Once Upon a Deadpool Movie Review | Deadpool 2 made PG-13

By: Lynn Barker

In Once Upon a Deadpool, Wade Wilson (Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds) kidnaps adult actor Fred Savage, who, as a kid, co-starred in the classic The Princess Bride (if you haven’t seen it, check it out on Blu-ray etc.). Fred played a sick kid, in bed, being read a cool fairy tale by his grandpa. Deadpool has duct-taped adult Fred to a bed in a set that totally copies his bedroom in the 1987 film. After some jokes, Deadpool reads the trapped Fred a story that is the plot of Deadpool 2… without a lot of the violence and curse words. During the film, Deadpool and Fred comment on what was cut out… all in a pretty hilarious fashion.

Deadpool reads the Deadpool 2 story to Fred SavageCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Once Upon a Deadpool Trailer

Loss of a Love

(Note: If you didn’t see Deadpool 2 because it was R-rated, here is what happened). Wade Wilson has been operating as a mercenary “superhero” Deadpool for two years, On his anniversary with his boo Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), he fails to kill one of his targets.  That target tracks Deadpool down and kills Vanessa. Wade/Deadpool kills the guy in mad revenge. He is left with a Skee-Ball token, her anniversary gift, to remember her by. Blaming himself for the death, he attempts suicide and blows himself up but his body parts are still alive and he’s reassembled by Russian mutant X-Man Colossus (Stefan Capacic).

Deadpool unmasked with girlfriend VanessaCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

X-Man?

While he is recovering at the X-Men’s mansion, Wade is convinced to join them in order to truly heal himself. There is a “war” between law enforcement and a really unstable young mutant called Firefist aka Russell Collins (Julian Dennison) who lives at an “orphanage” which is really a mutant reeducation center. Deadpool, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) check it out.  Firefist has been mistreated by the staff so Deadpool takes his side and kills a staff member. Wade and Collins are arrested and fitted with collars that suppress their powers.

Firefist has been picked on by a school headmasterCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

The Ice Box

The guys are taken to The Ice Box, an isolated prison for mutant criminals. Meanwhile, Cable (Josh Brolin) cybernetic soldier from the future, whose family was murdered by an older Collins/Firefist, has travelled back to our time to kill Collins before he ever becomes the family killer. Cable breaks into the Ice Box and attacks Collins. Wade defends him but Cable ends up with Vanessa’s token. Collins overhears Wade deny that he even cares about what happens to the young mutant. Injured, Wade has a vision of Vanessa in which she convinces him to keep helping Collins. Deadpool organizes his own X-Force team to break Collins out of a prison-transfer convoy and keep Cable from killing him.

Deadpool with members of the X-ForceCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Rescue Attempt

The team tries to land on the convoy by parachute, but all of the members die during the landing except for Wade and the lucky Domino (Zazie Beets). While they fight Cable, Collins/Firefist frees fellow inmate Juggernaut (voice of Ryan Reynolds), who agrees to help Collins kill the abusive orphanage headmaster. Juggernaut destroys the convoy, allowing himself and Collins to escape. Cable decides to work with Wade and Domino to stop Collins' first murder, and agrees to give Wade a chance to talk Collins down.

Deadpool with Domino and CableCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

At The Orphanage

At the orphanage, Juggernaut holds baddies back while Collins attacks the headmaster. Colossus arrives to distract Juggernaut. When Wade/Deadpool fails to talk down Collins, Cable shoots at the young mutant, Wade leaps in front of the bullet and dies, reuniting with Vanessa in the afterlife. Seeing this sacrifice, Collins does not kill the headmaster and this changes the future so that Cable's family now survives. Cable uses the last charge on his time-traveling device, which he needed for returning to his family, to go back several minutes and strap Vanessa's token in front of Wade’s heart. Now the bullet is stopped by the token and both survive while Collins still has his change of heart and the headmaster is run over by Wade’s taxi-driver friend Dopinder (Karan Soni).

Juggernaut enters the fightCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Mid-Credits Sequence

As usual, stay around during the credits. Negasonic Teenage Warhead and her girlfriend Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) repair Cable's time-traveling device and he then saves the lives of Vanessa and X-Force member Peter (Rob Delany) and kills both X-Men Origins: Wolverine's version of Deadpool and actor Ryan Reynolds while Ryan is thinking about starring in the Green Lantern movie.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead with YukioCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Wrapping Up

Holiday hijinks with Fred and RyanCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Especially if you didn’t see Deadpool 2, this PG-13 re-cut with the added fun of about 20 minutes of Deadpool and Fred Savage interacting and commenting on the action is really entertaining!  There is even a tribute to the late Stan Lee. Also, the movie, only in theaters from Dec. 12 to 24^th, will donate a dollar from every ticket sold to the “Fudge” Cancer charity (really F--- Cancer but retitled to fit this PG-13 movie) and that’s cool.

Deadpool reads a warm and fuzzy version of his storyCourtes20th Century Fox

The banter between Deadpool and Fred is right in the spirit of all Deadpool, talk-to-the-camera hilarity so it fits in with a “cleaned up” version of Deadpool 2 really well.

I can't believe you kidnapped me!Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Even if you did manage to see the R-rated Deadpool 2, you will enjoy this additional footage and not miss all the cursing and more violent action. If you didn’t see it, now is your chance to go with parental approval.  Some people just think the movie is a cash grab by Reynolds and 20^th Century Fox but we are glad more kids and young teens can now see it and we laughed a lot so go four stars.

Once Upon a Deadpool Movie Rating: 

Once Upon a Deadpool Movie PosterCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

See Once Upon a Deadpool in theaters now through Dec. 24^th

What Do You Think?

Are you glad there is this holiday, PG-13 version of the Deadpool 2 movie with extra funny stuff added? Are you a purist who hates it when a movie is re-cut? Is Deadpool a fave or too lame character in the Marvel Universe in your opinion? Comment here or write all about it on your Kidzworld profile page.