I will admit that I was excited to see the new “Deadpool” movie, not because I know much about Marvel’s latest comic book character to get his own movie, but because so many people had asked me about the movie beforehand.

This “don’t-call-him a superhero,” superhero certainly has a lot of passionate fans.

I now count myself among those fans. The new “Deadpool” movie is technically a standard origin story, but it’s so gleefully R-rated and laugh-out-loud funny that it’s impossible not to get caught up in the dirty-minded mayhem.

At the preview screening, the crowd was so happy after watching the movie that they stuck around for a makeshift sing-along over the end credits. There was dancing in the aisles! When was the last time that you saw a movie that made you so happy that you got up to dance?

Credit star Ryan Reynolds for turning in a very funny performance playing Wade Wilson, a sharp-tongued mercenary whose life seems complete when he falls in love with Vanessa, a prostitute with a heart of gold (Morena Baccarin). Things come crashing down when he finds out that he has terminal cancer, so he reluctantly agrees to an off-the-books cure that alters his DNA. It does cure his cancer and give him immortal superpowers, but it also terribly scars his face and body.

Ashamed of how he looks, and certain that Vanessa will reject him, Wilson puts on a red mask and transforms into Deadpool. The rest of the movie is a vengeance story where our hero, who is adamant that he is not a hero, tracks down Ajax (Ed Skrein) the mad doctor who just might be able to fix his face, and thus let him get back to the woman he loves.

There’s really nothing special going on in the story, so it’s the characters that drive the film. Fortunately, Reynolds is more than up to the challenge. He frequently breaks the fourth wall to drop a self-referential quip or make a naughty joke. He delivers his lines with such naughty relish that the film becomes more of a comedy than a superhero movie.  Be very aware that almost all of the humor is R-rated. The violence is also unapologetically bloody. Parents will definitely want to think before taking their teenager fans to see “Deadpool.”

On the other hand, grownups who don’t mind the raunchy dialogue or the violence should absolutely love this film. Okay, grandma should probably give it a pass, but college-aged kids will laugh along with the mayhem.

Even a 50-year-old film critic like me might get swept up by this movie. Now excuse me while I go do a little dance in the aisles remembering the naughty fun of “Deadpool,” one of my favorite Marvel superhero movies of all time.

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published bi-weekly in “The Port Arthur News” and seen weekly on KFDM and KBTV. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@sbgtv.com.com.