Parody of Superhero Blockbusters Proves Genre Has Jumped the Shark

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2016)

First off, I'm not a comic book guy; I usually avoid comic book movies like the plague (unless they're about Batman, which has been a steady part of my media consumption for a long time). To start off with the negative: the fact that "Deadpool" is a parody of Marvel/DC superhero blockbusters--and is actually successful at parodying the genre--means that the whole "superhero blockbuster" has jumped the shark. Where do you go from "Deadpool", which lampoons the genre down to the last detail? While also paying homage to superhero movies, "Deadpool" mocks the clichés and tropes of the genre so effectively that it is nigh impossible for me to take any action blockbuster superhero movie seriously ever again. We've reached peak- superhero-blockbuster, people; time to follow a new genre of film. Not even Mel Brooks could parody the genre like "Dea"you get the point of what I'm saying (while also dating myself).
That said, I loved the movieand I rarely like movies. From what I could tell, the "Deadpool" comic was one twisted story, more akin to comical comic books like "Howard the Duck" and "Tank Girl". The Nostalgia Chick said years ago that adapting "Tank Girl" into a movie (which most people didn't like) was like trying to make "Deadpool" into a movieonly this time, the results were excellent. Ryan Reynolds is hilarious as the "merc with a mouth". The film is the definition of a "meta movie". Deadpool is aware that he is in an over-the-top superhero movie, and constantly makes references to people, movies and songs from "the real world". Reality and fiction are melding, people! The movie doesn't just break the fourth wall: Negasonic Teenage Warhead nukes it to oblivion! Deadpool's wisecracks make Spider Man seem like an amateur. In short, the film's an ingenious parody that fans and haters alike of superhero movies should see.
I think "Deadpool" may be for action films what "Pulp Fiction" was for films in general: a totally original take on a shopworn genre that could get the public excited about movies as an art form again. That said, "Deadpool" heralds not so much the revival of the superhero blockbuster as its death kneel; again; where do movie makers go from here? I'd call this film the reductio ad absurdum of comic book films if it wasn't a completely self-aware parody.
PS: "Deadpool" would be an excellent cartoon on "Adult Swim": the execs of that channel should get together with Marvel/Disney and make it happen.