"R-rated"

2017 · James Mangold · 137 min · Action / Drama

Logan stripped away everything audiences expected from a superhero movie and replaced it with something raw, personal, and deeply felt. Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and newcomer Dafne Keen deliver performances that transcend the genre, anchoring a story about mortality, failure, and reluctant fatherhood. The villains can't match the weight of those central performances, but that barely matters when the emotional core hits this hard. It's a film that earned its ending and left audiences wrecked in the best possible way.

2016 · Tim Miller · 108 min · Action / Comedy

Deadpool proved that a superhero film could be profane, self-aware, and R-rated while still connecting with a massive audience. Ryan Reynolds owns every frame, the fourth-wall humor lands more often than it misses, and the romance at the center gives the whole thing an emotional anchor that most films in the genre lack. A forgettable villain and a plot that never rises above its formula keep it from greatness, but the sheer force of personality carries it further than a $58 million budget had any right to go. It blew open the door for R-rated superhero films and remains one of the most entertaining entries the genre has produced.

2018 · David Leitch · 119 min · Action / Comedy

Deadpool 2 goes bigger than its predecessor in nearly every way, and that cuts both ways. The addition of Cable, Domino, and a full ensemble gives the film more to play with, and David Leitch's action pedigree produces set pieces that are a clear step up from the original. Ryan Reynolds remains the engine that makes everything run, and enough of the humor connects to keep the ride entertaining. But a controversial story choice that sidelines Vanessa, pacing that sags when the jokes thin out, and a sense that the formula is running closer to empty keep it from matching the original's spark. It's a good time that occasionally settles for being a loud one.