Deadpool Movie Poster Image

Deadpool

(i)

 

Gory, profane, sexy superhero story great, but NOT for kids.
Parents recommendPopular with kids
  • Review Date: February 12, 2016
  • Rated: R
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Release Year: 2016
  • Running Time: 108 minutes

What parents need to know

Positive messages

Explores how someone can be "super" but not a "hero" and how mutants/people with extra abilities struggle with the tension between being selfless/helping others and following their own agenda. Ultimately promotes teamwork, alliances, collaboration, and love.

Positive role models

Lots of iffy/questionable behavior, but Wade clearly loves Vanessa and will do anything possible to protect her (and she loves him, too). The X-Men help Deadpool even though it's not their fight, and he's not yet a member. Colossus tries to explain to Deadpool that being heroic/a superhero boils down to a few momentous choices in life.

Violence

Strong graphic violence: decapitations, brains oozing out of shots to the head, torture that leads to moaning (and eventually Deadpool's mutant transformation), and lots of bloody injuries, explosions, and hand-to-hand fights.

Sex

Wade and Vanessa (who's initially a prostitute) flirt, kiss, and make love in a montage that includes nudity (bare breasts visible), different positions, and lots of role/food play. A scene in a strip club also show's women's breasts. Wade is naked during a fight; his butt is visible, and there are possible quick glimpses of his genitals.

Language

Frequent strong language used in nearly every scene: "f--k," "motherf--ker," "s--t," "a--hole," "ass," "bitch," "p---y," "d--k," "douche," "c--k," and mashed-up insults like "s--t show," "d--k t-ts," "douche pool," and "c--k whistle."

Consumerism

iPhone, Chevy Suburban, Apple.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Adults drink in a pub; some are drunk. Adults smoke cigarettes.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Deadpool is a superhero story aimed at -- and most appropriate for -- mature audiences only. It has lots of graphic violence, sex (including partial nudity), adult humor, and nonstop strong language. Unlike most other Marvel superhero films, which only hint at romance, include just a few curse words, and skip the gore, Deadpool is decidedly grown-up, bloody, and raunchy by comparison. Expect words like "f--k" in nearly every scene, plus "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," and much more. The violence is close-up and bloody, ranging from torture and decapitation to dismemberment, brains oozing out of skulls, brutal hand-to-hand combat, and more. A racy sex montage includes naked breasts, as does a scene set in a strip club; there's also a scene where Deadpool fights while naked -- both his butt and quick, obscured glimpses of his genitals are visible. Adults also smoke and drink. All of that said, the story does ultimately promote teamwork, collaboration, and love.

What's the story?

DEADPOOL follows Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who's already in costume as he tells viewers how he ended up becoming a masked vengeance seeker. Motor-mouth Wade explains that he's a former special forces soldier who used to hire himself out as a private mercenary, doing things like threatening young stalkers for a living. Then he falls for Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), a former prostitute -- with a heart of gold, of coures -- who's just as wickedly funny as he is. When Wade's diagnosed with incurable metastatic cancer, he takes up a mysterious visitor's offer for a chance of survival: to be experimented on (and tortured) until his body mutates and heals itself. Wade's sarcasm and caustic wit angers experimenter Ajax (Ed Skrein), who ends up torturing Wade until his skin looks burned and disfigured. After escaping, Wade feels too insecure to approach Vanessa and instead reinvents himself as Deadpool, with the goal of getting revenge. 

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Those who thought Deadpool might just be a smidge more violent than your standard Avengers or X-Men movie, know this: It's NOT for middle schoolers. The adult language, the sex/nudity and innuendo, and the gore are too plentiful to recommend even for avid young high schoolers. But for adults and mature older teens who enjoy the Marvelverse, Deadpool is a fast-paced, entertaining origin story that winks enough at the genre without straying too far from the winning formula that even the credits acknowledge (starring "some idiot," "hot chick," "moody teen," "British villain," etc.). 

For one thing, Reynolds was born to play this loud-mouthed, acid-tongued anti-hero with the ability to crush heads and crack up audiences in Marvel's decidedly adult action-comedy. With his action skills, athletic build, and well-honed comic timing, Reynolds was an ideal pick for the nonstop joker who breaks the fourth wall, makes lewd references to Wolverine, and wants nothing more than to look normal again so he can go back to his beloved Vanessa. Best known for her TV work (Firefly), Baccarin is equally well cast as Deadpool's tough, fiery, loving partner. And T.J. Miller is hilarious as Wade's only real friend, an arms dealer named Weasel.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about the amount of violence in Deadpool. How much is shown, and how is it different than the violence in other superhero movies? How does Deadpool's humor affect the impact of the blood and gore? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Why do you think the filmmakers decided to make Deadpool so much edgier than the typical superhero movie? Is there a risk in making this kind of movie inappropriate for younger comics fans?

  • How does the movie portray sex and romantic relationships? Are Wade and Vanessa in a healthy relationship? Does Vanessa's past matter to Wade? How about to audiences?

  • Is Wade/Deadpool a role model? How does he compare to other reluctant superheroes like Wolverine and Tony Stark? 

  • How does the movie convey the idea that teamwork is important? Does it emphasize any other positive character strengths?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:February 12, 2016
DVD release date:May 10, 2016
Cast:Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano
Director:Tim Miller
Studio:Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Genre:Action/Adventure
Topics:Superheroes
Run time:108 minutes
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity

This review of Deadpool was written by

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging; great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging; good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging; good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging; OK learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

Find out more

About these links

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Thank you for your support.

Read more

About Our Rating System

The age displayed for each title is the minimum one for which it's developmentally appropriate. We recently updated all of our reviews to show only this age, rather than the multi-color "slider." Get more information about our ratings.

Great handpicked alternatives

  • Stellar superhero story is ultraviolent, dark, riveting.
  • Clever, funny, cool Marvel movie has lots of sci-fi action.
  • Heroes work together in explosive comic-book adventure.
  • Great action, lots of style, some iffy stuff.

What parents and kids say

See all user reviews

Share your thoughts with other parents and kids Write a user review

A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines

Adult Written byMarvelFanParent February 10, 2016

Great, Raunchy time for High Schoolers and up!

While they're a good website for getting insight on the content of films, Common Sense tends to overreact a lot of the time. They've done so again with their "Deadpool" review! I'm not here to roast Common Sense Media, so I'll get on with my review: •Sex/Nudity: 3/5 Stars All of the sex/nudity is presented in a comical way, which removes some of the bite. •There's a comical sex scene between Wade and his girlfriend, and while the scene goes on for a bit, it isn't that graphic, however it does show a bit of nudity (mainly bare backs and a couple of brief shots of Wade's girlfriend's breasts). •There's some brief breast shots in a scene that takes place in a strip club. •Wade is seen nude in a fight scene; the audience mostly see his bare butt, but his genitalia can be briefly seen (it's barely noticeable). •Language: 5/5 stars: This is the most inappropriate part of the film, as nearly every scene contains some utterance of profanity. Everything from "f*ck" to "a**" are used on several occasions. •Violence: 4/5 stars: Staying true to the comic, this film is very violent! A lot of it's presented in an over-the-top fashion, which takes some of the edge off of the violence, but it's still prevalent through most of the film. It features: •Shootings •Stabbings •Experimentation •Burning with a cigarette lighter •Et Cetera While this film is very mature, most of the content is presented in a comical manner, which takes some of the edge off. I'd give this a strong recommendation for teens 15 and up!
What other families should know
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Parent of a 5, 11, and 13 year old Written byMancave_Dad February 12, 2016

This Anti-Hero Isn't For Kids!

I can't believe some of the "parent" reviews I've read. This move isn't for kids. Let me say it again: This movie is NOT for kids. Common Sense can be a bit prudish in its reviews (error on saftey) but they are right on the money for Deadpool. It's a fast, well-acted, funny (raunchy adult humor) filled with sardonic, and self-referential jokes. Features some epically visual action sequences on par with Mad Max and has a fair amount of heart for the main characters. (Plus a nice underlying message of acceptance.) It's also extremely vulgar, graphically violent with plenty of sex and nudity. There's a 5 minute sequence alone that's nothing but sex scene montage. The F-word is thrown around for at least 80% of the film. To every prepubescent boy this probably sounds perfect, but it really shouldn't be viewed by anyone who can't drive themselves to a theater. Definitely not a pre-teen nor anyone who hasn't entered high school yet. But for all you adults, enjoy a Marvel-property-movie that feels nothing like a Marvel movie.
What other families should know
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Parent of a 12, 15, and 17 year old Written bymovielovinmother45 February 11, 2016

Great film, a great time, and for teens too!

CSM has done it again. Like they have done for The Revenant and many other must-see films they have totally over-reacted the content of this film. I took my children to see this one, and I will admit, was a little scared of what might happen in front of their eyes, but needless to say, it was completely fine. First off, yes, Deadpool does have a lot of violent scenes, but they are all presented in a unique style which doesn't feel violent until it is written down on paper. The language is crass, but of course all of our children hear this at school. Sex, while seeming bad in this review, is fine. There is extremely quick glances of breasts, but it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it, kind of like Big Short or Terminator. There are no drugs, which was what I was most worried about. Altogether, the film is completely fine for ages 14 and up (high schoolers) or mature middle schoolers. The film is just as bad as Terminator or The Matrix.
What other families should know
Too much swearing

Poll

Did our review help you make an informed decision about this product?

Family Media Agreement