One of the Freshest Comic Books Movie in a Some Time

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2016)

Wow. I had a feeling this movie would be awesome but I really was not prepared for what I just saw. I knew the film would be raunchy and irreverent but I had no idea just how far they would go to make fun of both themselves and the entire genre while still making a badass comic book movie. I'm sort of familiar with the character of Deadpool from the comic books but I had no idea this kind of craziness was in store for me. I've never even heard of the director before, a guy named Tim Miller, but I'm already excited to see more from him and I'm hoping it will come in the form of another Deadpool movie. The story is insanity but let's try and talk about it.
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), otherwise known as Wade Wilson, is an antihero hunting down a man named Ajax (Ed Skrein), otherwise known as Francis. We start to learn why Wade wants to get to Francis thanks to a number of flashbacks and a heavy dose of fourth wall breaking from Wade himself. You see, Deadpool knows that he's in a movie and he knows that we're watching him. He even knows about the other X-Men films and the somewhat strange continuity problems they've been having. Anyway, the reason Deadpool wants Ajax is because he was tricked into signing up for a military program to give him mutant powers and cure the cancer that was eating away at his body. He didn't know that Ajax would basically be torturing him and turn him into a freak. On top of this, Wade was forced to leave the love of his life, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), when he joined the program. Now Wade is out for revenge against the people that scarred him so that he can get back together with Vanessa and live happily ever after.
I've never been a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds in the past but he absolutely nailed it with this role. Wade is basically insane, ridiculously hyper, and an all around prick. Reynolds not only gives us all of this but seems to be really enjoying himself while he does it. Reynolds can also pull off the more dramatic moments with ease so no complaints there. Honestly, it seem like everyone is really enjoying themselves in this film. Baccarin's Vanessa is almost as messed up as Wade and comes off as genuinely caring for him. Skrein is the prototypical bad guy but it seems to work really well in this story. He's a prick and he knows he's a prick. There really isn't a weak link in this one.
The general look of this movie is very different from other films of the same genre. It's a bit dirtier looking than the common Manhattan or Metropolis type area but not as romanticized as say Gotham City. It really gives the film a unique look that the others don't have. I'm not sure if that was intentional or if it's a result of a low budget, something that Deadpool jokes about during the movie itself. Just compare the general look of the city to Xavier's Mansion, which does show up a few times in the film.
I was blown away by the number of jokes that are thrown around in this movie. Everyone in the theater was laughing every few minutes just because of how genuinely funny a lot of these scenes are. Not all of them come off as comedy gold but the good ones are really damn good and easily make up for the lackluster ones. I'm also surprised how far they took the comedy at times. They definitely don't shy away from offensive material but it actually helps to show what kind of a character Deadpool is. If you're offended by material that isn't politically correct then this movie definitely isn't for you.
I straight up adored this film and I came out of the theater wanting to see another one right away. The world really does need more Deadpool. I can't express enough just how fresh this movie feels when compared to a lot of other films in the same genre. I don't know if a sequel can top the madness in this one but I would love to see them try. I can't recommend this movie strongly enough. Go watch it.