I don’t often see superhero movies, but the advance word on this one was that it “sends up” the genre and makes fun of the concept of superheroes in general. It was supposed to be raunchy and foul-mouthed, and its violence was supposedly too gross for the young teens who account for the super-profits that justify such films’ enormous cost. As a result, it’s the first R-rated film of the genre.   Moreover, the studio – 20th Century Fox – was nervous about it, and kept the budget well below average for that kind of film.

Well, you know how that part of the story turned out: it broke the record for opening weekend of any R-rated film in history, and it seems the sequel is already well under way. But what about its entertainment value?

I have to admit that I kind of enjoyed it, by which I mean that my low expectations were somewhat exceeded. Director Tim Miller and co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have concocted a swift, bouncy tale with some raucous humor thrown in. Ryan Reynolds plays Wilson, a former special forces operative who goes private to bring pain to various bad guys, and get paid for it. He then meets Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), who becomes the love of his life, but – wouldn’t you know it? – he’s diagnosed with terminal cancer just when they’re planning the honeymoon. But, just when they think all is lost, he is contacted by an agent from a mysterious organization with this proposal: undergo an operation that will completely cure the cancer, but which will also give you extraordinary superpowers that you must use at the bidding of the agency. Reluctantly, he agrees.

What happens next becomes the springboard for the rest of the film. The surgeon performing the operation, Francis, is a sadist who develops an extreme dislike for Wilson. While the operation is a success, Francis purposely disfigures Wilson with gruesome lesions on his face and over his entire body. Enraged, Wilson escapes, but is determined to track Francis down and force him to cure his disfigurement. Since Francis has superpowers himself – because he had previously undergone a similar treatment – we can expect a movie battle that will cause mucho damage to property as well as trauma to any persons unlucky enough to be in the vicinity (funny, though, how none of the injuries to those bystanders is ever fatal).

So we have suspense on dual tracks: will Wilson triumph over the evil Francis, and will Vanessa – who thought Wilson was dead because he would not return to her while disfigured – ever be able to love him again?

Spoiler alert: Yes and Yes. Along the way, there is a comic sensibility at work that allows for some adult fun along with the juvenile heroics. Most of it, however, is from Reynolds doing wise-ass narration to the story. A lot of pop references are made, and these are sometimes witty. But there’s nothing visual about it. In fact, the actual look of the film is pretty straight superhero stuff, but on a cheaper budget. The scenes in the sleazy bar, however, are pretty cool and I liked how Wilson chose his avatar name. T. J. Miller, who plays Wilson’s friend, Weasel, is the only other character to get to say funny things, and his deadpan delivery made for neat verbal ping-pong with Reynolds. True, one other character, Colossus, gets a few laughs as a mutant X-man superhero who tries to sell the cynical Wilson on the virtues of the heroic lifestyle. But the humor is entirely from Stefan Kapicic’s pretentious reading of his lines, which are strictly grade-school. And once again, no wit is demonstrated in costuming or in the overly familiar CGI effects.

Look, I know that visual comedy can be expensive. There was real sight-gag wit in some of Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger, but that was a $225 million dollar flop. But you only have to look at even a second-rate Jackie Chan film to see how physical action can be both funny and imaginative without breaking the bank.

No doubt that the film’s smash success means a larger budget for the sequel. I’m intrigued enough to check it out just to see if it will have some visual jokes too.