Deadpool

Fans of Deadpool rejoice, the Merc with a Mouth has made it to the big screen and has brought his raunchy hard R-rating humor with him. Not pulling any punches, director Tim Miller and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick succeed in capturing the core of one of Marvel's most insane smart-ass characters as 20th Century and Ryan Reynolds both redeem themselves for their previous (and regrettable) collaboration of the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Kicking ass and cracking wise, Deadpool continually breaks the fourth wall while killing many, many people and making comments about the movie, various characters (and the real-life actors who play them), and even Ryan Reynolds' other super-hero movie. Along for the ride are Morena Baccarin as Wade Wilson's stripper girlfriend Vanessa and T.J. Miller as Wade's equally wise-cracking best bud Weasel. And Leslie Uggams provides a couple of cheap laughs as the Merc with a Mouth's blind roommate. Deadpool comic readers should also watch out for Deadpool's long-suffering comic-book sidekick Bob (Rob Hayter) who earns his own cameo.

Deadpool isn't a perfect movie. When the camera stays focused on Reynolds and the film's madcap action it's delightful. From the design of the suit to Reynolds quips, the film gets nearly everything about the character correct. And when it chooses to ignore a piece of its rich source material it's usually for a damn good reason (such as thankfully choosing not to bring the different voices & personalities inside the characters head onto the big screen). The stunts, camera works, numerous sight gags, and look of the film are all major pluses as well.

However, the further characters are removed from Deadpool's orbit the less successful they become. Joking correctly that the studio had only the budget for two X-Men, the only purpose for either Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) or Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) in the film is to give Deadpool someone else to bounce his craziness off of. 20th Century Fox continues to struggle with how to render Colossus well on film (and turning him into a walking punching bag certainly doesn't help). And for a guy who has read lots of Marvel comics over the years I honestly didn't recognize the character Kapicic was playing or really understand just what her powers were exactly (but then again I'm not sure the writers did either).

If the X-Men are a problem, the villains are even less interesting. Gina Carano is actually getting worse with every successive film she appears in and I'm thankful that Ed Skrein's main role as the film's villain is to run from Deadpool as there's almost nothing interesting, or threatening, about him other than Deadpool continuing to make fun of the baddie's real name.

Even with these issues Deadpool sells itself on Reynolds and the filmmakers willingness to embrace the absurd virtues of the character and run with them unapologetically for nearly two hours. It's easily the best X-Men movie Fox has put out (and its better than most of the recent Marvel movies not titled Guardians of the Galaxy). And although it might not be the kind of end-credit scene you expect from a Marvel Studios production, fans should definitely stick around for a fitting epilogue that is a perfect ending to an insane ride.