us on our toes for his next appearance? I guess we’ll just have to wait for part two. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out the rest of the superhero films slated for this year; BvS is just around the corner!
Jorge Chabo is a freshman majoring in Economics BA. He’s from Miami, heavily into politics, and enjoys going to the movies.
words_jorge chabo. photos_evelyn choi.