“This is a superhero movie, but that guy in the suit just turned that other guy into a kebab. Surprise! This is a different kind of superhero story,” says a man in a tight red suit toting weapons all over his body.
The man in the suit is Marvel antihero Deadpool, coming to theaters Feb. 12. Known for his ridiculous banter and self aware, pop-culture filled humor, Deadpool is one of Marvel’s lesser known characters, likely to be only recognizable to those who follow the comics books.
Deadpool is a loudmouth mercenary who has little regard for human life, and has a healing factor similar to Wolverine.
Starring Ryan Reynolds, the film will mark the second cinematic appearance of the antihero, previously seen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and his first solo movie. While fans were almost universally disappointed by his portrayal in Origins, Deadpool appears to right the wrongs of the past and appease the fans.
It’s fairly safe to say that the film has employed one of the most charming and entertaining marketing campaigns for a movie in a long time whether it be tongue-in-cheek Twitter posts, a plethora of well-done and comedic trailers or ridiculous uses of emojis on billboards to spell out his name.
Most recently, the marketing team has employed the strategy of making posters depicting the film as a romantic comedy, everything building up to this film has been a blast to follow.
Unlike most current-day superhero films which typically pursue a PG-13 rating, Deadpool sells itself as a raunchy and violent rated R film, true to the nature of the character.
Even the decision to pursue the rating was announced in a creative way, with a fake press release of a reported claiming the film to tone down its content, only to be stopped by Deadpool himself.
Each trailer has released in censored green and uncensored red band versions, the later being full of heavy profanity, crass humor and gory violence. Safe to say, the film is not quite targeting a younger audience.
What has fans most excited about Deadpool however might just be the approach of the film. Unlike many superhero films which tend to change many iconic aspects of the characters, Deadpool appears to be sticking to its roots.
Deadpool’s costume looks faithful to his comic book equivalent and Reynolds’ performance based on the trailers retains the snarky and foul-mouthed madness of the character. Others characters like Colossus, (played by Stefan Kapicic) who have been used as a generic, love interest in the X-Men films, returns to form as a quiet Russian brute.
This is refreshing in an era where many other superhero films ditch the iconic looks that made them so beloved in the first place. Deadpool will stick to what made him so great.
The trailers have done an excellent job at showcasing what audiences can expect from the film while making sure little is known about the actual film itself and how it will all play out.
Whether or not you have heard of the merc with a mouth before, or are a fan of the comics, Deadpool is a film too look out for when it releases next month.