ONCE UPON A DEADPOOL – A Review by John Strange
Our friends at Twentieth Century Fox have repackaged last May’s Deadpool 2 release for the Holiday 2018 season. Deadpool’s delightful tale, which includes his brief association with the X-Men, has everything you want in an action movie.
We have love and fighting, baby legs and Fred Savage. We have Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) tragically losing the woman he loves. We have a story that only be written for a character like Deadpool.
Deadpool’s life drops into the crapper as he attempts to deal with the death of the woman he loves, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). He ends up at Xavier’s School for the Gifted (home of the X-Men) where he tries to restart his career and life.
There he runs into one of his favorite people in the whole world (cough, cough), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). NTW has a new girlfriend, Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna). Deadpool loves hacking NTW off by being sweet to her girlfriend.
Can our beloved overly sarcastic anti-hero truly act like one of the X-Men, helping people without killing anyone? We get an answer very quickly to this question. And we meet Russell/Firefist (Julian Dennison) as he faces off a slew of cops.
The orphanage that Russell wants to destroy is saved on this day though Deadpool loses his spot with the X-Men due to his actions. As Deadpool and Firefist are moved to the Icebox, actions happen that will change the futures of our heroes.
People will try to be heroes and lose their live in senseless ways. A young woman will prove that Luck IS a superpower (at least the way she uses it). We will see a man save his soul and have a new friend save his life. We see a hero cuss (even if it’s bleeped).
The modification to the original film revolves around Deadpool kidnapping Fred Savage. They then interject scenes of Deadpool and Fred interacting between scenes of the original film. Our hero reads the book that is the movie to Fred as the filmmaker reacts.
Is this version better than the original? It’s different but not really better. Is it worth watching? Not so much. Rent or buy Deapool 2 (if you haven’t already seen it at the theater or online). It’s better without the banter interrupting the fights, dismemberments, and chase scenes.
The best I can give this new version of the film is a qualified B. I liked the original film and don’t dislike the banter even if I don’t feel it brings much to the table. Rabid Deadpool fans (and Fred Savage fans) will enjoy Once Upon a Deadpool. The rest of us regular fans will like it but not love it.
Directed by: David Leitch
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Jack Kesy, Fred Savage
MPAA Rating: R (for strong violence and language throughout, sexual references and brief drug)
Selig Rating: C
Runtime: 117 Min.
Movie Site: once-upon-a-deadpool
The Selig Rating Scale:
A – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
B – Good movie
C – OK movie
D – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
F – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
