Review of Once Upon a Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds and Fred Savage

Living up to its promise of giving zero Fs, this revised version of Deadpool 2 takes pains to avoid a single F-bomb. But since it is still an M-rated release – PG-13 in the US – there are a good amount of “s—s” and violent scenes.

It may be appropriate for a slightly younger audience, but it’s not completely neutered. In fact, there are even more laughs thanks to Once Upon a Deadpool’s The Princess Bride–style framing device, with a captive Fred Savage forced to listen to the superhero tale, as told by Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) himself. It’s essentially the same story, just given a new teen-friendly presentation.

The banter between Savage and Deadpool makes up the bulk of the 20 minutes of scenes that were not part of the cinematic release of Deadpool 2. And be sure to stay to the very end, with some brand new mid- and post-credits scenes as well. Perfect for anyone who didn’t see the original version or who saw it so long ago that they can’t remember all the details. 4 stars

Gavin Scott

After cutting his teeth on teen titles Smash Hits and TV Hits (remember them?) in the 2000s, Gavin moved into weekly magazines, working for TV Week for many years and continuing to contribute to that title to this day, and writing for Who, Woman’s Day, New Idea and OK over the past decade or so. He’s also worked for digital outlets, writing and editing for SBS, Pedestrian and Who.com.au, and has hosted and produced TV and music podcasts. Entertainment in all its forms has been Gavin’s focus, whether that be interviewing the latest eliminated contestant from Survivor; reviewing the newest films, TV series and albums; writing opinion pieces about streaming platforms and their offerings; or talking to Australian pop stars past and present about their musical journey. As a long-time freelancer, Gavin goes where the work takes him, with one hand on the remote and the other scrolling through his phone for entertainment updates.

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