Deadpool (2016)

Ryan Reynolds has yet again found a bombastic, confident character that relishes every moment of screen time. To be honest, I found his style tiring right away when I first saw him in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder. There is just something about his smug and arrogant demeanor that is hard to watch. Luckily, his tiresome foibles epitomize the role of Deadpool.

The first aspect of this film that stands out is the clever screenplay written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. They use the atypical comic book “hero” to turn the genre on its head for a change. The nature of the antihero protagonist of the film widens the net, if only slightly, to allow amoral themes to change the shape of the modern comic book movie. The saturation of atypical and fourth-wall breaking jokes allows the film to satirize the genre.

The film establishes a tone early on, from the opening credits into the first scene, and maintains throughout the entire film. Deadpool challenges the paradigm that is emerging with recent comic book movies and creates something fresh. This is not the typical wholesome and team-building story that most of Marvel has put out. Deadpool’s successful parody of the genre will, hopefully, propagate more provocative storylines.

Deadpool is not the first R-rated comic book film and it won’t be the last. Perhaps this film will be a catalyst in a schism between wholesome comic movies and provocative comic movies. Although, Suicide Squad may have undone all the work that Deadpool revitalized. If that hasn’t happen I hope, at the very least, that more projects emerge that are willing to make a comic book film that is more than just frosting on a cake and actually has some substance.