"Cabin in the Woods" of Superhero Movies

Rating: 7/10 (2 March 2016)

"Deadpool" joyfully and audaciously pokes fun at other superhero flicks while being one in itself. The film's rapid-fire humor, self referential gags, and ballsiness satirize not only superhero movie clichés but also movie clichés as well. Yet what holds it back from greatness is its superficially structured story, unimpressive CGI action, ineffective resonance and bland one-dimensional characters excluding the titular character.
"Deadpool" tries desperately to stand out, and to not be seen as just another superhero movie. Well outside of the self referential humor, pop culture references, and the always funny Deadpool, the film becomes exactly what it is so afraid of being labeled as: just another over-the-top, oversaturated, and superficial action extravaganza. The only thing that saved "Deadpool" from being another mediocre excursion into the marvel canon was its non-stop jokes and compelling freedom to do whatever it wanted.
"Deadpool" could have been great if the writers put the same amount of time, effort, and creativity into the plot, and characters as they put into their jokes. The characters were just same old same old clichés particularly the forgettable villain. The character motivations behind Deadpool getting revenge were silly and almost absurd. Like seriously, he signed up for what happened to him. Also the movie does not suffer from the occasional 'save the world' plot, but maybe just as unoriginal, it suffers from the 'save the girl, kill the bad guy' plot. The worst sin of all is that even though the movie pokes fun at these clichés, it still ends up being guilty of them.
With all this said "Deadpool" is still an enjoyably funny fast pace superhero flick that most will like for its new and refreshing humor.