This is a Marvel Comics film, but not as you know it - in fact, not as anyone ever has ever known it.
Ryan Reynolds takes his almost-cameo as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and blows it up into the headline act of his very own movie, one with franchise written all over it. In blood.
This is about as anti-superhero as it gets; R-rated comedy, R-rated violence and rampant silliness reign, as this Marvel bad boy subverts his own genre for our viewing pleasure.
The basic, largely irrelevant premise is this: a fast-talking ex-mercenary who by way of torture to cure cancer becomes superhuman.
Of course, full-body disfigurement wasn't mentioned in the small print, so now Deadpool (as he now likes to go by) is on a mission to wreak his revenge on the mutant who tricked him. Oh, and save his girlfriend while he's at it.
The relentless bombardment of self-aware self-parody is most effective as running commentary, either within the thin walls of the story or smashing through the fourth one to the audience. It's as much miss as it is hit, but some of those hits are extremely entertaining.
All the way through Deadpool, I kept thinking: I should be enjoying this way more than I actually am, it's totally my kind of movie. Was it the all-pervading smug inanity which alienated me? Quite possibly.
Reynolds totally brings the funny and from the opening credits this hectic, insane script delivered many moments of joy.
Three-and-a-half stars.
Deadpool:: Director: Tim Miller:: Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Rachel Sheen:: Rating: R16 - Graphic violence, sex scenes and offensive language:: Running Time: 108 minutes:: Release Date: February 11, 2016
Newshub.
