Surprisingly, the opening salvo to the year's inevitable barrage of comic-book adaptations is fast, funny, smart and not for the kids. Tim Miller's Deadpool is a darkly humorous and self-aware adaptation of the origins story of one of the Marvel Universe's well-liked but lesser celebrated characters - former Special Services operative-turned mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds).After falling in love with the troubled Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin) who's just his kind of crazy, Wilson is diagnosed with cancer. In a desperate effort to get cured, he subjects himself to a rogue experiment under the sadistic direction of Ajax (Ed Skrein), which leaves him cancer-free and with accelerated healing powers. He's also hideously disfigured - with a face his friend Weasel (TJ Miller) describes as looking "like an avocado had sex with an older avocado". Bent on revenge against Ajax and his cohorts, and a reunion with Vanessa, Wilson becomes Deadpool - a red-suit wearing, motor-mouthed, joke-spitting ass-kicker.From the start Miller and the cast are clearly enjoying themselves and the normally annoying, overly smug Reynolds is well suited to his role. It helps that he's hidden behind make-up or his suit for the majority of the story. He's also not above having a good laugh at the expense of his own celebrity and pretty boy image.From the knowing wink of the opening credits to the snarky one-liners, at the expense of its verisimilitude it is, begrudgingly a contagiously entertaining comic-book offering in the vein of Kick Ass. As the rest of the year with its more conventional, over-hyped big spectacle superhero blockbusters fast approaches, this is a reminder of a different way of doing things that doesn't underestimate viewers.Also OpeningHOW TO BE SINGLEEasy, familiar comfort food if you're looking for a traditional romcom. Angie Han, slashfilm.comA PERFECT DAYWobbly mishmash about the tragi-comic bureaucracy of post-conflict. Henry Barnes, the guardian.com..