Gag-filled 'Deadpool' regenerates gory, immature hilarity for grown-ups (review) - CNET

It's the same Wade Wilson you might remember (but probably don't) from 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", also played by Ryan Reynolds. In that movie, Wade is also experimented on and tued into something referred to as Deadpool, yet entirely different from the "merc with the mouth" we were expecting.

It's a minor miracle Ryan Reynolds got another shot at playing the merc with a mouth, but he and director Tim Miller were hellbent on getting it right this time around. And "right" means violent, irreverent and hilarious.

With that out of the way, "Deadpool" is still an origin story. Just when you feel like you need a break from the relentless comedy, "Deadpool" delivers. It very cleverly dresses up the trappings of the superhero origin story in flashbacks, but they're still the same unmistakable plot beats. That's just how origin stories are these days.

What they do provide is a great counterpoint to Deadpool's wacky, costumed antics. It's a window into Wade's grim past, and the buildup of his relationship with Morena Baccarin's Vanessa Carlysle is tackled with refreshing aplomb. While it may not take the trophy as the best romantic subplot in a comic book movie, it at least makes the podium thanks to one excellent montage.

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These moments are given minimal screen time, but it just serves to distil them down to snapshots of Wade's past before bringing it right back to the humour. Ultimately that's for the best, because the movie would very easily be hamstrung by focusing too much on the forgettable villain or dime-a-dozen plot. Everything that makes a mode comic book movie is there, but precisely zero percent of those constituent parts are held sacred, because "Deadpool" is far more preoccupied with being a comedy.

"Deadpool" tightly packs every kind of gag, from juvenile dick jokes to '80s referential humour to under-the-radar witticisms, into a shotgun. And once the chambers on that scatter gun approach are out of ammo, the movie then resorts to punching you in the face with seven more kinds of cracking wise. Running gags about Sinead O'Connor and "Say Anything" sit alongside Weasel (TJ Miller) riffing on just how ugly a post-transformation Wade is. It's blunt-force, rapid-fire comedy, and it's unrelentingly funny. (And as always, stay til after the credits.)

Most of that is due to Reynolds running his mouth for near enough to the entire running time of the movie. The jokes are vulgar, juvenile and very meta. You should know that going in, because if that's not your cup of tea, "Deadpool" most definitely isn't for you.

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There's no small portion of Easter eggs for fans, either. In his comic book incaation, Deadpool knows he's a comic book character. He converses with his own caption boxes and thought bubbles. He makes meta jokes about the state of Marvel comics. Just so with cinematic Deadpool. Tongue firmly in cheek, he addresses the audience directly, poking fun at Ryan Reynolds' previous tus in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Green Lante", 20th Century Fox and superhero movies in general.