Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool (R)

"Skull Poop L"

An ex-special forces commando with a heart (and mouth) of gold finds love, yadda yadda, actually the point of a Deadpool movie should be to abandon the need for a movie with these kinds of standard comic book adaptation-driven synopsis', and sometimes it does- making Deadpool a riot in Fox's newest X-Men film franchise entry.

From the opening frame of a wonderfully off-kilter and sarcastic opening-title sequence, Deadpool promises and delivers R rated thrills that the budget doesn't quite live up to.  Half the movie feels like a standard origin story with more than average funny quips, while almost all the action is separated by long (yet humorous) exposition in the other half (rumored last minute budget cuts from Fox have been fingered).  Where a character like Deadpool could be skewering the cash-grabs and grotesque sameness inherent in "The Comic Book Movie" formula, instead just does them in a uniquely and still appreciated fun way.  Meta-humor is used sparingly, like making fun of it's own villain by calling him a cliche with a British accent in the aforementioned opening sequence?  That loses it's sting when the joke of a boring old Limey super-villain actually comes true.  It's the greatest 4th wall of all, the one this film is never really able to break through; the same old training montages and goop-that-gives-you-powers are all present even if tongue is planted firmly in cheek (could be worse places!).

Luckily the Merc-with-a-pottymouth's sense of humor (gallows or otherwise) are left dashingly intact.  Ryan Reynolds, who last played the same character in Fox's abysmal X-Men Origins: Wolverine, gets a chance to nail what the fans have been slavering for (and it isn't your momma).  There are a lot of laughs, both raunchy and silly, but the overall charm of the film is from Reynolds' Pool, and it's surprising release on Valentine's day a welcome violent surprise for boys and girls, a healthy fun alternative to the chick-flick bait of yester-weekends.  Here we have a pooting red-booted killing machine who lives with a old blind lady in a basement apartment, looks like a walking tumor under the spandex and who takes cabs to his mass-shooting sprees instead of B-52 Blackbirds, big shiny friends from the other X-franchises to chide him or make him feel old (New Mutants uniform FTW).  It is at least unusual, at most very funny and a lastly a fresh breath of gunpowder-laden air.  Next time just leave the flashbacks for other franchises with episodes on the CW, ok sport?

7.5 Testicles with Teeth out of 10 (GOOD)