Current:Home > StocksParents' guide to 'Deadpool & Wolverine': Is new Marvel movie appropriate for kids? -TradeBridge
Parents' guide to 'Deadpool & Wolverine': Is new Marvel movie appropriate for kids?
View
Date:2025-04-17 16:56:53
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! (236)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Ranking
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Average rate on 30
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
Recommendation
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean