8 Reasons Deadpool Lives Up To The Hype (And 6 It Doesn't)

Since Deadpool was summarily ruined in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, fans of the Merc with a Mouth have been lobbying hard for him to get his own movie. It's finally here, and critics on the whole agree that it's a rock-solid comic book flick that does a good job distinguishing itself from the pack, even if it's probably no classic. With the film now rolling out worldwide, it's time to dig in deep and examine what makes the film such a blast... but also what holds it back from truly fulfilling its potential. Yes, fanboys beware: Deadpool isn't perfect, and indeed deeply flawed in many ways, but it's still the most rambunctious, crazy film of its type in years, and builds a firm base for the character finally done right. Bear in mind that light spoilers will follow, but all the big stuff will be mindfully avoided. Here are 8 reasons Deadpool lives up to the hype (and 6 it doesn't)...

8 Reasons It Lives Up To The Hype...

8. The R-Rated Tone Is So Refreshing

For all of the film's faults, how refreshing is it to see a big-budget superhero movie with an R-rated tone, one that's tracking to actually make money unlike recent solid efforts (namely Dredd)? Any comic book fan burned out by the safe-playing PG-13 outings from Marvel and DC should give Deadpool a try: there's gratuitous violence throughout (including several brutal decapitations), so the action actually feels like it has some stakes (for anyone who isn't Deadpool, anyway), more profanity than probably any superhero movie ever, and even some nudity for good measure. Some might argue that this results in gratuity for its own sake (especially in terms of swearing), but on the whole it works exceptionally well. Above all else, this is a welcome palate cleanser ahead of Batman V Superman and Captain America: Civil War, and as it seems set for success, hopefully we'll get studios banking more on grown-up superhero fare for adults.