After years of trying to get the movie off the ground and a buildup that has been backed by, possibly, one of the best marketing campaigns ever, Deadpool is here, and it’s everything it promised to be.

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a mercenary. A man who says “I’m just a bad guy who gets paid to f— up worse guys.” After he meets Vanessa, his world changes and he thinks maybe he can change too, but when all is looking bright, Wade gets diagnosed with terminal cancer. All out of options, Wade turns to a shady organization led by Ajax (Ed Skrein), an evil mutant bent on turning people into mutants and selling them.

The procedure heals Wade of his cancer, leaves him scarred and disfigured, and gives him accelerated healing powers. Ugly and mad, Wade is bent on finding Ajax, who promised he could give Wade back his pretty face so he could finally face Vanessa again. Violent hijinks ensue, set to campy music and sarcastic commentary.

I’ll say this. I admire 20^th Century Fox for having the guts to get this movie going. It isn’t your typical Marvel film, and by that I mean it has plenty of cursing, dirty jokes, vicious bloody violence and a few sex scenes that would make more than a few people uncomfortable. It’s an adults-only comic book film that pulls it off with shockingly good results.

This movie is awesome and it all works surprisingly well. The 108 minute running time flies by and I never felt bored. It’s probably the most fun I’ve had watching a comic book film since Guardians of the Galaxy.

Deadpool knows he’s in a movie and breaks the fourth wall continually throughout, even getting a piece of gum stuck on the camera lens. The humor here is very Meta. He makes fun of his last appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a movie the studio wants us to forget, but Deadpool sure won’t, and Ryan Reynolds’ turn in Green Lantern.

The humor starts off from the opening credits to the “secret” after credit scene and doesn’t let up. It’s one you might actually have to see more than once because while you’re laughing at one quip, another happens.

The action is another portion of this movie that works very well. It’s very tight and contained. Since this movie had a smaller budget, they had to get more creative with their action and it works to their benefit. You see everything and I was never confused as to what was going on. It’s violent and very bloody at times, but never felt mean spirited or harsh.

The two other character that are worth mentioning are Colossus and, no I’m not kidding, Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Colossus here is all CGI, but is some of the best looking CGI I’ve seen. He’s voiced by Stefan Kapicic and is the PG-13 one of the movie, trying to convince Deadpool to use his powers for good instead of revenge. Their dynamic made for a few of the best moments in this movie. Negasonic Teenage Warhead doesn’t do much here, but her interactions with Deadpool and others were great. The actress Brianna Hildebrand hasn’t been in much, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of her from now on.

I’ll be honest here. I could go on and on about this film. It’s a hilarious send up of the Superhero Genre and it plays with the tropes in such a way that you don’t really realize you’re seeing a very clichéd story. The one complaint I have is that to enjoy more than just a few jokes, you have to have some knowledge of Ryan Reynolds and 20^th Century Fox’s failings because that’s what this movie pokes at the most. It doesn’t make it inaccessible for the general movie-going public, but some jokes might go over their heads. I also didn’t think the strip club scene was needed. It only seemed it was there to cement this movie’s R rating, but it does give us a fantastic cameo (guess who).

Deadpool isn’t the greatest movie out there, and I don’t even think it’s the best Comic Book film out there either, but for what this movie was given and what it set out to do, it accomplishes that with flying colors. The humor is quick-paced and hilarious, the action is violent, bloody and enjoyable, and I’m pretty sure this was the role Ryan Reynolds was born to play. Deadpool may not be doing anything new here in terms of story and theme, but the fun he has with it and the self-awareness of it all work so incredibly well that it is a blast to watch.  With a year that is going to be filled with a lot of self-serious superhero movies, Deadpool is the perfect way to start out the year.

Rating 4/5: Energetic and hilarious. Deadpool doesn’t do much new here, but still manages to stand on its own.  Just know it’s not for kids.