A movie for superhero movies' fans, and for non-fans even more...

Rating: 8/10 (19 February 2016)

Indeed, this review is mostly for non-fans of superhero movies, because the fans probably saw it already and doesn't need this to know how good it is. Flawless logic, isn't it?
They say the first twenty minutes are crucial, you can tell from them whether you're going to enjoy the film or not. Well, with "Deadpool", the matter is solved at the very first minute with what probably constitutes the most hilariously creative opening credit sequences ever, or let's say 'one of the', to stay on the safe side although I really can't tell another opening that made me laugh like this one, or maybe "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Anyway, I won't spoil it for all the IMDb badges in the world, but let's say, that it was the total opposite feeling than "'I expected nothing, yet I felt let down", This time, I expected something big and I was still blown away.
At that moment, I never doubted I was going to enjoy it, I knew I could comfortably sink into my seat and I'll keep up smiling and laughing all through the film, I mean, one that manages to make you laugh in the credits sequences is like gently telling you "we care about you", yes, that's what it shows, a sort of special VIP dedication to the viewer, not to leave any detail unexploited for the sake of laughs. And it sort of borrows from the Python humor, it's anarchical, out of place, and spares nothing, not even self-derision, and I like that. And boy, the rest of the movie, with its fourth-wall breaking, its flashbacks, its constant nods to the audience never leaves you down, "Deadpool" is funny from beginning to end, credits included, and with a creative quality that is Oscar-worthy as far as screen writing goes.
Now, remember, I said this review was for non-superhero movies' fans. Not that it's an issue if you love them but I have to warn you, you won't like me if I said I never loved superhero movies, apart from "Superman" maybe, and if there ever was a trend that annoyed me these last years, it was this overdose of Marvel adaptations. I grew up with Tintin, Lucky Luke, Asterix (French-Belgian school) so I loved my heroes ordinary or anti- rather than super. I know some superheroes are more off-hand and comical than others, but if you're not an expert, how will you tell them apart? There are just too many, and when I saw "Deadpool"'s trailer, I was like, here we are, another Spider-man clone. Yet the tone wasn't exactly the same, , but was it a spoof? I didn't even know the character existed in the X-Men universe so how can a preexisting character parodies the universe he belongs to?
Now, do these things really matter? Probably not, the one thing is that the trailer looked funny, and the movie better because it's a signal when a trailer isn't really efficient, it doesn't throw all the gags inside just to mislead you.
Now to the story, there's Wade (Ryan Reynolds) a retired Special Forces operative falling in love with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), an escort girl. So, they live a beautiful romance until he's diagnosed with the big C, and leaves Vanessa. Later, he bumps into an Agent-Smith like recruiter who informs him about a special treatment to cure cancer. Wade is treated by the sadistic Ajax and his female and generously-endowed sidekick Angel Dust. After a series of painful treatments and tortures, Ajax reveals his true intentions, turning Wade into a super-slave for wealthy customers. A final process of mutation leaves Wade totally disfigured but able to escape, and become totally indestructible. He needs Ajax to repair his face and while Ajax can't touch him, he takes on his most vulnerable spot: Vanessa. So, Deadpool, with the help of a colossal version of the Tin-Man (without the ridiculous hat) and a malcontent teen who looks like a mix of Sinead O'Connor and Daria, Deadpool is off to save Vanessa.
I can hear the déjà-vu bells ringing, but just because the film swims in familiar waters, doesn't mean you're going to drown in an ocean of clichés. Well, there are clichés, actually, who am I kidding? But it's all in the treatment and the writing, and the film acknowledges that the writers are the real heroes, and for reasons: self-derision is the greatest mark of humor and there's something very refreshing in the way the film ridicules its own material, that's exactly how "Kick-Ass" started before going downhill with a violence that took itself seriously. "Deadpool" never does and that's what a superhero movie should do. By becoming ridiculous in purpose, from the start, "Deadpool" is even brilliant and creates a precedent that will make hard to take other superhero movies in a serious light, but in a way, it's a kind of reboot in tone of the superhero sub-genre.
And apart from the writing, I also credit Tim Miller's directing for never letting the action steal the fun's thunder, in fact, the way the action sequences are choreographed serves the comedy, not the opposite, and that's a feat you rarely see achieved in movies. The film has a few slower moments here and there, but just when you get the feeling that it's getting closer to the typical material, you realize it's only 'serious' interludes before the fun picks off again.
So far, "Deadpool" is this winter's winner, and I suspect this is going to break the billion record, because it's the perfect 'word of mouth' movie, I know I can recommend this film, because I know people who're fans of superhero movies, and these are the ones I'll immediately tell to go watch the film because I don't want them to misjudge the film.
It is that good.