It’s been a good ol’ while since I enjoyed myself at the cinema as much as I did when I saw Deadpool. The film has shot to the top of the box office on both sides of the Atlantic, which is no mean feat considering that it’s so profane and bloody.

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It’s about Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a former Special Forces soldier-turned mercenary, who upon learning he has a terminal illness, takes up the offer of a shadowy organisation to turn him into a ‘hero’, and save his life at the same time. You may remember Wilson (and Reynolds) from Wolverine: Origins (or you may not, it’s pretty forgettable), but this is essentially a different character, as well as a much better film.

The film frequently breaks the fourth wall, goes all ‘meta’ in referencing other films and actors from the Marvel universe Deadpool is currently in (the X-Men one, if you didn’t know), and generally messes with cinematic convention. That being said, underneath it all lies the beating heart of fairly standard ‘origin’ story/romance. What is especially refreshing to see is that the story is pretty contained (no globe-hopping adventures here), the running time quite tight (108 minutes for a superhero film is lightening quick these days), and the big battle doesn’t have epic, world-ending consequences, as so many of these stories seem to do.

The film’s biggest weapon is in the form of Reynolds himself. Perfectly cast as ‘the Merc with a Mouth’, Reynolds is the centre of attention for 99% of the film. He’s always running his mouth, spraying jokes left, right, and centre, and it’s a surprise just how many of them hit their target. He’s charming and charismatic, even when his character does and says some pretty reprehensible (albeit funny) things.

Where the film falls down is in the character development. Other than Wilson/Deadpool, you don’t really learn a huge amount about the other characters, and despite Morena Baccarin and TJ Miller doing their best in supporting roles, you feel there could be more for them other than ‘Love Interest’ and ‘Comic Relief’ respectively.

Overall however, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but if you like your humour a little dark and quirky, and you can stand the sight of quite a bit of bloodshed, then this is the film for you.