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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