In only its second week at the box office, "Deadpool" made $250 million at the box office (12th of all time of the highest grossing Marvel movies ) by using raunchy humor, film techniques and a structured storyline.
Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a retired special forces agent, is working as a professional mercenary. He falls in love with another mercenary named Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) who is just as cynical and sarcastic as he is. Soon after, he learns he has a fatal illness and abandons Vanessa so he can undergo a risky experiment that may save him. Instead, he finds himself being tortured by a mutant named Francis (Ed Skrein) and injects him with mutant genes to cure his cancer, but really attempt to kill him. Wilson then breaks free, but is caught and loses a fight with Francis. He is left for dead, only to wake up with accelerated healing powers. He then goes on a mission to track down Francis and takes on the alter-ego, Deadpool.
Tim Miller’s "Deadpool" goes against the conventional superhero movie. Our main character is not noble, nor heroic. He is an anti-hero: selfish, sarcastic, and scornful with no true moral code. And yet, the audience is constantly rooting for him. His sexual innuendos and brutally candid humor are hilariously funny. In addition, the movie is packed with non-stop fight scenes that include sarcastic punchlines.
One technique Miller uses throughout the movie is a breakdown of the fourth wall – a film/theater technique where a character speaks directly to the audience. This technique works in Deadpool because the personality of the character allows him to have a closer connection with the audience. Through a flashback, Reynolds consciously admitted he broke the fourth wall -- he called it breaking 16 walls. The audience is given the impression that Reynold's character is confident with his fate and is delighted to share his explosive story.
In the beginning, the story is told out of order without giving any background to the character’s story or motives. By using a non-linear style, Miller adds a sense of mystery to the film and allows the audience to see Deadpool for the character he really is. From the first scene, we are in drawn by his careless, yet humorous nature. The movie structure stays away from the standard hero plot. First we are intrigued by his impulsive explosive actions; then we learn about the back-story and sympathize with the character; finally, we cheer for his comeback fight.
The movie is packed with gory fight scenes which give the movie an R rating. Unlike most superhero movies, this movie is intended for college students and young adults. The gory scenes sometimes distract the movie from the storyline. At one point, Deadpool throws a body against a billboard and the audience can see every graphic detail. The purpose was to tell a twist on an underdog story and not repulse the audience with excessive gory scenes. Nonetheless, Deadpool delivers through humor, film techniques and storyline.
Reynolds gives the comeback performance of his career. His last superhero movie, "Green Lantern," lost $90 million at the box office, in which it took Reynolds a long time to find his professional personality. It has taken him a while, but Reynolds has finally found a character people will remember him for.
4.5/5 stars
