The new Marvel movie, Deadpool, is breaking the traditional idea of superhero movies.
After two weeks Deadpool’s release, it remains as No. 1 at the box office with a $55 million estimate of its domestic revenue. Ryan Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, a normal citizen who turns into an anti-hero from “ugly” superpowers, according to IGN Entertainment.
“Poking fun at the Marvel franchise, he is really the first one that was irreverent back towards the holy ground of the Marvel universe,” Steve Snediker, digital cinema professor, said. “This is a breaking out sort of role of a Marvel superhero character; to be the underdog, to be the not so squeaky clean. In this case, Deadpool is lost; he is not the good guy.”
This revenge and love story, however, is not a movie for everyone. For some people, Deadpool is one of the most hilarious creations that Marvel has ever produced, but for others it could be too much.
“There was a lot of well played humor and some really bad humor,” Snediker said.
Deadpool is rated R for crude and inappropriate scenes; characters are not afraid to offend people. Not only does it have many obscene jokes, but there is also a lot of violence and sexual scenes.
“Most Marvel movies are rated PG or PG-13,” Erica Castro, a senior who is a big fan of Deadpool and other superheroes, said. “This one was more in for the adults, because Wade Wilson, Deadpool, is a mercenary so he is known to cuss and kill people. There is a whole lot more violence, more cussing and just more for the mature audience.”
Deadpool, the character, is self-aware and self-referential, since he knows he is a fictional character from a comic book and brings this to the audience’s attention. This is called the fourth wall or the imaginary wall between actors on stage and the audience.
“This cinematic approach was constantly carried in the movie as Deadpool breaks the fourth wall looking at the screen and talking to the audience,” Snediker said.
It is a rare technique that not many filmmakers decide to use. However, in this movie it worked.
“They don’t break the fourth wall,” Castro said. “They completely destroy it, so it makes you feel like you are part of the movie through the entire action as well.”
These type of movies are made to place fictional characters in a real world with relateable people.
“Our society is in a place where everything is changing,” Snediker said. “Not for the better, necessarily. Things are changing in a way that [the movie’s] almost a reflection of the hopelessness in a level of anger that exists in our world.”
Overall, Marvel pulled off putting their most notoriously anarchic and messed-up character from the comic books in a hit movie.
“I had been waiting for this movie since it was announced and it completely filled my expectations,” Castro said.
It was expected to have unbalanced and opposite reviews since Deadpool is not a superhero and it is more inappropriate than other Marvel movies.
“I have to give credit to the filmmaker for doing an amazing job,” Snediker said. “I also have to say that there are things in that movie that I wish I hadn’t seen.”