Deadpool

After previous attempts to embody a comic-book character—in DC's ill-fated Green Lantern and X-Men Origins: Wolverine—actor Ryan Reynolds finally scores with brash, brazen military mercenary Wade Wilson, who falls wildly in love with a bitter, wise-cracking hooker named Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin). Their short-lived romantic tryst is rudely interrupted when Wade is diagnosed with a late-stage, incurable cancer and then tricked by sadistic scientist Ajax (Ed Skrein) into a painful transformation (via injected mutant genes) to become the facially disfigured yet indestructible anti-hero Deadpool, dressed in form-fitting red-and-black spandex with white fabric covering his eyes. With the help of his bartender buddy (T.J. Miller) at a dive called Sister Margaret's Home for Wayward Girls and encouragement from his blind landlady (Leslie Uggams), Deadpool is determined to wreak revenge. Made from a long-gestating, slyly sardonic screenplay, Deadpool is irreverently directed by Tim Miller, who opens the film with cheeky, self-conscious credits and breaks the fourth wall by having cynical Deadpool talk directly to the audience. Trying to cajole him into joining their mutant clan, two of Marvel's X-Men—towering CGI-created Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and sullen Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand)—show up, but Deadpool notes that they were all the studio could afford (except, of course, for Marvel's Stan Lee in a funny cameo). The rare for superhero movies R-rating is due to raunchy language, lewd nudity, and a ludicrous amount of bone-crunching comic-book violence. Scornful, satirical, and surprisingly snarky, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Deadpool’s Fun Sack” stills and clips (24 min.), a gag reel (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are two audio commentaries (the first with star Ryan Reynolds and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick; the second with director Tim Miller and Deadpool co-creator/comics artist Rob Liefeld), a “From Comics to Screen...to Screen” behind-the-scenes documentary (80 min.), deleted/extended scenes (20 min), and concept art, costume, storyboard, pre-vis, and stunt-vis galleries. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning superhero film.] (S. Granger)