Current:Home > NewsParents' guide to 'Deadpool & Wolverine': Is new Marvel movie appropriate for kids? -Finovate
Parents' guide to 'Deadpool & Wolverine': Is new Marvel movie appropriate for kids?
View
Date:2025-04-12 12:32:54
What he does best, Wolverine has said, isn't very nice. You might want to keep that in mind if you're thinking of making "Deadpool & Wolverine" (in theaters Friday) a family movie night.
Over the past couple of decades, dozens of movies featuring Marvel Comics characters from X-Men to the Avengers to Spider-Man have been bringing together old fans while making new ones.
And while you might be looking forward to reuniting with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, or just can't wait to see what Disney-owned Marvel is going to do with this latest installment of its expansive cinematic universe as the studio folds in the franchises acquired from 20th Century Fox, don't shrug off that R rating.
Here's what parents need to know about Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine":
What is the new Deadpool movie about?
"Deadpool & Wolverine," directed by Shawn Levy, is a sequel to "Deadpool" (2016) and Deadpool 2" (2018).
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The film brings together Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Jackman) as they reluctantly team up to face down foes, try to make up for past mistakes and hopefully — amid the action and nonstop jokes — save the world.
Why is 'Deadpool & Wolverine' rated R?
The Motion Picture Association gave "Deadpool & Wolverine" an R rating for "strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references." It wasn't kidding.
This movie is two hours and seven minutes of quips and lots of heart, yes, but also severed appendages, savage and unflinching fights, foul jokes, sexual innuendo and enough f-bombs to make Samuel L. Jackson blush.
The two previous Deadpool movies also had R ratings, so it's unsurprising this third installment does, too, even under Disney.
The company's CEO “Bob Iger had said very early on that the other Deadpools were R, so this could be R," Marvel president Kevin Feige told Deadline Monday at the movie's premiere in New York. "And we weren’t going to undo any of the great work Ryan had done in those first movies. So that was never in question."
Watch Party newsletter:Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
It is OK to take kids to see 'Deadpool & Wolverine'?
In short: no. To paraphrase Wolverine, you picked the wrong movie, bub.
If you've seen the first two "Deadpool" films, this one matches them in terms of topics and tone. If you missed them, that may explain why you're wondering if this one is OK for the little ones or even most teens. It really isn't. The movie may be fine for supervised older teens, though parents should be prepared for uncomfortable scenes and having to explain the explicit and mature topics.
Disney owns the "Deadpool" franchise now, but that doesn't mean this sequel is suddenly gentler or family friendly. In just the first few minutes, there is blood everywhere and maybe three butt or penis jokes.
The movie has scenes of brutal violence, drug abuse, casual suicidal ideation and many masturbation- and sex-related conversations.
So no, the movie is not appropriate for children, no matter how much your kids love Marvel movies or comic books or superheroes. The jokes will go over their head and some of the scenes may be confusing, jarring and even frightening.
Enjoy this one responsibly with other adults.
veryGood! (45)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Nicole weakens to a tropical storm after reaching Florida's east coast
- Biden is in Puerto Rico to see what the island needs to recover
- Why Camila Cabello Fans Are Convinced Her New Song Is a Nod to Shawn Mendes
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- California braces for flooding from intense storms rolling across the state
- EPA seeks to mandate more use of ethanol and other biofuels
- Here is what scientists are doing to save Florida's coral reef before it's too late
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Saint-Louis is being swallowed by the sea. Residents are bracing for a new reality
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- An economic argument for heat safety regulation
- Is Daisy Jones & The Six Getting a Season 2? Suki Waterhouse Says…
- Three Takeaways From The COP27 Climate Conference
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Do wealthy countries owe poorer ones for climate change? One country wrote up a bill
- Here's Why Love Is Blind's Paul and Micah Broke Up Again After Filming
- Lionel Richie Shares Biggest Lesson on Royal Protocol Ahead of King Charles III's Coronation
Recommendation
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
Taurus Shoppable Horoscope: 11 Birthday Gifts Every Stylish, Stubborn & Sleepy Taurus Will Love
California's system to defend against mudslides is being put to the ultimate test
Shutting an agency managing sprawl might have put more people in Hurricane Ian's way
Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
Strong thunderstorms and tornadoes are moving through parts of the South
A stubborn La Nina and manmade warming are behind recent wild weather, scientists say
Singer Moonbin, Member of K-Pop Band ASTRO, Dead at 25