“Deadpool” violence serves no purpose

MarianStimson17I saw “Deadpool” because I heard great things about it, however I left with mixed feelings. It was edgy and a break from normal super hero movies, but edgy meant it includes excessive violence.

There were times when I hid my face so I could avoid what was on the screen. This makes me wonder when this trend of excessive violence became common and when I can look forward to its end?

There is an invisible line. On one side of this line is violence that is necessary and helps further the plot.

It might fuel a person’s anger or give a group a reason to attack another. On the other side of this line is violence that seems to exist only for the sake of making something violent.

I am aware that “Deadpool” is a comic book and that the violence in the movie is true to the tone and actions of the comic book.

I also appreciate Deadpool’s cynical view on life and dark humor. That being said, this movie took typical action violence to a new level.

For example, Deadpool caught a bad guy on his two swords like a “kebab” and then ripped the swords through the guy. This reminded me of similar action in movies like “Kill Bill.”

It’s over the top, but in a cartoonish fashion that somehow feels less real. It also shows Deadpool’s methods of taking his enemy down and falls into what I would consider action that furthers the story.

My objection to the movie is the extreme violence that is unrealistic and not helpful to the storyline. For example, after turning one guy into a kebab Deadpool goes after another villain, igniting a car cigarette lighter, shoving it into the enemy’s mouth, and holding his hand over that guy’s mouth so it would burn him. This is where the violence becomes extreme and I see little value for it.

How does this action further the plot or help the story? I feel like I can learn as much about Deadpool’s character from other less extreme scenes than I did from this action.

deadpool-webThe movie also shows Deadpool’s origin which involves him being tortured. I wish I hadn’t seen that. Why do I need to actually see him be beaten and broken in order to appreciate how horrible this experience was for him?

I wonder if this over-the-top hard edge that permeates television and movie action these days started when the show “24” came out in 2002.

That show was heavily criticized for the torture scenes. But in 2016, that type of violence has become commonplace even on cable television with shows like “Breaking Bad,” “Walking Dead,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Orange is the New Black,” and “Badlands.”

While these shows have well-developed characters and interesting storylines, they get their edge from showing how bad the bad guys can be and how much the good guys can endure. Although, like in “Deadpool,” the violence can help increase the stakes for the characters. But there does come a point at which the over-the-top violence becomes gratuitous and no longer furthers the story.

For that reason, I have to wonder, how long will this over-the top-trend last and when can we expect it to go away? Because I would like to be able to keep my eyes open through an entire television episode or movie once again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*