‘Deadpool’ Trailer: A Teaser Critics Actually Like

A teaser trailer for the upcoming superhero film Deadpool was released on Monday by 20th Century Fox. It has already been viewed over 900,000 times on YouTube. The 45-second trailer shows a masked Ryan Reynolds sitting in a chair in an opulent room beside a carafe of whisky and holding a pipe. Ominous music leads us into a hilarious monologue by Deadpool, who breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience with the following words:

“In a world divided by fear, one man must stand alone against the forces of darkness. From the studio that inexplicably sewed his fucking mouth shut the first time comes five-time Academy award viewer Ryan Reynolds as a man on an e-Harmony date with destiny. Ladies and gentleman, I give u: me, Deadpool! So get ready to blow out your collective sphincters, cause my trailer is coming…”

#Deadpool: First Trailer Released

The tease got great reviews. Hollywood Reporter praised the trailers connectedness, saying “that it looks like the first movie that speaks to the fans in their own language.” The Verge also lauded the trailer’s self-awareness: “Sure, studios already tease official trailers online so much that it’s all a little maddening, but the Merc with a Mouth uses the practice to pretty wonderful effect.” And Entertainment Weekly noted that while most teaser trailers use a few seconds of actual footage from the movie, this promo takes on an entirely fresh angle by using the protagonist to rile up his audience about the actual trailer: “Studios – take note. This is how you properly tease a trailer.”

And @deadpoolmovie, the film’s official Twitter account further proved the teasers self-awareness by poking fun at the trailer: #Deadpool did a trailer to a trailer. What a post-modern asshole.

Reynolds will debut the official redband trailer tonight on Conan.