Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Once Upon a Deadpool Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 15, 2019

Both Deadpool and Deadpool 2 were rated R, and in fact those R ratings were well publicized and overtly mentioned in the films themselves as almost a sort of calling card. It was kind of a subliminal (and maybe totally conscious) allusion to the fact that somehow the provocative elements of the films that frankly earned them their R ratings gave the franchise a certain “street cred” that “ordinary” superhero movies had never previously attained, despite whatever tendencies they might offer that earned them an R rating. The fact is, though, that both Deadpool films almost made it a point to feature both gratuitous violence and a lot of swearing in order to achieve what I personally consider to be rather effective comedy, though of course some tastes can tend to be a little more conservative, hoping to find laugh out loud moments from “PG rated” material. Into that fray steps the kind of curious Once Upon a Deadpool, a film which revisits Deadpool 2, now shorn of at least some of its potentially "objectionable" material, but now including a framing device that features Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) reading the "story" of Deadpool 2 to hostage Fred Savage, all in a "recreation" of the iconic bedroom from The Princess Bride. It's a patently gonzo "meta" conceit that does pay some dividends in the humor department, even if some of the little vignettes (which almost amount to quasi-vaudevillian blackout skits at times) land a good deal better than others.

If you've never seen Deadpool 2, or need a refresher course on its sometimes manic plot developments, there's a summary in my Deadpool 2 Blu-ray review.

Once Upon a Deadpool Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Once Upon a Deadpool is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 2.39:1. I refer those interested to our Deadpool 2 Blu-ray review for my assessment of how the actual film transfer looks. The new sequences offer the same excellent levels of fine detail on elements like the ribbing on Deadpool's outfit, as well as the fluffy blankets Fred Savage finds himself encased in, but there really isn't a ton of other textures that are exploited in the bedroom scenes. Many of these scenes also offer midrange shots which frame both Deadpool and Fred Savage, so fine detail levels can be a bit variable.

Once Upon a Deadpool Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the video element, the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 in the film sections is the same excellent track I assessed in our Deadpool 2 Blu-ray review. Understandably, there's not much in the way of "showy" sonics in the bedroom scenes, which are typically fairly short and frequently offer just a line or two of dialogue between Deadpool and Fred Savage, keeping surround activity to a minimum.

Once Upon a Deadpool Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Maybe a little surprisingly, given the glut of bonus features on both of the preceding Deadpool Blu-ray releases, this disc doesn't offer any supplements.

Once Upon a Deadpool Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My younger son has a burgeoning "career" as a rapper, and I joked with him recently that I should have taken it as a literal personal warning to me when I saw that big black "Parental Advisory" label that's slapped across his releases, as it is with so many other rap albums. If you're a parent who thought there should have been one of those Parental Advisory labels on Deadpool 2 (even above and beyond its much hyped R rating), you might enjoy this silly "reboot" of the film, which is essentially a somewhat bowdlerized version (a few expletives still manage to sneak through) with some hit and miss interstitial material featuring Deadpool and Fred Savage. Even if the blatantly un-PC element of Deadpool 2 was one of your favorite parts of the film, you may get a laugh or two out of this "treatment". That said, I'm personally not that sure that the "new, improved" material is enough of a lure to "require" double dipping for those who already own the original. That said, technical merits are first rate for those who are considering a purchase.