Once Upon a Deadpool - A Discussion

(DISCLAIMER: There will be spoilers regarding the plot of Deadpool 2 as I presume that most of you who are reading this have already seen the film. But in case you haven’t, the following link will direct you to my original non-spoiler review of the film from this past May.)

This holiday season, audiences are being treated to a unique kind of gift from the one and only Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool. Earlier this year, Wade Wilson returned to theaters with Deadpool 2, which saw him cross paths with the time-traveling soldier Cable, create the X-Force, and break the fourth wall further than he’s ever broken it before. And just like the original Deadpool, the film was a massive financial hit when it was released back in May. At the time that I’m writing this, it has grossed over $734 million worldwide, effectively making it the third highest-grossing entry in the X-Men film franchise as well as the third highest-grossing R-rated film of all-time. In terms of critical reception, the film ended up faring on par with the original, attracting a generally positive reaction from critics and audiences. There was some debate, however, as to whether the film was a ‘superior’ sequel. As for me, I’m part of the crowd who thinks that it is better than the first film. Despite a few awkward tonal shifts here and there, director David Leitch’s sequel took way more risks compared to the original. To be fair, though, the original Deadpool did do an admirable job working around the limitations of being the first major attempt at an R-rated superhero film post-Avengers. Ultimately, though, Deadpool 2 excels more thanks to more consistent humor, the wonderful additions of Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino, and stronger emotional depth. But now we come to today’s topic, Once Upon a Deadpool, a new version of Deadpool 2 that promises to be the perfect holiday release for the whole family. Thus, instead of a traditional review (because I’ve already done that for this film), today’s post will be more of a discussion about this special re-release.  

For all intent and purposes, Once Upon a Deadpool is indeed the PG-13 rated cut of Deadpool 2. It’s still the same story of Wade Wilson trying to protect a young mutant named Russell from Cable by forming his own superhero team, X-Force. And while most of his new team ends up being eradicated in a hilariously dark fashion, Deadpool ends up finding the one thing that he’s been missing all this time via the most important F-word of all, a family. After all, as he states in the opening sequence, Deadpool 2 is a family film, and Once Upon a Deadpool is easily its most ‘family-friendly’ version. While there are a few instances of heavier curse words, all F-bombs are either censored ‘TV-edit’ style or bleeped via Deadpool’s trusty censoring buzzer. Any instances of nudity (e.g. when Deadpool has his Basic Instinct moment after his legs start to regenerate) are blurred out. And finally, the most graphic bits of violence are obviously toned down. At the very least, most of the action sequences are kept intact, just without showing any blood spurts (e.g. Deadpool dodging Cable’s bullets on the prisoner convoy). But when it comes to the most graphic moments from the film, it does cut away before they happen, with the most prominent example being when Deadpool gets ripped in half by Juggernaut. All in all, the method in which this version of Deadpool 2 is toned down to a PG-13 rating is decently done, for the most part. I wouldn’t call it a complete success as there are a few instances where the censoring attempts are a bit more blatant than others but compared to other films that were originally R-rated but were then toned down to a PG-13 rating at the cost of hastily edited action sequences, it’s still an admirable attempt. And while I obviously don’t want every future R-rated film to have a toned-down PG-13 rated cut just so that they can appeal to a wider audience, it’s acceptable in this instance if only because of Deadpool’s potential appearances in future films.

But, of course, the most prominent addition to this cut of the film is its new framing device. In a homage to the 1987 classic The Princess Bride, Deadpool kidnaps (or, as he puts it, a case of ‘unsolicited location enhancement’) Fred Savage to tell him the story of Deadpool 2 in the same manner that Peter Falk told him the story of The Princess Bride all those years ago. Thus, just like in The Princess Bride, Savage pops up from time to time to comment on the current sequence, leading to some hilarious meta-commentary on everything from the film’s controversial fridging of Vanessa to the unexpected cameo by Brad Pitt as the Vanisher. And sure enough, these sequences are a brilliant addition. Even under the restrictions of the film’s new PG-13 rating, Deadpool’s comedic sensibilities are still on point throughout, which I’d argue is a testament to Ryan Reynolds’ own comedic talents and proves that, yes, Deadpool can indeed work well in a PG-13 environment. And, of course, Fred Savage also contributes heavily to these sequences’ success as his camaraderie with Reynolds is phenomenal. Really, the only disappointing thing about these sequences is that there aren’t more of them, as it would’ve been interesting to hear Savage’s thoughts on things like the abrupt deaths of the X-Force squad.        

In conclusion, Once Upon a Deadpool is admittedly a tough film to come up with an overall recommendation for. If the extreme blow-back to a 2016 petition requesting a PG-13 edit of the first Deadpool is any indication, a lot of fans aren’t exactly on board with the idea of the Merc with a Mouth being toned down to PG-13 material. And yet, with Disney’s impending purchase of Fox’s film division on the horizon, there’s a considerably high chance that it could happen. Granted, Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated that the plans are to maintain the franchise’s R-rating but given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe films are rated PG-13, I think it’s safe to say that Deadpool will be turned PG-13 whenever he makes a cameo in a non­-Deadpool film. As such, it can be argued that the main intent of Once Upon a Deadpool is to see if the character can work within the boundaries of a PG-13 rated superhero film. And as controversial of a claim as it’ll undoubtedly be for fans of the character, I think it works well. Now to be clear, I’m not saying that this is the definitive version of Deadpool 2. Clearly, the film was always intended to be R-rated, so if you want to see the film in its purest form, you’ll be better off watching the original theatrical cut or the ‘Super Duper $@%!#& Cut’ on Blu-Ray. However, the way in which this version of the film is cut down to meet PG-13 standards is, at the very least, better handled compared to other films that were forced down to the more family-friendly rating. Plus, the additional sequences involving Deadpool and Fred Savage are a delightful bonus. In short, as someone who isn’t religiously devoted to the belief that Deadpool should remain in an R-rated environment, I had as much fun with Once Upon a Deadpool as I did the original Deadpool 2. And while several critics have felt that this re-release was ‘unnecessary’, I’d argue that it isn’t because it’s not just a case of the filmmakers being forced to cut their film down just so that the studio can market it to a wider audience. Rather, this is ultimately a case of a film that is being toned down… but in this instance, the filmmakers are totally in on the joke.

Rating: My 4.5/5 rating from my original review of Deadpool 2 still stands even when considering what had to be cut from this version to make it PG-13, as the new scenes with Fred Savage do make up for what was taken out.

Ultimately, though, one of the biggest reasons to see Once Upon a Deadpool is for its final post-credit scene. I won’t spoil it for those who are planning on seeing it but believe me when I say that it’s practically worth the price of admission alone.

Deadpool 2 (2018) review

Calling the 2016 superhero film Deadpool a hit would be a massive understatement. Upon its release in February of that year, the X-Men spin-off broke all sorts of box-office records. Not only did it become the highest grossing X-Men film to date worldwide, but it also set various opening weekend records as A.) an R-rated superhero film B.) an R-rated film in general and C.) a film that was released in the supposedly ‘dead’ month of February, and that’s just to name a few. Simply put, audiences were delighted by this raunchy installment of the superhero genre, especially due to its more faithful take on the fan-favorite titular anti-hero after his infamous first live-action appearance in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And thus, everyone’s favorite fourth-wall breaking mutant is back in Deadpool 2 which, as promised in the previous film’s post-credits scene, sees the introduction of Deadpool’s most famous ally from the comics, Cable. This time around, though, former VFX artist Tim Miller is not back to direct after he backed out of the project early in its development due to creative conflicts with lead Ryan Reynolds over the direction that it was going in. Thankfully, a badass replacement was found rather quickly in long-time stunt coordinator David Leitch. Since 2014, Leitch has begun to transition into directing and has managed to make quite a name for himself in the process, having co-helmed the 2014 modern action classic John Wick alongside fellow stunt veteran Chad Stahelski and then making a solid solo directorial debut with last year’s action thriller Atomic Blonde. Ultimately, though, one question still stands. From the perspective of someone who admittedly ‘liked, but not loved’ the first Deadpool film, does this one manage to outshine its predecessor and truly live up to its mantle as an unrelenting, R-rated, meta-fueled superhero extravaganza?

Two years since he first started to operate as the mercenary Deadpool, cancer survivor Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) continues to do what he does best; killing all the bad guys, constantly breaking the fourth wall (primarily to complain about how fellow mutant Wolverine always steals his thunder) and wooing his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). However, Deadpool soon finds himself crossing paths with Cable (Josh Brolin), a cybernetic soldier from the future. Having traveled back in time from his dystopian world, Cable is hellbent on eliminating a young mutant boy named Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), who calls himself ‘Firefist’ due to his ability to shoot fire from his hands, whom Deadpool ends up meeting during a ‘mission’ with his old X-Men ‘pals’ Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). As Deadpool soon learns, Cable’s primary reasoning for hunting Russell is that he will end up killing those who had abused him at a ‘Mutant Re-Education Center’ orphanage, which will then lead to him becoming a killer years later with Cable’s own future wife and daughter being two of his victims. And despite Cable proving to be a highly imposing threat, Deadpool, fueled by his desire to have a family of his own with Vanessa, decides to take on the responsibility of protecting Russell. To do so, he ends up forming a superhero team of his own known as X-Force, which includes the likes of EMP disrupter Bedlam (Terry Crews), acid-spewing Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård), and luck manipulator Domino (Zazie Beetz) to deal with the time-traveling warrior who looks a lot like the main antagonist from Avengers: Infinity War.

Despite a change in director, Deadpool 2 does not lose any of the spirit that helped make the first film such a worldwide phenomenon, as it still provides audiences with plenty of great fourth wall jokes that liven up the mood when paired against some of its graphically violent action sequences. But perhaps the best thing that this film does is that it truly lives up to its designation as an unfiltered, balls-to-the-wall (figuratively and literally with emphasis on the latter) R-rated superhero film when compared to the first Deadpool. As I noted a few years back in my review of the first film, while I did genuinely enjoy it thanks in large part to its well-handled humor, I didn’t quite see it as the ‘superhero genre game-changer’ that everyone regarded it as. Despite its various ways of subverting and poking fun at some of the genre’s most widely mocked tropes, its ‘origin story’ narrative ended up covering much of that ground anyway. Plus, the film’s lower budget compared to the likes of other films in the genre did end up rearing its ugly head at times, like during its obviously watered-down finale despite it being set on an MCU-style Helicarrier of all places. To be fair, though, this wasn’t technically the film’s fault as it was just a case of it being an ‘untested venture’ for the studio. Thankfully, that’s not as big of an issue with Deadpool 2, which sports a budget that’s almost double that of the first’s. Because of this, the film takes way more chances when it comes to satirizing the superhero genre that ends up leading to plenty of highly satisfying comedic payoffs. Really, the only thing holding it back is one key plot twist early on that affects some of the main characters. This twist, influenced by one of the genre’s most infamous tropes, ironically helps to give the film more of an emotional core than the first film while still robbing it of the most notable contribution to its predecessor’s most poignant moments while also causing a few instances of tonal inconsistency in the process.

Through it all, though, the film is undoubtedly bolstered by Ryan Reynolds’ phenomenal turn in the titular role, as his comedic timing is just as strong as it was in the first film. This is then balanced excellently with Josh Brolin in his second major role in a comic book film this year after he blew everyone away as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. While there are instances where Cable proves to be just as generally imposing as Thanos, here he is mostly used as the butt of several jokes from Deadpool, who of course is a constant thorn in his sides. Sadly, Morena Baccarin is once again heavily underused as Vanessa despite her genuinely wonderful chemistry with Reynolds. In fact, it’s quite frankly even worse here than in the first film (remember that ‘infamous trope’ I mentioned in the last paragraph? Yeah, it affects her the most…). Thankfully, this is ‘somewhat’ alleviated by the film’s other main female lead, Zazie Beetz as Domino. As soon as the character first appears on-screen, she is immediately established as a badass heroine (despite Deadpool’s claims that her ‘luck-based’ powers aren’t very cinematic) who more than manages to hold her own against Deadpool’s tomfoolery. Julian Dennison is also a major standout as the young mutant Russell as he unabashedly partakes in some of the film’s most risqué bits of humor. And because parts of the film have him utilized as an ‘antagonist’, that technically makes him a better villain than those from the previous film, especially when he partners up with [identity of the second villain in this film redacted due to spoilers; I will say, though, that just like how the first film redeemed Deadpool, this villain’s appearance in this film redeems his previous one]. Finally, you also have plenty of the great supporting roles returning from the first film, including the duo of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (who don’t necessarily get as much to do this time around but still manage to have their own standout moments) and Karan Soni as Deadpool’s happy-go-lucky cab driver friend Dopinder.  

In conclusion, to answer the question that I laid out in the early parts of this review, I’m pleased to say that I did like Deadpool 2 more than the first film. Now again, this isn’t meant as a slight against the first Deadpool, which is still an enjoyable (and, most importantly, hilarious) entry in the superhero genre that allowed Ryan Reynolds the chance to give the titular character the proper film adaptation that he deserved. It’s just that, at the end of the day, Deadpool 2 doesn’t have to deal with the pressure of being an untested anomaly for both Fox and the superhero genre in general. After all, when the first Deadpool hit theaters in early 2016, it was at a time when R-rated superhero films weren’t yet considered as being ‘commercially viable’ ventures. But now that Fox has basically become the top purveyor of R-rated superhero films at this point thanks to both it and Logan, that means that Deadpool 2 is able to go above and beyond in terms of truly going ‘out there’ with its satirical takes on the genre, which it does with utter delight. This, in turn, allows Deadpool 2 to have some of the most consistently terrific humor to come out of a superhero film to the point where it even rivals the MCU’s trademark sense of humor. And just like the first film, this is then strengthened further by an excellent ensemble cast that’s headlined by Ryan Reynolds once again proving why his recent turns as the Merc with the Mouth have made him one of the genre’s most pitch-perfect casting decisions. With all this said, though, I’ll admit that I still don’t necessarily consider this to be the ‘best’ superhero film of the year as it does sort of suffer from a major plot twist that, from a narrative perspective, ironically also does a few good things in the process. But as far as being one of the most ‘fun’ installments of the genre, Deadpool 2 is certainly near the top of that list.

Rating: 4.5/5

Deadpool (2016) review

When it comes to the vast array of characters within the equally vast expanse of the Marvel universe, one major fan favorite has been the character of Deadpool. Created by Rob Liefeld in 1991, mercenary Wade Wilson, better known as the ‘Merc with a Mouth’, has been one of the most popular Marvel characters amongst comic book fans, primarily due to his comedic nature and frequent instances of breaking the fourth wall. However, when it comes to Deadpool’s appearances in live-action films, he didn’t start off on the best of notes. He first appeared in 2009’s ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ played by Ryan Reynolds, who was actually referenced by Deadpool himself once in the comics, prior to the film’s release, when describing his appearance. But while Reynolds was certainly a good choice in the role, the character was ultimately screwed over big time in that film as the writers did away with pretty much everything that made the character who he is in the comics. After appearing briefly in the opening action sequence, Wilson is then revealed to have been experimented on by Colonel William Stryker and turned into ‘Weapon XI’, a mutant possessing the abilities of other mutants that the character obviously didn’t have in the comics. And to make matters worse, the ‘Merc with a Mouth’… had his mouth sewn shut. So in short, the writers completely butchered one of Marvel’s most popular characters in his big-screen debut, becoming one of the many problems of that ill-fated X-Men spinoff. And for a while after that, despite rumors of a Deadpool spin-off film, it didn’t seem like the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ would get a chance to redeem himself on the big-screen.

But then in July of 2014, everything changed when a clip of VFX test footage for the film was leaked online. Developed in 2012 by VFX artist Tim Miller, who Fox had hired a year earlier to direct the film, this turned out to be one of the rare cases in the film industry of a leaked product actually having a positive outcome, as the footage proved to be a big hit with fans. That enthusiastic response was what finally convinced Fox to go ahead with a ‘Deadpool’ film, with Reynolds once again returning to the role that he was pretty much born to play. Now obviously, ‘Deadpool’ is a much different kind of superhero film compared to A.) its fellow Fox-produced Marvel films and B.) the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While those films are always rated PG-13 and are intended for a wider audience, ‘Deadpool’ is decidedly a much more violent and crude entry in the superhero genre. So obviously, it’s an R-rated superhero film that revels in its violence, sex, and crude humor. And while some may have originally viewed this as a ‘risky venture’ for that exact reason, clearly that risky venture has paid off given the extremely positive reviews that this film has gotten from both critics and audiences and its record-setting $135 million opening weekend here in the U.S.. So with all of that said, does Deadpool, and for the matter Ryan Reynolds given his previous misfires in the genre, finally get the proper superhero film that they deserve? Well, to put it simply, yes they do. ‘Deadpool’ is an extremely fun superhero film that isn’t afraid to go places that other superhero films wouldn’t dare to go. And for the most part that does make up for a few of the film’s shortcomings.

As already noted, Ryan Reynolds stars as Wade Wilson, a mercenary from Canada who spends a lot of his time protecting teenagers from potential stalkers. One night, he meets an escort named Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and the two end up in a relationship. However, one year later, the two learn that Wade has been affected with terminal cancer in multiple parts of his body. Looking to find any possible way to overcome his new affliction, Wade is approached by an Agent Smith-like recruiter (Jed Rees (And I’m not making a joke here. This character literally is referred to by that moniker multiple times in the film.)) who offers him a way to cure his cancer. Wade eventually accepts the offer and is then subjected to torturous procedures as part of the Weapon X program led by Francis Freeman AKA Ajax (Ed Skrein) and his partner Angel Dust (Gina Carano). While his cancer does end up being cured as a result of his newly gained abilities of healing, the process also ends up severely disfiguring his face and skin. Left for dead by Ajax, who tells him that he has the cure for his disfigurement, Wade survives and soon takes on the vigilante persona of ‘Deadpool’ as he tracks down ‘Francis’ for revenge. Things get a little more complicated when fellow mutants Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapičić and performed via motion capture by Andre Tricoteux) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) try to convince Wade to join the X-Men and Ajax ends up kidnapping Vanessa.

Fans have been clamoring for years for a proper Deadpool film and, more specifically, that it would be rated R so that it would properly represent the fan-favorite mutant on the big-screen. And in that regard, this film definitely succeeds in doing its title character justice. After the severe misfire that was Deadpool’s characterization in ‘Origins’, the character in this new film is very much the Deadpool that fans know and love. He’s constantly cracking jokes, particularly fourth wall jokes, and massacring his opponents in gory detail. The end result is one very hilarious film from beginning to end, with loads of great jokes as well as some pretty darn awesome action sequences that of course are much more violent than what we’ve seen in other superhero films. But while the film is very much a no-holds-barred R-rated superhero affair, admittedly it is a bit lacking in terms of being an actual ‘superhero’ film. The humor and action may be superb, but at the end of the day this is basically just a simple story of a man enacting revenge against the man who ruined his life. Sure the film may subvert and poke fun at the usual tropes of the superhero genre but other times it ends up doing those exact same tropes so it doesn’t completely succeed in lampooning the genre. Also I should probably note that while I did find the humor in this film to be hilarious, its generally crude nature (in other words, a whole lot of sex jokes) might turn off those who aren’t fans of this kind of humor. 

   

Ryan Reynolds’ comedic abilities made him a perfect choice for the role of Deadpool when he first took on the role all the way back in 2009 for ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’. It’s too bad then that he got screwed over in that film just as much as the character did. Now that Deadpool has finally been given a proper superhero film, Reynolds finally gets the chance to shine in the superhero film genre and proves that he was the perfect choice for the role of the wise-cracking mercenary. On the other side, though, Morena Baccarin is severely underused as Deadpool’s girlfriend Vanessa. While the two do have really nice chemistry, Baccarin spends most of the film as a damsel in distress for Deadpool to save at the end. It’s even more disappointing because her character is a superhero in the comics named Copycat. Maybe they’ll go that route for the sequel but here she’s just the pretty face that has to be saved. However, Deadpool does have a pair of memorable allies in the form of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead or, as Deadpool puts it, ‘the only X-Men the film could afford’. Colossus had previously appeared in ‘X2’, ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’, and ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ but, with no disrespect towards Daniel Cudmore (who played the character in those films), the Colossus in this film is much more in line with the Russian metal man that fans know and love from the comics while Brianna Hildebrand makes quite a great first impression in what will no doubt be her breakout role as the character with one of the coolest names ever. T.J. Miller also gets some memorable one-liners as Deadpool’s best friend Weasel, who points out many examples of what Deadpool looks like with his face all disfigured (e.g. an avocado had sex with an older avocado).

But memorable protagonists come at the expense of some very, very forgettable villains. You know how a lot of people tend to criticize all of the MCU villains that are not named Loki for not being as memorable by comparison? Well, that doesn’t mean that ‘Deadpool’ is off the hook either because its villains are arguably the biggest weak link of the film. Ajax is basically just your typical evil British guy whose only real quirk is the fact that his real name is Francis and Deadpool constantly mocks him for it. Ed Skrein is fine in the role but the character really doesn’t do much to stand out amongst the other villains of the superhero film genre, even the ones that the internet tends to mock. The same can also be said for his assistant Angel Dust. Pretty much all that Gina Carano has to do in this film is just stand around, glare at people, and occasionally punch someone. Sure it may do well enough to highlight Carano’s MMA experience but that’s really about it. So like how the film occasionally slips into the same exact territory of the superhero films that it’s poking fun at, it too suffers from one of the most common criticisms that befall a lot of the films of the genre; dull villains. And as a result, the film ends up feeling a lot smaller-scaled than it already is. There’s not a lot of connections made towards the other ‘X-Men’ films which, while understandable given the film’s more hardcore style and tone, still would’ve been appreciated. I have the feeling, though, that we will be seeing Deadpool play a bigger role in the X-Men universe in future films.

Now despite the criticisms that I’ve gone over in this review, I want to make it clear that I did like ‘Deadpool’. It really is a very fun superhero film and the filmmakers do deserve credit for not flinching when it comes to giving the film a harder R-rated feel compared to other films of the genre. But at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s that big of a ‘game-changer’ as much as others are saying it is. Really, all it does different is just that; being an R-rated superhero film. Obviously, though, it’s the first big R-rated superhero film of this current era of the genre and because this film is definitely going to be a hit, that’ll most likely lead to more R-rated superhero films down the road. And I can tell that this is something that quite a few people will be happy with because let me tell you, I’ve seen quite a few reviews that have compared this film to the MCU films and have negatively referred to the latter as ‘toothless, watered-down mediocrity’. Well you may think that but at least those so-called ‘toothless watered-down mediocrities’ have more to offer in terms of plot, action set-pieces, and even villains. Some say that this film set the bar for this year’s slate of superhero films but at the end of the day I’m probably going to be talking about films like ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ more than this one when the year’s done. To make it clear, I have nothing against there being more R-rated superhero films. But just like how I don’t want to see darker superhero films for characters that aren’t meant for darker storylines, I don’t want to see certain superhero franchises get needlessly more R-rated just because that’s what certain fanboys want more of. Again, I really did like this film. I guarantee you that you’ll have a lot of fun watching it. But ‘best superhero film of all-time’ as some are saying? Uh-uh…

Rating: 4/5