Every Bit as Vile, Profane and Gratuitous as it Needed to Be

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2016)

Just the kind of fresh blood this genre needed. Superhero films (and modern pop culture at large, really) have been ripe for satire for some time now, and Deadpool is a great vehicle for bringing that about without feeling disingenuous or trashing the original character along the way. The first hour is basically one long dose of fan service, sharp and egregious with both wit and weaponry. The seams show through in a lot of the CGI, but that just plays into the act and, in a way, adds to the film's clunky, DIY charm. Ryan Reynolds is really what makes the whole thing work, both on-screen and off, as he occupies the character with uncanny zeal and was instrumental in bringing the mercenary back from Xavier's junkyard. We stop short of the unhinged, deranged depths of disconnected insanity that typify Deadpool's comic book persona, and the closing act / happy ending feels force-fed, but that seems like a small price to pay. Otherwise, it's effective at becoming what it set out to be: a chaotic, gratuitous, shoot-from-the-hip misadventure that blows stuff up, decapitates bad guys and takes every opportunity to squeeze in a literal wink and nod at the viewing audience. I had a ball.