We have all seen Ryan Reynolds charge headfirst into a couple superhero movies, sporting a pair of signature tights, only to become part of a flop.
The last two times were of course when he played the titular character in Green Lantern, and, coincidentally, Deadpool in the 2009 atrocity, Wolverine Orgins. Both movies tanked in the box office and had fans everywhere questioning whether the Canadian actor should stray from the comfort of his usual rom/com.
However, the film’s promotors have done a wonderful job advertising, cleverly throwing teaser clips well before the release to establish that this Deadpool film would be anything but the standard Marvel superhero movie.
A dancing, sassy, red-clad man in tights with two swords and two guns gleefully decimate a barrage of suited bad-guys to fix his deformed face and not be rejected by the love of his life: pretty romantic right? If red is symbolic of love, then the movie is heavily splashed with “romance.” As per the R rating, the film gets to use the grotesque nature of anti-hero deaths for comedic purposes, as well as to display the impressive physique of Reynolds in a myriad of nudes (for many people, that’s all they need to know!)
Reynolds and Deadpool actually have a coincidental relationship as Reynolds landed his first acting role the same year the Deadpool comic was released in 1991. Reynolds didn’t get into the comics until 2005 when he was first brought on board for the Wolverine Origins; fortunately, Reynolds naturally identifies with Deadpool’s off-beat, snarky sense of humor, which is good for improvised one liners that populate superhero movies. So, this new Deadpool, birthed from Origins’ failures, finally does justice to the comic’s anti-hero.
And being an anti-hero means joyfully making fun of superheros and their tropes. Like how Guardians of the Galaxy was able to be a refreshing, original Marvel picture, Deadpool is something entirely new, yet absolutely perfect for its brand of comedy. The breaking the fourth wall on numerous occasions, the stark criticism in subtle lines that reference other pop culture icons, and, above all, the bombardment of inappropriate humor make this movie the titillating experience that it is.
