Official Deadpool Trailer Shows Hilarity, Violence, & Reverence for Source Material

If you’re a fan of comic books,  then you know that heroes go through numerous revisions over the years. Superheroes, their supporting cast, and their rogues gallery are regularly rebooted. Not only does this help to keep things fresh, but it also makes it easier to avoid having to deal with story lines that would otherwise collapse under their own weight.

Because of that, the versions that we end up with on a big screen adaptation can sometimes seem a little loopy. In order to pick what they believe will sit well with audiences the best, studios and writers often cherry picking from different iterations. Sometimes this goes over well, like in did in Batman Begins, and sometimes it doesn’t, such as 2005’s Fantastic Four. (Oof…)

On Monday, we were given a special glimpse into the upcoming Deadpool, which is slated for release in 2016 and will star Ryan Reynolds. The  trailer teaser, while only 45 seconds long, is the perfect continuation to the viral marketing campaign that has been underway since before the movie started filming.

If you’re a fan of the character and were worried about whether or not Fox would cave and give us a PG-13 watered-down suck fest, your fears were no doubt alleviated the moment you saw Deadpool bash Mario Lopez over the head. (Seriously, how awesome was that?)

To be fair, I should mention that there is nothing particularly groundbreaking about an R-Rated superhero flick. Watchmen and the Blade trilogy were both rated R, but neither of them came with the self-deprecating humor that we appear to be getting next year. Kick-Ass brought the laughs, but didn’t feature a hero as loved as Deadpool. This film, while designed with die hard fans in mind, may just be funny and off-kilter enough to attract curious casual movie-goers.

Last night, the official trailer dropped on CONAN, while the red band trailer dropped simultaneously online. And yeah, they’re awesome!

I may be a DC fanboy, but I love Deadpool. Hand’s down, he’s my favorite Marvel character. As a fan, I’m so glad to see that they studio not only has the balls to make a hard R superhero movie, but appear to stay so true to the source material as well. It’s also good to see Fox be good sports and beat themselves up a bit for sewing the characters mouth shut in 2009’s god awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

All of the telltale signs are there. Wade Wilson pokes fun not only at himself, but at the terrible choices once made by the actor portraying them. That hysterical line about not having a green or animated costume, an obvious reference to 2011’s failed Green Lantern, let us all know that this character would indeed be breaking the fourth wall.

For those of you who are playing the home game, one of the things that makes’ Deadpool special is that he talks to the audience. Well aware of the fact that he is a character on the comics page, he will regularly wink and nod to the reader, cracking jokes all the way.

Can we talk about the action shots for a second? The shots of Ryan Renyolds’ Wade Wilson flipping, spinning and attacking the bad guys looks absolutely spectacular. Not only does he take out three baddies with one shot, but he also takes a hell of a bump as well when Colossus throws him into the side of a car.

Director Tim Wilson is going full on Zack Snyder, giving us visuals that are lifted right off of the pages of a graphic novel without being too cheesy. He’s also doing it with half the budget, which makes sense when you think about it. The gritty nature of Deadpool is more suited to the look and feel of a modest budget flick.

Reynolds isn’t the only one bringing his A-game. From the look of the trailer, the entire supporting cast looks phenomenal as well. Negasonic Teenage Warhead not only looks great, but has the perfect exasperated expression on her face. While it’s a shame the exchange between her and Deadpool that was in the leaked Comic-Con trailer didn’t make it in (I just read a synopsis, I swear!)  you still got a decent feel for the character. Colossus looks even more intimidating than he did in the X-Men movies. T.J. Miller will be hysterical. You can expect fantastic offerings from Morena Baccarin and Gina Corano as well.

If you’re in the mood for comical violence, swear words, and utter hilarity, this is the flick for you. Well, this or South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Blood, guts, gore and laughs is what I wanted from this trailer, and that’s what we got. Seriously, who didn’t burst out laughing when he swears loudly after getting a hole blown through his arm?

I’m just as psyched for this as I am Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and for me, that’s saying something. Fox wants to create a cinematic universe like Marvel or DC more than anything, and to throw a hard R movie into the mix takes guts. I for one will be supporting them with a ticket in hand opening weekend.

Remember folks, with great power, comes great irresponsibility!

Deadpool will come blasting into theaters on February 12th, 2016, and will star Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, and T.J. Miller. 

Jesse M

Jesse M

Jesse M is a lover of film, science fiction, and DC Comics. He currently works as a professional writer, and lives in frigid Upstate, NY.