Last night, hand-selected Deadpool superfans in New York and LA were treated to a screening of Deadpool, Marvel’s new R-rated superhero flick starring Ryan Reynolds. To the surprise of no one, fans who proclaim their undying love for this “witty” character call it the greatest thing of all time. Or the greatest superhero thing ever, because it’s hilarious. Or something:
Just saw early screening of Deadpool. The movie is fucking amazing. Everything I was hoping for from the Merc with a Mouth! #deadpool
— Rachel H. (@judgebunnie) January 19, 2016
Oh man, I really, really loved #Deadpool! Funny, action packed, and just a blast. As a fan, I’m hugely impressed and happy! @deadpoolmovie
— PJ Campbell (@pj_campbell) January 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/ijustine/status/689265969508802564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It’s a genius move by the marketing team of Deadpool, to cut off negative critic reviews at the pass with fanboy reactions. Not that I’m saying all critic reviews or consensus will be overwhelmingly negative. It might turn out to be a great superhero movie. But judging by the trailers, I personally don’t see it. The comedy in the trailers is broad and unfunny, the action seems like it could grow tiresome pretty quickly. The whole endeavor feels like it was written by a 13-year old boy.
“You look like an avocado had sex with an older avocado.” Har-Dee-Har…
Again, I could be entirely wrong here. Deadpool could surprise me and be one of the best… all that. Maybe Ryan Reynolds is actually funny for a change. But here, from this distance, it has some work to do to convince me. The cynic inside me makes me believe this surprise screening for hand-selected fans of the source material, while brilliant, is preemptive overcompensation. Seems to fit the film’s thematic elements, at least the previews I’ve seen.
