The story is a bit on the thin side but the character of Deadpool and the generally humorous tone adopted more than compensates for its shortcomings

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2017)

Former Special Forces Operative Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) takes part in a rogue experiment which on the flip side gives him the ability to heal rapidly, but on the downside this experiment leaves with permanent and unsightly scarring to his entire body. When Wilson is left for dead by Ajax (Ed Skrein) after the experiment has been completed, Wilson makes it his mission to gain revenge on Ajax and becomes Deadpool - Wilson's masked alter-ego.
Within the first few minutes of this film I had an inkling that I was going to like it. The opening credits are amusing and quite imaginative; I particularly loved the Directed By 'An Overpaid Tool' caption.
The opening segment of the film where we're introduced to Deadpool - the fast-talking crazed anti-hero are probably some of the best moments in the film and Reynolds is clearly at his best in this film when he becomes Deadpool. I have to be honest and admit that I did find it a bit jarring when the film cuts to the 'origin story' which ultimately took on a much more serious tone. This isn't a bad thing as the 'origin story' was interesting enough, but I still found it a bit of a shock to my system at first due to how impressive and explosive the opening few minutes of the film were.
The story itself is rather weak and in some ways it seems ironic that the film spends so much time sending itself up and making fun of itself only to then have a rather clichéd and predictable plot line and outcome. The turn of events in the final third aren't bad and there are still plenty of amusing moments, but given the fact that it seemed to have some imagination to it I just expected a bit more that's all.
Another slight problem with this film lies with Wade Wilson; although he is an anti-hero when he becomes Deadpool he is also an anti-hero when he is Wade Wilson himself. The problem is that before he becomes Deadpool he isn't a particularly likable person and I did feel that sometimes he got what he deserved. This, in some ways, made him a rather unlikeable character (pre-accident) meaning that it was harder to get behind him when he became his alter-ego. I personally feel that a good anti-hero should have some likability or a reason to root for them in order to be successful and I never really felt that way about Deadpool or Wade Wilson, but like I said the sense of fun that the film brings means that these things don't cause that much of a problem.
That being said though, when Reynolds is Deadpool this film never lets up and is an absolute blast to watch. The sending up and parodying that it offers is imaginative and very funny. The fourth wall stuff is pretty amusing - although it does get a bit repetitive. If you liked Kick-Ass then I think that this film will be right up your street. Therefore despite a thin story and a rather flawed protagonist, this film is funny, imaginative and self-aware enough to more than compensate for its very minor shortcomings and is something that I would highly recommend.