Deadpool (5 Stars)

There are some films that you can watch many times over and still enjoy just as much as the first time. "Deadpool" is one of them.

The plot is almost beside the point. Wade Wilson is a wisecracking mercenary who falls in love with Vanessa, only to discover that he has cancer. An experimental treatment saves his life but leaves him horribly disfigured, so he reinvents himself as "Deadpool" and sets out to find the man responsible. Along the way there are superheroes, villains, enormous amounts of violence and an almost ridiculous number of jokes.

What makes it work is Ryan Reynolds. He was obviously born to play Deadpool, and the film understands exactly what to do with him. Wade can be funny, obnoxious, sentimental, violent and even vulnerable, sometimes in the same scene. Reynolds never seems to be taking the character seriously, but he does take the character seriously enough for us to care about him.

The film's greatest strength is its timing. It knows that a joke is funnier when you aren't expecting it, and it isn't afraid to interrupt its own story for a gag. The fourth-wall breaking could easily have become irritating, but it works because Deadpool's personality makes it feel like a natural part of the character rather than a gimmick imposed on the film.

It also helps that there's a genuine love story underneath all the wisecracks. Vanessa isn't simply there to give Wade something to rescue. Their relationship is one of the things that makes the more outrageous parts of the film work, because there's an emotional reason for everything Wade does.

The supporting cast is good too, particularly Morena Baccarin as Vanessa and Ed Skrein as Ajax. Colossus is an inspired addition, with his earnest superhero morality providing a perfect contrast to Deadpool's complete lack of restraint. Negasonic Teenage Warhead doesn't have a huge role, but she's memorable enough that it's hard to imagine the film without her.

"Deadpool" is crude, violent, self-aware and frequently ridiculous, but there's a warmth underneath all the cynicism. Most importantly, it's funny. Very funny.

There's really not much more to say. Sometimes a film simply gets everything right, and "Deadpool" is one of those films.

Success Rate:  + 11.5

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