Movies are a source of entertainment and act as agents of recreation. Around the world, millions of people at one point in their lives will admit to having watched a movie. Whether it is at the big screens, rental DVD’s or streaming online. With a larger followership, movies are popular with both the young and old, the polarity of the film may be due to the theme expressed, or the role the main actor plays in the movie. Furthermore, the popularity of the movie may be because of affiliation with another big box office hit of the year or previous years. My aim in this paper is to discuss the ideologies of the movie Deadpool. First, it will look at its summary, then it will explain the several ideologies expressed by the movie, and finally it will give a point of view that categorizes the feeling as popular with cinema fanatics all over the world.
Deadpool is an American movie released on February 12 in 2016. It was directed by Tim Miller produced by the 20th century and marvel entertainment in cooperation with the Donner’s Company. The protagonist in the movie Wade Wilson – played by Ryan Reynolds – a mercenary for hire is a former Special Forces operative, who has his world and reality altered after meeting an evil scientist Ajax (Ed Skrein). He promises to take care of the protagonist cancer – through a recruiter who introduced the two – that had spread to his liver, prostate, lungs and brain. The protagonist leaves his woman Vanessa to try the experiment, which would heal his cancerous cell but disfigures him instead, leaving his skin blotched up, and the main character has to hide behind a mask. Angered by his changed appearance, the protagonist nowdeadpool– has accelerated healing and a sadistic sense of humor – hunts his creators down seeking revenge. Deadpool uses the assistance of other mutants – Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead – and their quest brings them into a confrontation with the antagonist and his kind mutant Angel. The epic battle is fought to the death with dead team pool emerging victorious. The movies end with the protagonist united with his true love Vanessa
Sturken, Thomas, and Ball-Rokeach (2004) propose the film showing how mutation is a possibility in the society in which the movie is set. Wade Wilson is depicted as suffering from Cancer that affects major organs of his body. According to the medical reports from doctors, his chances of survival are quite small. The main character makes a deal with the devil through his agent to save his life and as a result, the experiment X that the character is exposed to transforms him into a mutant. Furthermore, Ajax is also a mutant as well as his cohort Angel. The experiment turns Wade Wilson into a superhuman. He has accelerated healing, superhuman strength and a sense of sarcasm which he uses to get his opponents irate. Besides, his friends who come to his aid in fighting the protagonist are mutants from the renowned Xavier mutant school. The movie tries to show that mutation is a part of the society and that certain corporations have invested in research and development to produce people who have extraordinary capabilities. Subsequently, the portrayal of having accelerated healing abilities shows that the protagonist is not normal. The experiment not only heals his cancer but also gifts him special abilities. The friends who come to help him fight are also mutants. They have powers that make them exceptional in the society, and we can see that when Deadpool tries to hit Colossus, he gets both his hands broken but uses his accelerated healing to fix himself. Angel and Ajax are both seen to have mutant powers. At one point in the movie, Ajax gets a life threatening injury but still manages to escape despite the same.
Friendship is expressed in the film through some many scenes. First, there is romance as a form of friendship. An example is a situation between the main character and Vanessa. The two hit on each other and are seen to tease each other in ways that suggest sexual intimacy. The result of the acquaintanceship makes them fond and even leads to sex at some point in the movie. The strong feeling he had for Vanessa coupled with the desire he had to live a long life with her, convinced him to try to out the experiment in the first place. The character hides behind a mask even as he saves Vanessa shows his loyal to protecting his identity as Deadpool, a secret he is even willing to keep from her, Secondly there is mutual friendship; Deadpool has both mutant and human friends. After the experiment transforms him, he goes to his oldest long-time friend and seeks advice on what he should do. Weasel, his longtime friend advise him to do something heroic about his new abilities. He contemplates the idea and decides to go after Ajax ruthlessly and relentlessly. According to Sturken, Cartwright, and Sturken (2001), a mask does just fine in hiding his identity from the rest of the world. The protagonist and his friends from the mutant school express the third kind of friendship. It is unique in that all of them are mutants with special abilities, which they can use to help one another. Additionally, Ajax and Angel have a unique association, which brings them together. These two have a strong bond, which can be confused to be sexual because of their blind faith to one another as they are willing, live and die by each other side. The idea of friendship makes the movie a success, by laying, the foundation of the plot which reflects the ideological thoughts, episode after episode of the film.
Loyalty is an idea that takes center stage in many scenes in the film. We can see commitment in several instances. Ajax and the recruiter are loyal to each other’s course. The recruiter is the one who convinces, the protagonist that there is another way out with his cancer problems. He suggests to him that the ailment can be cured but not at the hospital. The conviction leads to Ajax meeting his greatest rival in the making. The relationship between the recruiter and Ajax is seen as beneficial to both the parties. The plan to heal the protagonist was purely intended to sell him off as a war machine in an auction. In like manner, we see loyalty as an idea expressed through the relationship between the mutant friends from Xavier and the protagonist. At first, they invite him to join the mutant school, but he seems hesitant and not for the idea. Nevertheless, when faced with a task that requires help, he turns to his two mutant friends. Willingly, they agree to help him duel the antagonist and his cohort in a battle of epic proportions, which sees them triumph over their unsuspecting enemies. The three friends are loyal to one another, and this can be seen when Colossus tries to advise Deadpool on restraining himself from killing Ajax. It is inevitable, and arguable, that Deadpool would have spared his opponents life, but it would beat logic of his revenge scheme, which he had plotted since becoming disfigured. Loyalty as an idea in the movie is seen through the affectionate relationship that Vanessa and Wade have as well that which Ajax and Angel have. It is evident that Wade would have opted to take chemotherapy as a treatment alternative but instead he chooses to have the mutant experiment performed on him. His choice seems to have been based on the fact, that being healed had more benefit to the time he would spend with Vanessa. Likewise, in equal measure, when the movie nears an end, we see that Vanessa gets to know of Deadpool’s real identity. The realization does not affect his attitude or thinking nor does it change his affection towards the protagonist. Furthermore, after realizing his identity by seeing his eyes, Vanessa states that she would get used to it and does not see it as a big deal. Equally important is the relationship between Ajax and Angel also depict loyalty between them as they fight side by side each other in an epic battle.
According to Marshall (2009), the popularity of Deadpool is associated with the fact that, it is an affiliate of the X- Men movie sequence. He goes further ahead to suggest that in one of the series of the film, the Deadpool character is an antagonist, who is depicted as an assassination machine after an experiment. Besides, the main character – Ryan Reynolds – played his part as an antagonist in the X-Men series, that many followers of the series believed that Deadpool would be as epic. Another aspect that gives the movie popularity is the fact that it has been produced by the two biggest names in Hollywood. The cooperation of 20th century and Marvel Entertainment created an imagination that had to be impressed among many movie enthusiasts in the world.
References
Marshall, R. (2009). EXCLUSIVE:‘Deadpool’Solo Movie Confirmed, Ryan Reynolds Attached To ‘Wolverine’Spin-Off.
Sturken, M., Cartwright, L., & Sturken, M. (2001). Practices of looking: An introduction to visual culture (p. 385). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sturken, M., Thomas, D., & Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (Eds.). (2004). Technological visions (pp. 1-18). Temple University Press.
