Deadpool recently broke an opening weekend record for an R-rated movie. That firmly puts it in Watchmen territory–not in terms of ticket sales (I don’t think Watchmen performed so well at the box office). I’m talking about the same territory as the comic Watchmen. The one that ‘grew up’ the medium. Which is what Deadpool has done for Superhero films. The movie has firmly drew a line and said, “Hey, this stuff doesn’t have to be all family friendly.” I can’t help but find it ironic, given that Deadpool and Watchmen are polar opposites from each other … which means they have mature appeal for two totally different reasons. (In a Deadpool-style aside, I can’t help but wonder what an Alan Moore Deadpool story would be like …)
As far as the movie itself. What can I say that you haven’t already read somewhere else? It kicked ass. It kicked ass even more than the first Kick Ass, and that’s really saying something. The movie had a unique personality that it never strayed from. Some critiques have been hammering the movie for its one-note villain. On the one hand, I can understand the criticism. On the other, given the villain more screen time would have slowed down Deadpool’s stuff. And that’s really who I came there to see.
Deadpool is a great movie. If you’ve read or heard something positive about Deadpool, it’s probably true. If you’ve heard that it’s crude, vulgar, and slapstick, that’s definitely true. But the movie has a surprising amount of heart that, at worst, I would say balances out all of the other stuff. And at best, I would say even heightens it.
Superheroes in Prose #13: A Fabulous Anarchy, on sale March 1st!