Deadpool is the most recent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was easily one of the most anticipated superhero films this year. Upon its release on February 12, 2016 the movie has received overwhelmingly good feedback on FOX’s risk.

Unlike most Marvel heroes, Deadpool is owned by FOX rather than Disney, leaving the responsibility of its production to a different company. The company took a large gamble when creating the first superhero movie to be given a Restricted rating.

Deadpool marks the first rated R film to be released under the Marvel brand and its Restricted rating comes as no surprise. The Deadpool character is famous and loved for being more explicit than the common heroes most children adore. His comics are littered with curse words and nudity, something that the film adaptation of the character did not shy away from.

The movie was very true to Marvel’s beloved “merc with a mouth”. They portrayed the character accurately with his consistent comedic relief and abundant curse words. Ryan Reynolds, who dawned the red suit was the most accurate actor for the role. But it’s not as if the casting directors had a choice in the matter given that Reynolds has been known to have been trying to bring Deadpool to the big screen for eleven years. The film was not even considered until test footage was leaked and fans began to vigorously back and encourage its production. And after many years, the fans’ efforts have finally paid off.

The Deadpool movie was adored by fans and has received positive feedback from critics as well. The film has even acquired an 8.8 scoring on IMDb, which when compared to recent Marvel releases like Age of Ultron (7.6) is a significant rating. To put things into perspective, it nearly touches the Dark Knight’s 9.0 rating, which is a movie considered to be one of the greatest superhero films of all time.

This movie is significant in the way that it is unique. It deviates from DC’s gritty appearance and Marvel’s typical censored quips. The movie makes fun of itself just as the beloved comic book character frequently does. It contained many of Deadpool’s fourth wall breaks and frequent jests at Ryan Reynolds and X Men Origins: Wolverine’s adaptation of the character throughout the movie.

The movie in its entirety is a comedic action film but has many different genres brought into it as well. The first third of the movie is seemingly concentrated on the development of the romance between Wade Wilson and his girlfriend Vanessa which is arguably the most developed and concrete aspect of the film. Their relationship becomes the focal point and driving factor for the entire movie and Wilson’s character arch. Their relationship is effortless and is not watered down by the frequent superhero-romance clichés. Vanessa is not the typical damsel-in-destress accessory to Wade Wilson’s story. She holds her own, which is fortunately deviant from the typical romances represented in comic book adaptations.

The second third of the film is focused on the transformation from Wade Wilson into his Deadpool persona and borderlines on the horror genre at times. After being stricken with multiple types of cancers, Wilson seeks out medical treatment in a sketchy “government” facility which promises to give him superpowers. Unsurprisingly, the “treatment” is not what he signed up for, and for a good half hour, the audience is subjected to disturbing scenes of Wade Wilson’s torturous path down his Deadpool transformation.

The final act of the movie is pure, unadulterated action. Gritty and well-choreographed, the final fight scenes of the film are well executed and everything a Deadpool fan could ask for. It’s thrilling and simply fun to watch.

But while the movie was primarily positive, there were undeniably some flaws. For example, the characters of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead were marginalized and extremely underdeveloped. While they provided great fan service to Deadpool’s comic book following, their movie adaptations felt underused and left the characters feeling underappreciated.

The second complaint that I had was that it felt far too short. Perhaps that is merely a biased opinion coming from someone who was enjoying the movie so much I did not want it to end. But the hour and forty-eight-minute movie felt like it flew by and left fans wanting more time with their favorite hero. Luckily, FOX has already announced a sequel so more footage of Ryan Reynolds in his red suit will be on their way soon.

Other than those few and sparse complaints, the movie was nearly entirely a success for me. It was funny without being over-the-top, gritty without being needlessly gory, and romantic without being too gushy. Deadpool proved that you can succeed at pleasing a primarily adult audience with a superhero film and that you don’t need to pull your punches and censor things to make a superhero movie worth seeing.

(photo provided by www.fanpop.com)