Much like business-as-usual politics, we Americans are so fed up with establishment superheroes that we'll soon be lining up around the block at the megaplex to see Superman and Batman try to kill one another. The Marvel empire realizes this more than anyone and, rather than let up on us, they've simply chosen to bring their token anti-hero Deadpool to the big screen.
Played by the snarky-cute Ryan Reynolds, Wayne Wilson is an ex-special forces operative performing odd jobs around New York City who bonds with call girl Vanessa Carlysle over childhood traumas, leading to a whirlwind romance that culminates with a marriage proposal. Just when Wayne thinks he might have a shot at "happily ever after", he is diagnosed with cancer.
Rather than allow the love of his life to watch him die, he agrees to undergo an experimental cancer cure, which turns out to be a prolonged series of sadistic tortures on the part of Ajax, who takes great joy in his work. While Wayne is ultimately cured, he winds up with a horribly disfigured face and body, not to mention a nasty rebar spike through his torso after being left for dead by Ajax.
Once free, Wayne attempts to return to Vanessa, but, seeing the horrified looks on the faces of strangers as he walks back to their apartment, he decides she's better without him.
And so begins the movie's plunge into the predictable.
From this point on, this could be any other recent super-hero movie full of overly bombastic CGI fight scenes, mind-numbing smash cuts, and hand-held camera shots meant to ramp up the adrenaline level. The film's saving grace or fatal flaw, depending on your view, is Reynold's campy narration throughout the film.
Does he lose the girl? Of course not. Does he ultimately die at the hands of the evil Ajax? Uh, no. If either one of those are spoilers to you, then you're obviously new to Earth and have never seen a Marvel superhero flick.
Does the movie suck? No. Does it bring enough of its own swagger to the table to warrant many, many sequels? To this reviewer, no, but something tells me the masses are gonna eat this with a spoon for as long as Marvel wants to keep serving it up.