Deadpool by Tim Miller (2016)
In preparation for Deadpool vs. Wolverine, I rewatched the first Deadpool movie for the first time in years. When it came out in 2016, Deadpool’s irreverent tone, crass humor, and ultra-bloody violence were a welcome tonic to the MCU’s spectacle. Watching it now, it’s… OK. There were still plenty of parts that left me chuckling, starting with the creative profanity, and it’s clear that Ryan Reynolds has a blast playing the Merc with a Mouth. (It’s the part he was born to play.) But it also feels oddly disconnected. The constant stream of meta references — Deadpool certainly does enjoy his fourth wall breaks — wears thin over time. The result is a fun-yet-hollow film that wants to have its cake and eat it, too, i.e., Deadpool wants to thoroughly deconstruct the whole notion of a “superhero movie” even as it enjoys all of the trappings of one.
I may earn an affiliate commission on items you buy through Opus. These commissions will go directly to support the site and my blogging.