Deadpool & Wolverine

Following the success of the original Deadpool, Fox had plans for at least two sequels: Deadpool 2 and another film featuring the X-Force. However, the Disney/Fox Merger, which completed in 2019, nixed those plans and left the future of any X-Men films uncertain, though Disney CEO Bob Iger had assured audiences that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool would be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and that any Deadpool films would remain R-rated despite Marvel’s prior PG-13 output. While Marvel Studios spent some time gathering the creative team for a third Deadpool film, Hugh Jackman, who had retired the role of Wolverine after his performance in Logan, joined Reynolds on the project after learning that the film wouldn’t conflict with Logan. When filming finally started in 2023, the production faced a notable delay when the dual WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes kicked in, as the initial WGA strike meant that Reynolds couldn’t improvise any dialogue on set, but SAG-AFTRA joining in put filming on hold until its resolution, after which it compensated with a new release date of July 26, 2024.

The finished film, Deadpool & Wolverine, has released in a very interesting climate. Although the MCU remains popular, it has suffered diminishing returns during Phase Five and Marvel Studios has fatigued viewers to the point that they scaled back their TV and film production. Deadpool & Wolverine not only has the honor of the first R-rated MCU film, but also the only MCU film of 2024 (with Joker: Folie à Deux the only DC film of the year). On top of that, the film released during the same weekend as San Diego Comic-Con, which meant that thousands of fellow nerds potentially had to go up to four days dodging spoilers and I couldn’t watch it until the following Monday. Considering the added pressure for the diminishing box office returns of the post-Endgame MCU films, it’s very fortunate that Deadpool & Wolverine felt more than worth the wait and mostly lived up to the hype.

Second Look - Deadpool 2 (All Three Cuts)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Deadpool and Deadpool 2.

Deadpool 2 sits in a unique position within the X-Men film series. Not only did Fox greenlight this sequel by the time the first film released, but after its premiere in May 2018, it would receive two additional cuts within the same year: the direct-to-video extended Super Duper Cut in August and the theatrically-released PG-13 Once Upon a Deadpool in December. Due to a lack of an official word on the matter, one could conclude that Fox wanted to make as much money as possible ahead of the Disney/Fox merger that completed in March 2019, but in any case, Deadpool 2 did break additional box office records on in its initial release, including highest-grossing R-rated film of all time (by just $3 million over Deadpool) until 2019’s Joker.

Since I’ve made it no secret that I’m a fan of Deadpool, it should come as no surprise that Deadpool 2’s existence piqued my interest enough that I watched all three cuts of the film as they came out. Although I still liked the film after rewatching it in the context of the rest of the X-Men films, I now find that the difference between Deadpool and Deadpool 2 feels more like the difference between Shrek and Shrek 2: while the sequel has more narrative complexity and shows more technical competency than the original, it doesn’t age as well due to the dated humor rooted in the exact moment it came out.

Free Guy

There are two kinds of video game movies: adaptations and original works inspired by the medium. Films in the latter category have improved over time, due in part to involvement from those who are more passionate about gaming, as well as the more positive outlook on the hobby as a whole. The most recent effort on this front, Free Guy, had a bit of a rocky start, with no less than four release date changes as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but still did well at the box office, earning $331.5 million against a reported budget of $100-125 million, once it finally released in August 2021. Since it released exclusively in theaters at the time, however, we didn’t end up actually watching it until it came to both HBO Max and Disney+ in 2022. Was it worth the wait? For the most part, yes.

Once Upon a Deadpool

Note: The following review contains spoilers for Deadpool 2.

Following the success of Deadpool 2 and, presumably, the Deadpool 2 Super Duper Cut re-release, Fox has decided to re-release Deadpool 2 yet again, this time as a PG-13 version titled Once Upon a Deadpool. While this is obviously a blatant cash-grab, Once Upon a Deadpool features 16 minutes of additional content that actually makes the third viewing worth it.

At Christmastime, Fred Savage (Fred Savage) wakes up in a bedroom, only to quickly realize that Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) has kidnapped him and is holding him in a perfect recreation of the bedroom from The Princess Bride. Deadpool reveals that he won’t release him until he hears a bedtime story, actually a sanitized version of Deadpool 2. Desperate to leave, Savage decides to hear the story, read to him from a book whose spine reads Deadpool 2: The King James Edition.

Fred Savage (left) is forced to hear Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds; right) read
him a sanitized version of Deadpool 2 during Christmastime.

The rest of the story plays out largely the same as Deadpool 2, but cut and censored to appeal to the PG-13 market. As with most PG-13 superhero movies, this involves a general lack of blood and gore and swearing limited to a single f-word, but liberal usage of “shit” and “bitch”; ironically, despite Deadpool stressing the limit of one f-word, none are uttered throughout the entire film (unless you count one used during Juggernaut’s (Ryan Reynolds) theme). Additionally, a mosaic censor is applied to some nudity and a few scenes are shortened to remove certain jokes. For example, Deadpool now only asks Cable (Josh Brolin) one question about the future, regarding whether or not dubstep is still a thing.

Although the central story of Once Upon a Deadpool is a slightly abridged version of Deadpool 2, the footage that was cut is replaced with new footage featuring brand new jokes, including a reference to Pixar’s Up (2009), and the larger Fred Savage framing device. Though most of the remaining footage is from the original cut, some of the footage is notably taken from the Super Duper Cut, likely to help pad out the running time to still remain just below two hours.

The biggest and most obvious change, of course, is the aforementioned Fred Savage framing device. This framing device not only makes the PG-13 rating possible, it also allows the opportunity for more jokes and meta-humor, which largely includes mocking the PG-13 rating and Fred Savage poking holes in the story. The additional back-and-forth between Deadpool and Fred Savage showcases the latter’s acting ability and provides the biggest incentive for those who had previously seen a cut of Deadpool 2 to return for another round.

If you stay for the credits, there’s not only a new post-credits sequence, concluding the story of the framing device, but also a heartwarming tribute to Stan Lee directly after.

Once Upon a Deadpool is largely a retread of Deadpool 2, this time through a sanitized PG-13 lens, but the new footage and commentary are enough to keep the same story fresh. As an added bonus, Fox donated a dollar from every ticket to the organization Fudge Cancer. I’d recommend Once Upon a Deadpool to fans of Deadpool 2 who don’t mind seeing another cut, as well as families with kids who were previously unable to see the original R-rated release, though with the caveat that Once Upon a Deadpool is a harder PG-13 than other superhero films.

To read reviews of other Christmas films, please see our Christmas Review Hub.

Deadpool 2 Super Duper Cut

Note: This review contains spoilers for Deadpool 2 (2018).

After the original Deadpool (2016) broke numerous box office records, Deadpool 2 (2018) was produced and released. Though its box office fell just shy of its predecessor, $734 million vs the original’s $783.1 million, its success was enough to spawn a special home video release, dubbed the Deadpool 2 Super Duper Cut (written on the box as the Deadpool 2 Super Duper $@%!#& Cut). This cut boasts 15 minutes of additional footage, including all-new jokes and extended sequences. After we got our hands on a copy, we proceeded to watch it to see how well it stacks up against the original theatrical cut (although we did not watch the original theatrical cut again prior to this review).

At its core, both versions of Deadpool 2 are nearly the same. The story is still about Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) wrestling internally with the aftermath of Vanessa’s (Morena Baccarin) death while also dealing with a man named Cable (Josh Brolin) who has come back in time to prevent a dystopic future, no matter the cost. The main theme of family is still a running thread that’s explored in different ways throughout the movie.

Beyond this core, however, the Super Duper Cut is features a number of differences from the original within the extra 15 minutes, some more obvious than others. Among the most noticeable are extended sequences which include new dialogue and quips, including the scene where Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Deadpool argue over whether or not luck counts as a superpower, as well as new scenes inserted into others, such as showing additional methods of Deadpool trying to kill himself in the wake of Vanessa’s death. Some of the subtler changes involve using alternate takes of a scene and, in turn, alternate jokes. One such alternate take is when Deadpool, in this version, asks Cable three different questions about the future, while another is when Deadpool has different dialogue with Russel (Julian Dennison) outside of the orphanage. There are also a couple changes made to the soundtrack, most noticeably the song that plays while Deadpool’s group walks toward the orphanage before the climax.

While many of these alterations to the movie are worked in really well and are often still funny in their own right, they’re not all perfect. For example, when Deadpool is trying to “win back” Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) outside of the X-Mansion, there seemed to be some alternate dialogue inserted through an overdub, noticeable through a slight change in audio quality and Ryan Reynolds’ dialogue not quite matching Deadpool’s expressions. There’s also an extended sequence during Cable’s arrival to the past that involves two farmers having a lengthy discussion about a toilet paper-based government conspiracy. This scene is raunchier than in the original cut, as it now has an extended bathroom joke, and falls flat compared to the rest of this cut as a result.

Deadpool 2 Super Duper Cut is worth checking out. While not everything is seamlessly integrated and some of the new jokes may not be as funny as the original cut, it’s still an enjoyable way to watch Deadpool 2, particularly if you’re already a fan of the movie and want to experience it in a new way. If you have yet to see Deadpool 2, however, it’s best to watch the theatrical cut first before deciding whether or not you want the uncut experience.