The Merc Gets a Mouth
Although plenty of people saw the Deadpool trailer weeks ago when a poor, grainy quality version leaked from San Diego Comic-Con – such is the world we live in – this week, the whole world got a chance to see it in all its violent, vulgar glory. Deadpool undoubtedly represents one of Fox’s biggest gambles, so let’s get right into it and dissect what we’ve seen so far.
5. The Look
When X-Men Origins: Wolverine came out back in 2009, the most obvious fact about the character of Wade Wilson/Deadpool was that the character had been completely altered from the source material – both visually and narratively. The upcoming Deadpool seems committed towards setting the record straight and introducing mainstream audiences to the real Deadpool.
Perhaps he most obvious reverence for the source material comes from the visual aesthetic of the trailer: this character actually looks like Deadpool. His suit has a functional, tactical look that still looks exactly like what the Merc with the Mouth wears in the pages of his comics. We would go so far as to say it’s one of the most faithful outfits in modern comic-book cinema. Deadpool’s not the only character who has come more in line with the source material; the little we see of Colossus is far closer to his comic counterpart than Daniel Cudmore’s version in X-Men 2, or Days of Future Past.
4. Violent
The red suit may prevent bad guys from seeing him bleed, but that doesn’t mean we won’t get our fair share of gore in Deadpool. Although certainly fantastical in many regards, the action does! seem at least partially grounded in reality. The fight scenes look gritty, brutal, and most of all, good. Deadpool both takes and gives out serious beatings in this trailer, with a healthy balance of sword and gunplay throughout; perhaps most importantly, they show off that despite his newfound abilities and talents, Deadpool feels pain.
3. Understands mistakes of the past
“Please don’t make the super suit green… or animated!”
With that one line, Ryan Reynolds perfectly conveyed set the tone of this film and established a self-awareness that could prove to be the film’s greatest strength. The actor has not had the best success with comic-book adaptations, and he knows it – Green Lantern, Blade: Trinity, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine all performed poorly with fans and critics alike. In the days leading up to the release of the trailer itself, Reynolds starred in a teaser that actively acknowledged Fox’s previous – and terrible – attempt to bring Deadpool to the screen. More than anything else, this shows that the studio and the crew all understand the stakes against this film and the importance of getting it right.
*****
2. Full of Pathos
One thing nobody could have really predicted from a Deadpool trailer was the amount of heart it has. Sure, it features quite a bit of gory violence and crass humor, but we also get a real sense of who Wade Wilson is prior to donning the red and black. Becoming Deadpool comes as a result of wanting to “do right” by the woman he loves, and a legitimate fear of succumbing to his cancer. Although his procedure causes him to mentally unhinge somewhat, we see that by and large, his humor serves more as a coping mechanism than anything else. Ultimately, it’s simultaneously odd and comforting that Deadpool seems to remember the human part of superhuman when so many other films have struggled to nail down that aspect – see: Fant4stic.
1. It’s Hilarious
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: Deadpool looks potentially like the funniest comic-book movie ever made – eat your heart out Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s a healthy balance of visual and character based humor – although just about all of it is crude as can be. Reynolds seems to have accepted that he works best when he plays the snarky smart-ass, and channels a sadistic, unhinged Van Wilder throughout the process. As already stated, much of the humor stems from the underlying darkness of Wade’s circumstances, and lends the sense that he jokes in the face of danger because in the end it’s all he knows how to do. The interplay between a horribly scarred Wade and Weasel (T.J. Miller) is particularly enjoyable and has a Judd Apatow-esque improvisational feeling to it.
