Deadpool Breaks The Fourth Wall

Direct address in the film industry, or “breaking the fourth wall” is when the actors and characters in entertainment destroy the imaginary wall between story and audience. This can involve the actors talking or referring to the audience, looking directly at the camera, and acknowledging the fact that the show, movie, or play is simply just that; a show, movie, or play. Characters can also break the fourth wall in print mediums, including novels and comic books. In rare cases, such as in the story of Deadpool, the fourth wall can be broken in two different mediums. Both the comic books and movie version of Deadpool’s story have the character engaging with the audience and acknowledging he is just a fictional character going through the scenes and pages. To make “breaking the fourth wall” work is not an easy task, but the recent movie release of “the fourth-wall-busting Deadpool”  succeeded with this direct address throughout the film (Rotten Tomatoes, 2016).

“Comedy is the most common, the most ‘natural’ home for direct address within mainstream cinema” (Brown, 2012). The comedic aspect of the R-rated movie Deadpool worked perfectly along with the breaking of the fourth wall. The first fighting scene includes a freeze frame in which Deadpool is stabbing two swords into a man, describing it as “turning this man into a fucking kabob” to the audience (Ryan Reynolds, Miller,  2016). Although gruesome, you cannot help but laugh at Ryan Reynolds sarcastic and humorous tone of voice as he speaks to the camera. He also mentions how the audience expected this to be a “superhero” film, although it is clearly not looking that way after he slaughters so many people. In the same fighting scene occurs another freeze frame which has Deadpool hanging out of a sunroof upside down as he says “Shit… Did I leave the stove on?” (Ryan Reynolds, Miller,  2016). The humor within the film made breaking the fourth wall work perfectly. Even the more serious parts of the movie, including when he got diagnosed with cancer and being experimented on, were made a little lighter because of the engagement with the audience and humorous references. While talking to the evil russian doctor about the kind or “powers” he wants, he makes it clear that he wants to be anything other than green or animated. Amy Ryan Reynolds fan would know that he was also starred in the film The Green Lantern, which he played the role of the fictional superhero. He is almost breaking a wall within the fourth wall by talking about his “green and animated costume” in Green Lantern within the Deadpool movie (Ryan Reynolds, Miller,  2016). Not only is he making the audience think of him as an actor in another film, but also poking fun at the ridiculous animated costume he had in the previous movie.

“Deadpool seems like the one comic book character that would be impossible to get right on screen” (Hilburn, 2016) Many comic book enthusiasts worried that Marvel studios would not be able to pull off the right  Deadpool character. While the comic books include violence, guts, and gore, people feared that they might “water down the the hardcore nature of the comics” (Hilburn, 2016). Without the direct address within the movie, along with the guts and gore, there would not have been a very good connection made between comic and film. Although Deadpool’s character was not exactly a superhero, this movie resembled the most comic-book like anti-hero. It succeeded in giving the character the right characteristics, attitude, and of course, having him break the fourth wall. The fans were very pleased with the way the movie was produced, claiming that “It is easy to tell that all parties involved were devout Deadpool fans, which goes a long way into creating the world that the film constructs” (Hilburn, 2016).

“He rocks the red suit like Spider-Man, but he's not being annoying and trying to do good all the time” (Dorkly, 2015). People are sick of the same old “superhero” movie. Breaking the fourth wall is not popular and has never been favored in the past, but this movie made it work. Despite all of the negativity about direct address in film, Deadpool still managed to “set the B.O. on fire” with a whopping $284.5 mil in revenue (D'Alessandro, 2016) No one expected Deadpool to do as well as it did after the direct address-filled previews came out. Even though Deadpool was far from a traditional superhero movie people loved it. This may be the beginning of a new kind of superhero movie, as people's tastes in hero films is straying away from the typical “heroine saves the day” plot. As Deadpool tells us himself, this is anything but a typical superhero movie and he does not want to be considered a hero. He refuses to join the other X-men, goes on killing rampages, and swears his head off. He is anything but a child's “role model” or typical heroin. Although there were moments when you saw the good side of Deadpool, such as the compassion he feels for his girlfriend, they were all quickly destroyed by the heinous murders and sarcasm. One can see that the director tried to make this unlike any other typical superhero movie and more like the comic book version of deadpool. Since people are getting bored of the same old super heroes, they are also getting bored with the entertainment industries creations.The superhero genre is becoming unoriginal and repetitive.  People wanted something different, and the producers delivered with the use of the fourth wall. By choosing to have Deadpool engage with the audience and be self-aware, they created this different kind of anti-hero movie that has rarely ever been done before.

The producers took a risk with the direct address of Deadpool, but it definitely worked in their favor. Although there are many cons to breaking the fourth wall, the producers of Deadpool found a way to make it work.  One of the cons of direct address to the audience is that, “It’s easy for the character to come across as crazy or stupid” (Rivera, 2015). The producers used this as an advantage because Deadpool’s character is known to be a little crazy. After all, after being mutated he did “look like the inside of other people’s assholes”(Ryan Reynolds, Miller,  2016), so he is bound to end up somewhat unstable. If the character had been more serious and superhero-like, the movie would not have been as successful. Having Ryan Reynolds break the fourth wall only added to the craziness of Deadpool, as it made the more horrific moments seem so casual. There has not been many movies that were able to make violence, guts, and gore into something comedic, rather than an a normal action-packed hero film. However, by using direct address, with the help of some sarcasm and craziness, the producers of Deadpool were able to make this film one of the most entertaining superhero films ever created.

Reference Page

Brown, T.. (2012). Breaking the Fourth Wall: Direct Address in the Cinema. Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgqrq

D'Alessandro, A. (2016). ‘Deadpool’s $152.2M Opening: Why The Town Didn't See It Coming Until It Happened – Final. Retrieved March 05, 2016, from http://deadline.com/2016/02/deadpool-zoolander-2-how-to-be-single-valentines-weekend-box-office-1201699895/

Dead pool. (2016, February 26). Retrieved March 04, 2016, from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/

Dorkly. 24 Moments That Prove Deadpool Is the Best. (2015). Retrieved March 04, 2016, from http://www.dorkly.com/post/73065/times-deadpool-was-good-i-guess

Hilburn, T. (2016, February 11). Deadpool Breaks Fourth Wall and Expectations. Retrieved March 04, 2016, from http://www.sacurrent.com/Blogs/archives/2016/02/11/deadpool-breaks-fourth-wall-and-expectations

Miller, T. (Director). (2016). Deadpool [Motion picture]. United States: Marvel Studios.

Rivera, R. (2014). Pros & Cons of Breaking the Fourth Wall. Retrieved March 04, 2016, from http://writeonsisters.com/writing-craft/pros-cons-breaking-fourth-wall/

Picture 1: Google, Deadpool

Picture 2: Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcAlu4S-BvI

Picture 3: Google, deadpool comic breaking fourth wall