Once Upon a Deadpool is a recut version of Deadpool 2, which released earlier this year. Edited to earn a PG-13 rating, the movie tones back the violence and profanity of the original version for a more teenager-friendly approach. If you’ve seen Deadpool 2, Once Upon a Deadpool doesn’t hold much in the ways of new content. There are a handful of new scenes, but overall, it’s the same movie but with less gore. While it’s not a bad movie by any stretch, Once Upon a Deadpool proves that the Deadpool franchise is better off R-rated.
Once Upon a Deadpool tells the same story of Deadpool 2. After the loss of a loved one, the masked mercenary Deadpool (Ryan Reyonlds) must save an orphaned mutant named Firefist (Julian Dennison) and fight the time-traveling soldier Cable (Josh Brolin). In Once Upon a Deadpool though, the narrative is framed in a different context. After kidnapping Fred Savage and recreating the iconic bedroom scene from The Princess Bride, Deadpool reads the story of the movie to him. As the story plays out, it occasionally cuts back to Deadpool and Fred Savage, reacting to various scenes. In pure Deadpool fashion, it’s very meta, with a lot of commentary on movie studios, comic tropes, and a slew of other pop culture references.
The actual story of Deadpool 2 still works in this PG-13 context, but it feels slightly neutered. It still manages to be funny, exciting, and surprisingly emotional. Unfortunately, when compared to the original Deadpool 2, Once Upon a Deadpool lacks teeth. Most of the envelope-pushing jokes have been removed, and the profanity had been dialed back appropriately. It doesn’t impact the story overall, but it makes dialogue-centric scenes less humorous. The same can be said for the fight scenes, which remain mostly intact. A good portion of blood and gore has been removed, but it’s still surprisingly violent. There is still plenty of dismemberment, but with less bloody mess. Some of the more gratuitous deaths have been cut altogether, but a surprising amount of bloodshed remains.
Although the base story is still enjoyable, Once Upon a Deadpool doesn’t do enough to justify its existence. Often times, the PG-13 cut feels like a made-for-television version. The new content with Fred Savage is honestly hilarious, but there’s not enough of it. The first act is heavy with new jokes and new scenes, but towards the second act, it stops feeling like a fresh take and more like a cash-grab. It’s a hard movie to recommend, as the far superior R-rated cut is available on Blu-ray and other streaming services. Ultimately, Once Upon a Deadpool just feels like a stripped down version of Deadpool 2. That’s not exactly the fault of the movie; in fact, that’s the whole point. It doesn’t have enough new content for returning fans, and it’s still far too violent for kids and preteens. As a movie, it’s decent but far less enjoyable than the original version. As a product, it doesn’t really justify its existence beyond an obvious cash-grab. Unless you’re a Deadpool 2 superfan, I recommend sticking with the original version for now.
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Movie Rating: 2 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
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