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Blu-ray Review: ONCE UPON A DEADPOOL

Jan 19, 2019 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Once Upon a Deadpool is a re-imagining of Deadpool 2, with a PG-13 edit, and a new framing device. I previously reviewed the Deadpool 2 Super Duper $@%!#& Cut Blu-ray release, which I said was a Must Own. Once Upon a Deadpool is pretty much the same movie, with a few of the more graphic scenes chopped out, and some of the language and violence altered. For the most part, it is still the same great movie, so this review won’t really delve into the plot or details of the film, but rather concentrate on what makes Once Upon a Deadpool different.

As the film opens, we discover that Deadpool has kidnapped an adult Fred Savage, has reconstructed the bedroom set from The Princess Bride, and has tied the former child star to the bed so he can read him the bedtime story of Deadpool 2, like Peter Falk’s character did in the movie (the reading, not the tying to the bed). Needless to say, Fred Savage is confused and not a willing participant. He takes several opportunities to poke fun at his captor, make his own snide remarks, and even break the fourth wall. While he’s an X-Men comic fan, Savage claims he is unfamiliar with Deadpool, and regularly brings up the fact that Deadpool is a FOX licensed entity and not a Marvel movie. There are also some fun parallels to bits of Savage’s role in The Princess Bride. There are about a dozen of these scenes in total with Fred Savage, ranging anywhere from 10 seconds, to a couple of minutes. They make an amusing framing device, but sometimes feel too few and far between if they are supposed to make this feel like a new movie.

The rest of the film is just a slightly cleaner, PG-13 cut of the film, which works surprisingly well—it actually made me a believer that Deadpool doesn’t need to be a Rated R film. There are some small changes, like altering the bags of cocaine from being labeled “Wade’s Cocaine” to “Booger Sugar”, and the pixelization of Deadpool’s baby butt and privates. But there are also some larger changes, like removing almost the entire bloody opening sequence, along with the Bond-like opening title sequence.

Throughout the film, a lot of the cursing has also been removed (likely these were alternate takes that had already been filmed for an eventual TV version). In a couple places, the F-word is bleeped, and there are about a dozen sh*t‘s that still make the cut. I really appreciated this part of the alterations—I always found the excessive language a bit jarring and unnecessary. The changes also actually made me more sympathetic towards the Firefist character. In the original cut, he comes off as this crass kid who just tries to act tough. But in this cut, without his constant cursing, he feels more human and relatable. In general, the level of gore is toned down, and is way less over-the-top in some scenes. While the over-the-top gore added some humor in the original cut, to me, the PG-13 cut never felt like a watered down film, and I think it makes an excellent alternative option for parents of younger children.

FOX’s Blu-ray release provides the same solid video and audio presentation as the previous release. However, the original Deadpool 2 Blu-ray included a massive amount of bonus material, but for this release, there is absolutely nothing! It is really disappointing that there is not even a short behind-the-scenes featurette looking at the filming of the new material with Fred Savage! This seems like a major missed opportunity. Also, some of the bonus material from the original release could have been ported over for those who don’t already own that disc.

Fans of The Princess Bride will enjoy the fun homage to that film in the new framing device, but in the end Once Upon a Deadpool is really just a PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2. Unless you are a parent who would prefer to have the cleaner cut to watch with younger viewers, this may be better suited for a one time rental, or pick it up when the price is a bargain. The previous, full blown release is a much better deal, and comes loaded with bonus material.



What’s Included:

Film: (1:57:41)

    Blu-ray:

    • 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
    • Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
    • Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

    DVD:

    • 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
    • Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0
    • Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

    Digital HD

    • HD Movies Anywhere copy of the film.

Extras:

  • There is no bonus material included



Final Thoughts:

My Rating
Film:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
For Die-Hard Fans

This release is pretty much just a PG-13 cut of the film, with a fun homage to The Princess Bride strewn throughout. The disc features the same great video and audio from the previous release, but unlike that release, there is absolutely no bonus material, except for a digital copy of the film. While the framing device is fun, it’s very short, and I’m not sure it necessitates a double-dip. That said, if you are a die hard fan of The Princess Bride, or a parent looking for a more family-friendly version of the film, this is an excellent option.