Yet again I found myself with my eyes closed, stumbling into the movie theater with my girlfriend dragging me along, giggling with delight. She’s grown very fond of taking me to movies without telling me what we see before hand. Last time this happened, we saw "The Force Awakens," so I had high hopes about her film selection this time around. Needless to say, when the Marvel logo, a great big smile stretched across my face. The opening scene came on in all its ridiculous glory, and with that, "Deadpool" was under way.
Needless to say, the movie was utterly fantastic. It was exactly what I have been waiting for for a long time: a movie that doesn’t take itself seriously. Even at the points where it could have succumb to clichè tropes, it moved quickly away from them. Every scene is masterfully crafted, combined with witty dialogue and exciting action. I could not stop laughing, and I was certainly not alone. The writers certainly spared no expense with the amount of ludicrous, biting lines that were delivered throughout the movie.
The reason this movie has been such a tremendous success, however, is not because of the clever one-liners, breath-taking acrobatics, or general silliness. It is because people are happy to see an anti-hero, and especially happy to see that he is a Marvel character, as well. Deadpool is so far beyond caring about why he does something, there is no reason to spend time analyzing his motives and character, which allows the viewer to simply enjoy watching the film.
Anti-heroes are great because they not only alleviate themselves from the standard hero arch, they are able to reflect the values and interests of a particular cross-section of society. In terms of Deadpool, he represents those that are sick of seeing superhero movies, albeit a small percentage of the population. I for one am tired of it, but the manner in which Deadpool holds himself is too ridiculous to pass up.
All things considered, we need characters like Deadpool, to help keep us sane. The polarized, radically political world which we have constructed is simply too burdensome and upsetting at times, and we all need something to help us escape from reality, often from what is possible. That is why, in general, Marvel has had so much success in the past few years. With each new movie and addition to the superhero franchise, people become more and more invested, desperate to immerse themselves in a world in which is beyond the many trivialities of modern society.
Just like this wonderful new Star Wars resurgence, I hope to see Deadpool make many more appearances in the future. We simply need more of him.
