Deadpool is a Marvel character fans have been waiting to see star on the big screen for a long time. He is known for being dark, raunchy and talking directly to the audience. These are not the traits of a usual superhero, and they are what make this an interesting and enjoyable film.

Ryan Reynolds was practically born to play this part and will be as connected to this character as Robert Downey Jr. is to Iron Man or Hugh Jackman is to Wolverine. Reynolds is able to find that right mix of inherent likability, raunchiness and emotional heft that rockets Deadpool into the top tier of movie superheroes.

"Deadpool" does have to go through the normal Marvel origin-story tropes, but the movie is able to put a nice spin on most of them so it isn't as noticeable or egregious as, say, "The Amazing Spider-Man." The origin of the character is told through a series of flashbacks so that the movie's driving revenge story can start right at the beginning.

And playing the hero's rescuable girlfriend (i.e. Gwyneth Paltrow from "Iron Man" or Natalie Portman from "Thor") is Morena Baccarin, who is really fantastic in this. She brings such emotional depth to her character, Vanessa, that the audience actually cares about her and Reynolds' relationship maybe even more than the action scenes.

Other highlights include T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley) as the comedic-relief bartender and "X-Men" characters Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who provide the (largely ignored) moral center for the film.

If I were being picky, the villain does fall into the Marvel-villain trap of being completely uninteresting, and it does take the movie a bit to truly find its groove, but overall it does the character justice and its success should be the key for more adult superhero films to be made in the future.