Ridiculous, Funny...Brilliant!

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2016)

Deadpool (2016)
We can all agree that the topic of Superheroes embodies a WIDE spectrum. We have seen our flawed, yet noble heroes (Iron Man, Ant-Man, Thor). And we have also seen our dark, gritty, rough-around-the-edges anti-heroes (Batman and Wolverine). And then we have...DEADPOOL!
This is a somewhat different sort of heroic character who cannot fall into any particular category as he consistently breaks free from such standard bonds and rules. This would possibly be quite difficult to lay out cleanly for general audiences to fully grasp, let alone enjoy. But this movie, without a doubt, NAILED IT!
Much like the title character, rather than go with the standard storyline structure (beginning, middle, and end), this film takes you on a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs as we witness the genesis of the so-called "Merc with a Mouth". The films starts us off in the middle with wild, crazy, and even hilarious action sequences...goes back to our hero's humble beginnings...back to the crazy, funny, rising action middle...the compelling beginnings again...then back to the middle allowing us to better comprehend and even appreciate why Deadpool is the way he is.
It should be of no surprise to us moviegoers that this is not an appropriate-for- children superhero movie. Even if you don't know anything about the character Deadpool, the trailers, movie posters, and teasers would've been clues enough. For mature, adult, superhero fans this movie really does have it all: action, rude language, gratuitous violence, crude humor, sexuality, a compelling story, and most important of all...ENTERTAINMENT!
Of course, it can be argued that the story seems simplistic in its telling: a wronged protagonist seeking out revenge in the name of love, etc. etc. But what more does a superhero origin story really require? Most superhero movies these days become royally screwed, what with their overly convoluted story lines, multiple villains popping out of the wood-works, and even unnecessary visual effects. All the while expecting the audiences to take the plot seriously and just go with it (i.e. The Amazing Spider- Man 2). Deadpool works so well as a movie simply because the audience knows right-off-the- bat that it is not meant to be taken seriously. The opening credits are proof enough of that. The title character actually takes us on this personal ride of his, talks to us, and literally expresses how ridiculous the whole situation really is. Take note; this is exactly what Deadpool as a character is meant to be and do. Granting the movie major points for loyalty to source material.
However, when all is said and done, this film would've been impossible to make without Ryan Reynolds, the heart and soul of the whole project. People tend to throw the term "perfect casting" around a lot, but in this particular case there was truly No One better to play the role of Deadpool. Reynolds was born for this role. He perfectly embodied the character's vulgar and charmingly sarcastic nature. In fact, it would be fair to say that the film's well-shot and seamlessly choreographed fight sequences made up about 10% of what made the movie so great. The other 90% was pure, raw ATTITUDE. All of it originating from Ryan Reynolds himself.
All in all, this was a fantastic movie. Great for all to enjoy, providing they are mature enough to handle all of the wild, generally inappropriate shenanigans it had to offer. Speaking for the fans, we can't wait to see what else Deadpool will have in store in the future.