Deadpool, the first truly postmodern superhero. And it's not a compliment

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2016)

Back in 2008 when Scarlett Johansson married Ryan Reynolds, who I only knew back then as the sidekick from Blade Trinity, the celebrity gossip sites (another one of my guilty pleasures of that time) praised that guy for having a typical Canadian trait of self-irony. Back then it seemed like a good thing. Now, eight years from then, Ms Johansson is in the past and Mr Reynolds is by no means a sidekick anymore. But the self-irony still remains, and this time it found a fresh, almost gargantuan outlet.
The genre of superhero movies is always at risk of catching a disease of repetitiveness and predictability, which is no wonder considering those big manly chins that are constantly pulling you down. So, just like Wade Wilson, at some point it had to start mutating into something fresher and more curious to retain the viewer's attention. It may be a pleasure to watch a superhero, but it's a much bigger pleasure when he is not exactly super, or not exactly a hero. Tobey Maguire might not be Spider-Man that every kid dreamed of becoming one day, but his Spidey was a person we all could relate to, with his own flaws and imperfections. A superperson who's still genuinely human inside.
Then it was time for the genre to mutate again, to show that heroing can actually be fun (contrary to Christian Bale and all the X-Men's sullen faces). First it was Kick-Ass, an amazing example of how great it can be to make the protagonist a total amateur. And then, of course, Green Hornet, with Seth Rogen taking the concept of a superhero to a completely hysterically ridiculously awesome level.
Well, apparently the world needs a hero again. And since all the big-chinned roles are already taken by the likes of Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, this time the filmmakers decided to go deeper and produce a completely new type of a superhero - one that takes nothing seriously, himself included.
There's no denying that Deadpool is good at being that type of a film. With Reynolds giving us a wisecracker who's both marveling at and deriding himself at the same time, and with the entourage that from the opening credits rams home the idea that no ego will be left inviolable tonight, Deadpool feels like a hot stand-up show but with fists flying, bullets buzzing and swords clashing, all in a single bedazzling whirlwind.
However, the first stun only lasts for about a half of the movie, after which you start realizing that Ryan Reynolds indeed got this far not thanks to his superior acting method. The gay jokes wear out, the snarky remarks miss the spot and become annoying, and the shallowness of the sidelines gets so obvious that even the constant breaks of the fourth wall to self-admit it don't make it much better. The only thing that keeps holding you is the villains, who, despite being made of cardboard by design, hold their ground exactly because their typicality is authentic.
And that is what's wrong with the postmodern approach. In attempt to bring it further on by parasitizing on the idea that there could be no "further on" at all, Deadpool eventually loops and bumps into its own rear. And no matter how Mr Reynolds might enjoy his rear to be bumped into, it doesn't compensate for the lack of heart he brings into this film, which is even comical considering the obvious binding to the theater release on the Valentine's Day, and equally tragic considering that Reynolds can, in fact, pull off decent roles, like the one in Mississippi Grind. Sorry Ryan, but this time watching you was like listening to Barenaked Ladies: the music is good and the vocals are decent, but at some point you simply realize that the lyrics are just whiny and immature, and that spoils all the fun. I only hope that Chris Evans will bring that fun back, because despite the big chin, his Captain America also has an equally big heart.
I'd give it 6.5, but since IMDb only deals in whole numbers, let's round it up. For the sake of pioneering at something at least.