Crude and violent but also a lot of fun

Rating: 9/10 (15 May 2017)

This film tells the story of Deadpool; he has superpowers, he fights bad guys but he is certainly not a superhero. After an introductory scene where our anti-hero dispatches numerous bad guys and confronts his foe before being interrupted by a couple of X-Men who believe he should join their ranks we see, through a series of flashbacks how former soldier Wade Wilson becomes Deadpool and just why he is looking for Francis Freeman, AKA Ajax. Two years previously things were looking up for Wade; he had fallen in love with Vanessa and they were planning to get married then he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. With nothing left to lose he accepts an offer from the mysterious 'Mr Smith' who tells him that he could be better than better a superhero. Smith delivers him to Ajax and he soon learns that life is going to get far worse. After some horrific treatment to activate dormant mutant cells he does indeed recover and becomes immortal he is also so horrifically disfigured that he can't face returning to Vanessa. He escapes but believes that Ajax is the only person who can fix the way he looks so is determined to take him alive.
If you are expecting a typical superhero film than you are in for a shock. Deadpool is far from heroic he isn't concerned with taking enemies alive and in the opening scenes we see him dispatching numerous foes, some in a fairly grisly fashion. He is also foulmouthed and frequently makes comments of a sexual nature. This could easily be off-putting but it is done in a way that makes it all rather funny. The story isn't overly complex but that doesn't matter as the action is great and there are lots of funny moments. The cast do a fine job; Ryan Reynolds impresses as Deadpool; much of the time hidden by a mask of prosthetic facial scarring. Ed Skrein is suitably villainous as Ajax and Morena Baccarin is good as love interest Vanessa. Overall I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to anybody who enjoyed films like 'Kick-Ass' or 'Super'.