Deadpool is a perfectly serviceable superhero film that collapses into a puddle of mediocrity.

Rating: 5/10 (14 February 2016)

Deadpool is a Perfectly Serviceable Superhero Film
"Deadpool" tries hard to be unique with its clever voice-overs and dialogue, its flash backs and foreshadowing. But the harder it tries to be different, the more it is the same.
There are damsels in distress, a revenge tale, a face off between the damaged superhero and the deranged supervillain and on and on. They even tell you in the credits about all the typical elements of a superhero movie that will be present. The credits are, to their credit, very funny.
There is an origin story that is quite interesting, but there is also the too long courting ritual and the overly long bar scene (what the hell, directors, bars aren't that interesting!) showing us where the hero gets his name. While the romantic coupling in the film is extremely unlikely and it is a boring plot device that takes us away from the real action.
The fight scene at the beginning of the film is very entertaining and well choreographed; however, they seemed to have run out of ideas by the time of the great, and predictable, final showdown.
I know it is hard to come up with new ideas for a superhero movie, and "Deadpool" does a fairly good job of presenting a different kind of tale. However, the film gets a case of the "box office flu" and puts in a lot of standard and unfortunately predictable elements in the film.
Sure, Deadpool's origin story is well done if not original. And his living situation is unique, to say the least. But the romance falls flat and is out of place. The times when the movie is more entertaining is during the conflict with the cruel villain, "Francis" and during the development of Deadpool's powers. The bar scene is too long, the sex scene it superfluous and not clever, and much of the film is filler for the action scenes. Perhaps I have seen too many superhero films and I am too critical to sit through them and accept the genre's failings. Dead Pool gives me little hope that this will change. The film looks okay, but after the original fight scene, its visuals are nothing spectacular.
The acting is average, at best, and Morena Baccarin seems out of place in many of the scenes. She's not sure how to play the role of the victim or how to be overly sexual and in love. To be fair, she's not known for nuance and her role is terribly written. The writing in general is too clever by five-eighths; it's dull and after a while, tiresome. The film's humour and sentimentality don't mix well at all. In fact, the film is best and most powerful when it eschews sentimentality.
If the film had ended after thirty minutes, I would have given it high marks. However, it collapsed into a puddle of mediocrity. This does not bode well for the upcoming, supposedly genre bending superhero film, "Suicide Squad." A better version of the "Deadpool" would have had the 'hero' in a cab all day going from one villain's hideout to the next and causing a ruckus.
Ratings: Matinée
There are clever bits interspersed in the film like a sketch comedy show, and that kept me entertained for some the show. If you really like this genre, then by all means, see "Deadpool." If you don't enjoy superhero films, there is nothing in this film to change that.
Stan Lee's cameo is a bonus, however.
Peace, Tex Shelters