"I'm touching myself tonight."

Rating: 9/10 (10 February 2016)

Deadpool is directed by Tim Miller and stars Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller and Ed Skrein.
Finally, after 11 years of kissing the 'behinds' of 20th Century Fox, and the 'private area' of Wolverine, Reynolds' Deadpool has landed, hard. Which is a bit impractical on the knees. (Yes, that was a reference.) But nevertheless, completely and utterly brilliant.
This is Tim Miller's directional debut and an incredible one at that. The pacing is quick and sharp, the screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick is fantastic, the explicitly violent and gory sequences are, well, gory, and the on-screen chemistry between characters and we, us... the audience, is genius. Breaking multiple fourth walls and walls within walls, Reynolds has given us the 'Merc with a mouth' we all deserve.
This is an origin story, but it realises this and drifts completely from the usual formula or story arc used in superhero movies. Instead it kicks off with Wade Wilson as Deadpool, in a taxi, with a mission. To find the guy that messed him up. Then, as the film progresses, Deadpool tells us how he became who he is. It's very unique, and it's one of the things I really appreciated about this film.
The original music score by Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL is perfect. The synthesisers incorporated fit the character of Deadpool with absolute ease. It's not used to extremes, but you notice its presence. More notably, the soundtrack is brilliant. It has some classic tracks intertwined into the story, reminiscent of Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy back in 2014. This just adds to the chaos of Deadpool on his road of rampage, quite literally.
The visual effects and set designs are substantial, I felt the main CG characters were nicely handled, and rendered into the surroundings really well. But I felt a lot of the overall CG versions of set pieces could have been worked on a little more, just to smoothen it out. The opening credits are perfect. Very fun, unique and amusing. The animation is spot-on.
I really had a lot of fun with this film, and I believe it's the best Marvel has offered, period. Everyone involved has done a terrific job bringing the beloved Deadpool to life, and it has paid off big time. Bring on the (now confirmed) sequel!
One more thing I'd like to praise is the editing. I feel with a lot of action films these days, there are way too many sharp cuts that pull you from what's happening. Editor Julian Clarke has handled this outstandingly, with longer shots so you can really focus on everything that's progressing on-screen. This is a good thing, but I really wish the overall cut was longer. Maybe they'll be a special cut for the home release.
You're probably wondering if there's the usual 'Marvel post-credits scene' and of course, there is. It's a little different, as you'd expect from Deadpool, but it's just as brilliant as the film itself. You have to wait until the very end of the credit roll to see it, so sit tight. It's worth it. Also, there is a Stan Lee cameo, and it's hilariously planned.
My verdict; Deadpool is now my favourite on-screen Marvel character, taking over from Ant-Man. I believe Reynolds and Miller will have pleased the many fans that have been wishing this day would come... Come? (Oh, you're naughty.)
Deadpool, 9/10.