Deadpool review: Dark Knight, who? This new-age superhero flick is all kinds of awesome

It was about time. We’d reached the saturation point in Superhero genre. There were way too many generic origin stories and sequels from both Marvel and DC. Every superhero movie nowadays is either about a cookie cutter villain who wants to take over the world, or about a cookie cutter villain who wants to take over the world and show up in the sequel. And the heroes either weep gloomily (Man of Steel) or try too hard to be funny (Ultron). We needed a superhero who gets the bullshit out of the way and knock people in the balls for fun. We needed a superhero who doesn’t mope around in his origin story. We needed a superhero who impales bad guys with dual Katanas. And most importantly, we needed a superhero who asks if you’re going to touch yourself tonight. With no attempt at a hyperbole, I can tell you that the era of The Dark Knight is over. Deadpool is here. And things will never be the same again. [caption id=“attachment_2618130” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Youtube screen grab of Deadpool.[/caption] Deadpool, directed by Tim Miller is a raging, exploding subversion of superhero films. And by subversion I mean it grabs you by the collar, shows you how most superhero movies suck, and nimbly demonstrates how things can be different when some brain cells are put to use by filmmakers. The opening sequence, a slow freeze frame zoom out of a car crash plays out like an Honest Credits skit, where the producer is called a rich asshole and the writers are called the real heroes of the film. This is the kind of film Deadpool is - self aware, self-referential and in full Hollywood bashing mode. Nobody is spared – not even the producers of this very film, where Deadpool makes fun of the lack of budget. The film doesn’t shy away from thrashing rivals studios as well. In the scene where it’s time to turn a human into a mutant with a sci fi experiment, Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds, who also played Green Lantern, asks the evil scientist not to give him a shitty CGI suit. His love interest (Morena Baccarin) isn’t the delicate blonde haired damsel in distress – she’s as demented as him, and their disturbingly lusty relationship is played out as love. No schmaltzy upside down kisses in the rain here – the woman wears a strap on and proceeds to bend the superhero here. Such insane subversion is feels like discovering treasure. And now that you’ve seen the shinier side of the genre, it’s going to be difficult to come back to the straightforward superhero movies. When Deadpool spends the whole movie telling you how you’ve been watching shitty movies until now, your expectations for Batman vs Superman, and the future Avengers films dissipates. It’s like tasting Belgian chocolate waffles in Belgium - you can’t go back to Bandra Nutella waffles after that. Or like eating a Pizza in Milan and realizing Dominoes tastes like turd. Or like wearing silk underwear and realizing you can’t go back to cotton. If the point still isn’t clear in your head you need to schedule a meeting with Deadpool. This movie is written by the same guys who wrote Zombieland, and their wicked sense of humor is infectious. The more surprising part is that this is director Miller’s first film. With the kind of visual artistry, mayhem, and grasp on humor on display in Deadpool, this achievement is the equivalent of the Taj Mahal being built by a guy who held a rock cutter for the first time. Deadpool is Fox’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and it’s opened a whole new gateway for the superhero genre. Whether you have a date or not, make sure you celebrate Valentine’s Day at the multiplex playing this movie. It’s a love story after all, with lubricated strap ons.