Written by Erin Lobner. Media by Courtney Murphy.
Last weekend I finally got around to seeing “Deadpool.” It had emotion, humor and certainly action. Ryan Reynolds was probably the perfect choice to star as mercenary Wade Wilson/Deadpool. As a Marvel fan, I looked forward to this movie for a long time. However, after actually watching it, I would not recommend it.
The issue with the movie was clear: it earned its R-rating a little too well. Of course, I knew that before I hit the theater, but parts still caught me off guard. While “Deadpool” was in the making, many Marvel fans backed 20th Century Fox’s decision to make the movie more graphic, stating that Deadpool’s character in the comic books was notorious for acting inappropriately. Apparently the producers agreed because the film was rated R for “Strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity.”
Considering one of Deadpool’s nicknames is “Merc with a Mouth,” the language wasn’t exactly shocking. Admittedly, many of the jokes were pretty funny, but they are unrepeatable if you want to avoid being senselessly crude. Most of the time, the swearing was unnecessary, and pretty clearly designed to push the movie to a more extreme rating. So, while vulgar language might go with Deadpool’s character, it was often used simply to add to the shock factor.
The next big problem with the film was the amount of nudity. After Wade Wilson got a girlfriend, there were many instances of it while they lived together. In addition, nudity popped up when Wilson went to a strip club and even in a fight scene or two. Again, it was just the needlessness of it all that troubled me. I understand that this, too, goes with Deadpool’s personality, but since the nudity wasn’t needed to further the plot, I’m an advocate for leaving it out.
The third issue addressed in the rating was violence. In action movies, this is definitely something to be expected. Usually, it’s actually something that advances the plot, adds tension or offers a solution. The problem was Deadpool’s flippant attitude about it. He was a mercenary before he became a mutant, so his life involved violence for a long time. It makes sense that he was desensitized to it. But still, he didn’t show any remorse, even after he killed a lot of people. As far as the graphicness of it all–I’ve seen worse, but not when it comes to Marvel movies. While almost all of the fights had laughable moments, some occurrences were cringe-worthy. Personally, I found this issue to be the lesser of evils, but it’s still something to consider.
I do want to clarify that not the whole movie was bad. The characters had some genuinely funny moments, like when Deadpool did a fourth-wall break inside a fourth-wall break, resulting in what he decided must be a 16th-wall break. Or when he asked if the villain, Ajax, was named after dish soap. The film also had a pretty good plot. There were scenes that tugged at my heartstrings, and I did get wrapped up in some of the action and laugh out loud at many of the jokes.
In the end, I think Marvel did a great job accomplishing what they hoped to with this movie, but it definitely is not for everyone. I wouldn’t take my brothers to see it, and that is my own way of judging if a movie is something I could recommend. If you’ve seen “Deadpool,” share your thoughts in the comments. What reactions did you have while watching the latest Marvel-based movie?
Great movie. It was exactly how it should have been. They were very clear in making the movie that it would be an adult film, because Deadpool is an adult character. Of course, they might have been a tad excessive but that’s the point. If you read the comics, they are written in a similar fashion. If you have a problem with the movie/language, you should not go see it. Do not hate on an otherwise wonderful film.