The opening credits of "Deadpool" begin with the words "Some Douchebag's Film." Maybe it was because of this self-deprecation that overseas audiences found the film refreshing. Especially since in another recent superhero blockbuster, a billionaire vigilante pontificates on morality using the "one percent doctrine" as an example, while an omnipotent alien looks dour and hopeless when he is unable to save everyone from a bombing.
"Deadpool," directed by newcomer "douchebag" Tim Miller and starring Ryan Reynolds, was in development for more than a decade before finally making it to theaters (the film opens in Japan on June 1.) In hindsight, those years must seem like a godsend for those involved in the project. The superhero genre has gone through several changes in that time, and a large portion of the film works because of it.
Popularly known among fans as the "Merc with a Mouth," Deadpool and his alter ego, Wade Wilson, spend much of the film taunting enemies, cracking jokes and breaking the fourth wall, taking shots at everything from Reynolds' previous superhero outing, the ill-received "Green Lantern," to the lack of other notable X-Men in the film (which takes place in the same universe.)
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