Four out of five stars.

Superhero-action-romantic-comedy sounds like a random mash-up of genres, but ‘Deadpool’ effortlessly combines them into two hours of cinematic originality in what will hopefully be the rise of the anti-hero movie.

Deadpool tells the story of Wade Wilson, ex-army-turned-mercenary with a soft spot and an off-kilter sense of humor. He falls in love with a woman and they have a whirlwind romance before he receives terrible news. When Wilson is faced with his own death, a strange man in a fancy suit offers him a choice: undergo scientific experimentation to become a superhero, or die.

Not the typical Marvel movie, ‘Deadpool’ received an R rating for good reason: flying blood and decapitations. The violence is more graphic than other superhero flicks, and the movie is not for the faint of heart. Deadpool is a protagonist who breaks the tired hero mold by killing his foes.

Also true to the comics is Wilson’s raunchy sense of humor. There are only two brief but intense scenes of nudity and sexual content, but that does not stop the jokes from pushing the limits. Ranging from slapstick and foul-mouthed to dirty to occasionally downright discriminatory, the movie’s gags are very hit or miss.

The main joke, however, is in the fact that the movie refuses to take itself seriously. Consistently breaking the fourth wall and mocking superhero movies as a whole, ‘Deadpool’ is a new kind of comical meta.

“This isn’t just any comic book movie adaptation,” said Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood Daily. “No, it revels in making mincemeat out of the genre and constantly breaking the fourth wall to make sure every fanboy knows this character does not take himself — or the situation he finds himself in — as any more than another movie about a guy in spandex.”

Though hilariously cynical, the movie’s driving force really comes from the characters. Every actor does a stupendous job of bringing their comic book character to life, but Ryan Reynolds was simply born to play Deadpool. He melts into his role as Wade Wilson and delivers an unforgettable performance.

Wade Wilson is a relatable man, Given a difficult decision, deceived, and then forced to face the consequences. He is fueled by anger over his situation, but also by love for his fiancée, Vanessa. All he wants is his old life back, something quite easy to empathize with.

Vanessa, though a love interest, is incredibly well-written. She works at a strip club, but she is never mocked or demeaned for her work. She has disappointingly little screentime in the middle of the movie, but her appearances and agency when onscreen make her a strong female character, even if she is somewhat forced into the damsel in distress role, like any other hero’s girl.

The unlikely duo consists of Colossus, a giant Russian man of metal, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, a negative yet loveable teenage girl as her name would suggest. Both help Wilson tremendously and make the story more interesting. Warhead and Colossus are both somewhat flat characters, but the movie is less concerned with development than with jokes.

The villains are the kind of characters people love to hate, arrogant and quite literally unfeeling. There is no audience sympathy for the Big Bad or any of his cronies. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, the fact the movie chose to forgo developing his backstory and motivation is disappointing, even if many other characters received this treatment.

Though it focuses more on laughs and action than true depth for any character but its title hero, the movie is worth seeing if you can stomach it. It may even be the first of a franchise if the studio gets their way – and when a movie grosses over $130 million its opening weekend and is such a geek attractor, there is always room for a sequel.