When it comes to superhero movies, most viewers expect an action-packed, fast-paced storyline that usually includes one or more characters coming to terms with their special ability to save the day and become the hero they were destined to become.

“Deadpool” completely destroys all of those expectations, as well as any characterization that could ever be placed in a superhero movie, and creates a whole new category in the process.

From the get-go, the movie didn’t look anything like a traditional superhero movie. In most of these films, the movie begins with a backstory that explains how the hero came to be, usually taking up about half of the movie. Contrary to former movies of the same genre, “Deadpool” leads off with the action right away, only stopping to lace the backstory in with the action at the expense of the main character.

“Deadpool” tells the story of Wade Wilson, a low-level mercenary whose life with his girlfriend Vanessa (played by Morena Baccarini, “The Flash”) comes to an abrupt halt when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer in most of his vital organs. After he takes up a seemingly odd offer from a sketchy organization, he becomes both indestructible and disturbingly disfigured. And after the people who performed the procedure turn their back on Wilson, he becomes the type of person he always said he wasn’t: a hero.

“Deadpool” is in a category all its own. Staring actor Ryan Reynolds (“Self/less”) as the “merc with the mouth,” the characteristics are unlike any other superhero movie to date. Throughout the movie, the anti-hero doesn’t hesitate to drop f-bombs or any other swear word. Whether it be when he is insulting the villains in the film or explaining his backstory, the movie’s language is more obscene and vulgar than any other superhero movie.

Continuing with the NSFW aspect of the movie, “Deadpool” also includes more graphic scenes than other superhero movies. Preferring two katanas and pistols to stop his enemies rather than his fists, the movie is significantly more violent than what is customary for the genre.

Despite this going against the traditional norm for superhero movies, “Deadpool” is now the highest grossing opening weekend for a rated-R movie in the U.S., according to The Guardian.

Another aspect of the “merc with a mouth” movie that is unlike any other superhero movie is its use of breaking the fourth wall. On more than one occasion, Deadpool lets the viewer know that he is well aware of the fact that he is in a movie. Oftentimes, he would look directly at the camera and give an obscene comment or talk to the audience directly.

The film also included multiple outside references, poking fun not only at other movies, but also at the cliché that is a traditional superhero movie. This theme was prevalent from the start, as the opening credit scene promised, among other characters, a “British villain,” a “hot chick,” “comic relief” and a “gratuitous cameo,” all of which are normally a guarantee in a traditional superhero movie. “Deadpool” also references the lack of other X-Men, including one line in which he states “Wow, big house. Amazing how I only see two of you. It’s almost like the studio couldn’t afford another X-Man.”

Other pop-culture references are interlaced into the film as well. In one scene, while talking with Vanessa, he explains the nightmare he had, which happened to be based off of Liam Neeson’s “Taken” series. The film also took shots at Reynolds’ other superhero movie “Green Lantern.”

Whether it was references to other movies, the NSFW aspect of the film or the breaking of the fourth wall, “Deadpool” is a must-see superhero movie. It’s hard to picture Reynolds as any other character as this seems to be the perfect role for the actor.

So grab some chimichangas, make your way over to the nearest theater and watch “Deadpool.”

Rating: 5 out of 5