Action
Action Movie reviews
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief Review
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief is based on Rick Riordan’s novel. This is the story about Percy, a trouble-prone high school boy who struggles with learning disabilities. Percy discovers that he’s a descendent of a Greek god, and that his absent father is actually Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. He also learns that his Uncle Zeus’ lightening bolt has been stolen, and that he’s the prime suspect, and his mother’s taken hostage. So now the adventure begins, as Percy and his friends travel cross country to save his mom, and ultimately to catch the real thief.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: June 29, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
This movie is another action/fantasy movie, and has been compared to Harry Potter. However, director Chris Columbus, who also directed Harry Potter 1 and 2, said, “Harry Potter deals with wizards and witchcraft, and it’s set at Hogwarts in England. Percy Jackson is a New York kid dealing with gods and monsters of Greek mythology, but in modern-day America. They are two completely different worlds.”
I also read that the director said he wanted a movie that’s “appreciated on two levels: a wild ride for kids 7 to 16, and for older kids and their parents, a movie that would make them feel 12 years old again.”
I loved Percy’s relationship with his mom. Throughout the whole movie he tries to protect her.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Innocent flirting.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There are many violent, action scenes which may scare some kids:
- There are a lot of sword fights, with many bloody cuts. There are also monster attacks.
- The scene with Medusa is creepy. Percy slashes Medusa’s head off, then his friend picks it up, and carries it around.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
I interviewed many kids that liked it. Two 13 year old boys said, they liked the book better, but still enjoyed the movie. A nine year old girl said she liked it, but got a little scared.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. It was a fun, action/fantasy movie that the whole family will love. I recommend it for kids ages 8 and up, that enjoy action/fantasy movies. I give it 4 buckets.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Review
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth movie in the series of Mission: Impossible. The Impossible Mission Force, otherwise known as IMF, is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin. That’s when Ghost Protocol begins, as Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his new team go undercover to clear their organization’s name. Without any help or high tech support from …it’s up to this group to save the world! If you like suspenseful, action packed movies, this is the one for you!
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: April 17, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12 +
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
I enjoyed the character’s in the film; from newcomer Jeremy Renner as Brandt to Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. They were all entertaining and very captivating.
I loved how the spies worked as team to complete their mission. This could spark some good parent/child conversations.
The movie is very violent, maybe a little too much for a PG13 rating.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Women wear low-cut out, revealing outfits.
- Agent Jane Carter seduces an Indian media mogul as he’s showing her his private art collection.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Throughout the film there are many fist fights, gun shots, explosions and car chases.
- A bad guy kidnaps a weapons expert, while his family is held hostage.
- When Ethan is in prison we see many prisoners beating on each other and on the guards.
- We see several charactera being shot and killed.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Words such as “sh-t”, “d–n”, and “h–l,” are used several times throughout the film.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Character’s drink alcohol at various points in the film.
Overall this was a very intense, violent and exciting movie; I was on the edge of my seat!!! Depending on whether your child is sensitive to violent scenes, I would say the film is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.
“Your mission is, should you choose to accept,” see Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Review
Most teenagers feel that they can do things on their own, without their parents help or wisdom. That’s how Sean Anderson,(Josh Hutcherson) felt. He claimed that he could take care of himself; and he especially didn’t want any advice from his step-father (Dwayne Johnson). However, things changed the day Sean received a coded signal from a mysterious island. Since his step-father was once in the Navy, Sean realized that he might need his help after all. So Sean and his step-father decoded the secret message, and discovered that the note was from Sean’s long-lost Grandpa (Michael Caine). So now Sean, his step-father, a helicopter pilot, and the pilot’s beautiful daughter (Vanessa Hudgens) ventured out to find the mysterious island; and that’s when the excitement begins. A sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, is an action/adventure, sci-fi movie, with some great messages for kids!
Rating: 3 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: June 5, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group:8+
Sexual Content:Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
See a clip of my review here, along with a review of The Vow!
Talking Points:
Initially Sean wanted nothing to do with his step-father, however they gradually developed a special relationship,which was nice to see. Hank (the step-father), gave some great parenting tips on making wise choices, and he even gave some advice about girls.
When researching the island, Sean and his step-father got clues from classic novels. Great for kids to see!
Kailani,(Vanessa Hudgens) the helicopter owner’s teenage daughter was very close with her father. She frequently expressed her love for him, and appreciated his protection and care. Great parent/child conversation.
I felt the movie was a little corny and unrealistic, though kids may feel differently.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Kailani wore a low-cut tank top and short shorts.
- Sean and Kailani briefly kissed.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There are many chase scenes with giant lizards, huge birds and an electric eel. This may scare young kids.
- We also saw an enormous spider, which was scary looking, however not threatening.
- When the island started to sink, volcanoes erupted, the land shook, and things got very chaotic.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Characters say, “heck” and “crap.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a film for the whole family. Younger kids may get a little scared in parts, though most likely they’ll be be entertained, especially with some parental comfort. Depending on your child, I recommend this film for kids ages 8 and up.
Cowboys and Aliens Review
When I first heard of the movie Cowboy & Aliens, I thought that it sounded like a fun kids movie, well I was wrong. The film starts out in Arizona during the 1800’s, where we meet Jake (Daniel Craig), a local cowboy, who is all bloody and wounded. The local cowboys, headed by Jake, and the Apache tribe have been feuding enemies for a long time. However, everything changes when a spaceship appears in the middle of the night, led by an alien who is determined to destroy the human race to obtain gold. Now the cowboys and Indians must get along, only to fight against their unexpected visitors from outer space. This violent, action packed movie is based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
Rating: Two out of five buckets.
Release Date: December 6, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
See a clip of my review here, review of Smurf too!
Talking Points:
One thing I really liked about this movie is how the long time enemies (cowboys and Indians) unite to save the lives of innocent people against the alien threat.
A preacher tells a women that when you have faith, things will go well for you. The preacher also tells Jake, “God don’t care who you were, son. Only who you are.”
There are wonderful actors in the film with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.
The movie was way too violent for me, not like a Harry Potter violence, but a gross disturbing violence that I didn’t like, and I don’t recommend this for kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A character appears naked in front of a fire, we see her shoulders and up.
- Characters kiss, but no other sexual involvement.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There is violence throughout the whole film starting and ending with cowboy Jake. To name a few things; he knees a guy in the crotch, severely punches other characters, and slams a guys face into cell bars.
- There are a lot of intense battle scenes with gun shots and explosions.
- We see a women reduced to a pile of ash from a laser beam.
- The preacher stitched up a wound with a needle and thread.
- The aliens are creepy and scary as they try to kill the humans.
- To sum it up someone is continually being beaten or shot at throughout the whole movie.
Profanity: Excessive
- Swearing throughout the film. The d-word, h-word, a-word and b-word used several times.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- A cowboy drinks a bottle of whiskey.
- Men drink in a saloon.
- Men smoke and role cigarettes.
I am not a huge fan of gross, violent movies. There are many disturbing scenes that are not appropriate for kids. However, it may interest older teenagers that like westerns and sci/fi movies.
The Avengers Review
Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) Captain America (Chris Evans) The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) all on the big screen…it’s a site to see! In this wonderful action packed film, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson),the director of S.H.I.E.L.D,(an international agency), gathers the amazing super-heroes together to form The Avengers. These men are desperately needed to save the Earth from Thor’s evil half brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who is out to destroy the world. The Avengers is an exciting, fun movie with a lot of action and adventure geared towards kids ages 12 and up.
Rating: 3 buckets out of 5
Release Date: May 4, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
As many coaches have emphasized throughout the years to their players…”it’s all about the team”, and that’s what The Avengers learn as well. Initially The Avengers argued amongst themselves as they tried to figure out how to approach Loki and his extraterrestrial army. They eventually realized they had to find a way to cooperate and unite. They used their own specific talents and gifts and worked together to obtain their goal. Great lesson for kids.
The storyline gets confusing, though with the fun characters and action, kids will be entertained.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Women are dressed in low cut outfits.
- Two characters kiss.
Violent Content:Excessive
- Character’s get punched, kicked, thrown, stabbed and shot with ray guns, arrows and bullets.
- There are many fight scenes, battles and explosions.
- When we first meet Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) she’s being interrogated and tortured by a Russian general. A man slaps her across the face. She retaliates by knocking out most of the interrogators.
- Loki is a cruel and evil character. He gets satisfaction from killing and torturing people; we learn that he kills 80 people in two days. He may scare some kids.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- “H–l,” and “d–n,” are said about five times, then “a–,” “b–ch,” and “b–tard,” are also said.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking champagne and whiskey.
Though there is a lot of violence throughout the film, which parents need to be aware of; there is also a strong message of working together for a noble cause, which kids need to be aware of. Depending on your child, I recommend this film for kids ages 12 and up.