--- title: "Once Upon a Deadpool: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-deadpool/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-deadpool" critics_score: 47 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Once Upon a Deadpool (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 47 from 7 reviews: 1 positive, 3 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics agree Once Upon a Deadpool is a re-edit of Deadpool 2 with the swearing and blood trimmed out, and they agree the new material is the only reason to watch. The framing device, in which Deadpool reads the story to a kidnapped Fred Savage in a nod to The Princess Bride, is praised almost everywhere as the highlight; several reviews call the cutaways funny, nostalgic and pleasingly stupid. Ryan Reynolds gets credit for keeping the jokes afloat, and the charity tie-in is noted approvingly. The reservations cluster around whether the film needed to exist. Most reviews call it a cash grab, with too little new footage to justify a ticket and cuts that leave the action thinner and the pacing choppy. The spread is fairly narrow, from lukewarm to hostile; Polygon is the sole clear supporter, finding enough laughs to forgive the scheme, while The Wrap is the harshest, seeing little more than a trimmed rerun. ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2018. The review questions if it even counts as a movie, noting the cleaned-up version barely hangs together as the removal of darker elements damages the action. Some new gags land well, but the whole endeavor feels like pointless overkill. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/12/once-upon-a-deadpool-review.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Peter Sobczynski Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2018. The results are somewhat mixed. The cutaways to Deadpool and Savage are pretty funny, but the film itself is still kind of dumb and not worth the bother for most viewers. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/once-upon-a-deadpool-2018) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 2018. The critic finds the PG-13 re-edit of Deadpool 2 a shrug-worthy cash grab with a few good new jokes that don't compensate for the missing elements. The meta conceit with Fred Savage is praised as fun but interferes with pacing. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/once-a-deadpool-review-1168328/) ## Polygon — Jordan Hoffman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2018. The critic had a good time with the many jokes and the spectacularly dumb framing device featuring Fred Savage, calling the whole endeavor a brazen money-making scheme that still delivers humor thanks to Ryan Reynolds. Notes some cuts disrupt the flow but the new elements are often funny. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2018/12/12/18137917/once-upon-a-deadpool-review/) ## Collider — Vinnie Mancuso Rating C. 11 December 2018. The critic finds the PG-13 cut mostly a waste of time and an obvious money grab with scant new footage, though the Fred Savage framing device is great and nostalgic. Notes the charity aspect is positive but the film is still not really for kids. [Read the review](https://collider.com/once-upon-a-deadpool-review/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 5/10. 12 December 2018. The critic finds no reason for the film to exist as a pointless PG-13 cash-grab that weakens Deadpool 2's appeal. He notes the framing device with Fred Savage offers some mild amusement and praises the charity tie-in. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/562937/once-upon-a-deadpool-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 2018. The film is essentially a PG-13 recut of Deadpool 2 with limited new content in the form of interstitial sequences featuring Deadpool reading the story to a kidnapped Fred Savage in a Princess Bride homage. The new sketches are charming and entertaining but take up little screen time, leaving viewers mostly watching a trimmed version of the prior film. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/once-upon-a-deadpool-film-review-ryan-reynolds-fred-savage/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-deadpool.md