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John Carter Review
A fun, interesting, imaginative adventure….that’s what John Carter is. John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), was a former military captain in the Civil War, who had not yet recovered from the horrific events from the war. Extremely tired and weary, Carter was mysteriously transported to an exotic planet called Barsoom (Mars). In this new world, Carter found himself reluctantly getting involved in a conflict amongst the inhabitants of the planet. With the world on the brink of collapse, Carter had to decide if he was ready to fight again; however this time he was in a new world, with a new cause. Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs classic novels, this is a Disney film for boys who like to see a lot of good fighting and adventure.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: June 5, 2102
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
See a clip of my review here, along with A Thousand Words!
Talking Points:
With director Andrew Stanton, known for Finding Nemo and Wall-E, the 3-D affects were very well done and very believable.
There were some nice messages in the film about believing in a cause, and fighting for what’s right. There were other messages of good vs. evil, friendship, love and loyalty, which were all portrayed throughout the film. John Carter, was a noble, heroic character.This could spark some great parent/child conversation.
Taylor Kitsch, the actor who played John Carter, is also known for the part of Tim Riggins in the Friday Night Light’s TV drama. He did a wonderful job, as did the Lynn Collins, the lead actress who played Princess Dejah, (Carter’s love interest in the film). Having said that, I felt that the character development was poorly established, especially with the villain. He wasn’t very memorable, as with most villains in action movies.
While there was a lot of great action and adventure, the film took some time to get into it, though you needed the background information, before all the adventure.
I interviewed parents, and kids (boys ages 10 to 12) in the theater, who all loved the movie. They thought it was exciting and adventurous. The mother of a 10 year old said the violence was not disturbing for her child. My 12 and 14 year-old son’s liked it as well.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Character’s kiss.
- Women wear low-cut and revealing outfits.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Character’s were in battles with sword fights, gun fights, fist fights; you name they used it!
- The villain in the film had a ray gun, which disintegrated people. He constantly used this weapon.
- Carter beheaded another character.
- In an arena setting, there was a battle with John Carter against two large white apes. It was disgusting when Carter emerged from the apes carcass; covered with blue blood.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “H–l, and “d–n” are said a few times.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking alcohol in one scene.
Overall, this was a well done film with amazing special affects, and a great storyline. However, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on your child, I recommend this for kids ages 12 and up.
Iron Man 2- Teen Movie Review
Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, in the sequel to Iron Man. The movie starts six months after the end of the first movie. Now the world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is Iron Man. In this film Stark is up against his Russian arch nemesis, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), and his corporate rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), but with the help of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his friend “Rhodey” (Don Cheadle), they take on these villains that want to seek revenge against Stark, and that’s when the action begins, and there’s a lot of it!
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: September 28, 2010
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:
Great actors; Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson and more.
Even though this was an action packed movie, there was a comedic element to it that I Ioved. Robert Downey Jr. made wisecrack comments throughout the movie, which made his character even more likable.
Tony is very arrogant and full of himself, but we saw a sensitive side to him that was touching. Tony thought that his father never loved him, but when he saw an old film of his dad, Tony learned that he was truly loved. His father, who was an inventor, said to Tony in the film, “My greatest creation, is you.”
There are a lot of sub-plots from Tony’s health issues, father issues, and dealing with his enemies; that may confuse some kids, though it all comes together in the end. One reviewer wrote, “We never feel emotionally connected to Stark’s suffering because there’s too much going on.”
Sexual Content: Mild
- There is some mild sexual humor. There aren’t any sexual scenes, though Tony is a playboy, and made some off-color comments to women.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There are many violent and disturbing scenes. To name a few:
- Ivan Vanko, Stark’s rival, made his own Iron Man suit, though he has electric whips attached to his suit, in which he attacked Tony, and almost defeated him.
- In prison, Ivan kills a prison mate and a guard, and he blows up his cell.
- Tony thinks he’s dying because a device in his Iron Man suit has begun to poison his body. So Tony throws himself a birthday party, and proceeds to get very drunk, and out of control.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
I haven’t seen “Iron Man” but I read that “Iron Man 2” lacks the element of surprise that the 2008’s “Iron Man” had. Having said that I did interview people who saw “Iron Man 2”, some comments were: “awesome”, “brilliant”, “just as good as the first movie”. The audience seemed to have loved it, Iron Man is still a superhero in their minds.
I give it 4 buckets out of 5. However, parents need to know that there is a lot of violence in the movie. If they are comfortable with that, and know that their kids are okay with it, then I think it’s appropriate for kids ages 12 and up. My 12 year old son loved it, so did his friends.
The Hunger Games Review
“May the odds be ever in your favor,” is the slogan used by the government officials of Panem, (a totalitarian ruled country); as the children are randomly selected to participate in the annual Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which one boy and one girl (called tributes) from each of Panem’s 12 districts are picked to fight with one another, until there is only one survivor… the winner! The story highlights the tributes from the impoverished District 12; Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). With Katniss’ fierce determination and her skill of archery and hunting; and Peeta’s strength and support, the two from District 12 try their hardest to survive through the bitter end! The Hunger Games is based on the first book of Susanne Collins’ sci-fi trilogy. See the book come to life in this amazing, suspenseful movie; and may the odds be ever in your favor!
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: August 18, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
With the premise of kids killing kids, there are definitely some disturbing moments. However, the director does an amazing job of distorting the violent images, as the camera shakes in most disturbing scenes. Having said that parents need to be aware of the intensity of the film, as I think parental guidance should be strongly encouraged for kids 12 and younger.
Whether kids are reading the books in school or on their own, they will be astounded at how true to the book this film is. Even though the character development is poorly established, (though only with some characters), it won’t matter for those who have read the books. Important background information is shown through flashbacks throughout the film.
Katniss is a courageous, strong willed character. With the death of her father, she became the head of the house, taking care of her distraught mom, and her 12 year old sister, Prim. Initially Prim was selected from District 12, though it was Katniss who volunteered to take her sister’s spot. This was an emotional scene.
Even though the ultimate goal was to kill one another, there were some wonderful relationships, and acts of kindness in the film as well.
- Rue, a younger tribute, looked up to Katniss for help and support during the games.
- There were other tributes who helped others as well, knowing only one would survive.While Katniss was willing to sacrifice her life for her sister, Peeta was willing to do the same for Katniss.
- Gale, Katniss’ best friend from home, promised to take care of Katniss’ family while she was away. He did the best that he could do under horrific circumstances.
The actors were wonderful. To name a few; Jennifer Lawrence, shined in her role as Katniss, and is a strong role model for young girls. Elizabeth Banks played Effie, District 12’s escort, she tried to turn the games into a fun, exciting event. Woody Harrelson plays the drunk Haymitch, DistrictTwelve’s mentor, and a past winner of the Hunger Games; he is perfect for the role.
The film is about 2 hours and 20 minutes, which went by so quickly!!! It was extremely captivating and suspenseful, and an emotional roller coaster.
As in many films there is the idea of good vs. evil, and it is once again portrayed in this film. The Capitol, where the rich and privileged live, look down on the 12 districts, which represent different levels of poverty and skill; with District 12 being the poorest of them all. The games originally began with the District’s revolt against the Capitol, which in turn began the traditional Hunger Games. The Capitol’s citizens are cruel and evil, only wanting to attain power and control, and to be entertained. This could spark some great parent/child conversations of a totalitarian government, a constant theme throughout the film.
The games were nationally televised. We saw family members watching their young ones die, while members of the Capitol were happily cheering, as though they were watching a football game. That part was sad and disturbing.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two character’s kiss.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There was a gang and bully mentality, as some of the older tributes were laughing about the killings, while enjoying the games!
- There were fights amongst the character’s, which was disturbing knowing they were hoping to kill one another.
- One kid was hit in the head with a brick, another disturbing scene.
- A girl got hit with a spear, and she pulled it out of her abdomen….that was gory.
- Hundred’s of wasps attacked and killed many characters.
- We saw character’s severely injured, with bloody, open wounds.
- We saw character’s being stabbed, burned to death, and shot with bow and arrows.
- Large beasts were shown killing characters.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “H–,” was said once, and “d–n,” was said a couple times.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- Haymitch, District 12’s mentor, was an alcoholic.
- Character’s were shown drinking wine at dinner.
Having read the book, and with the appealing character’s and intriguing storyline, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Depending on the kids sensitivity to violence, this film is appropriate for kids ages 13 and up. I know some 10 and 11 year-olds who really want to see the film, but who are easily disturbed by violence; I recommend they wait. However, if they do see it in the theater, I strongly encourage them to be accompanied by their parents, they may need a little extra TLC!
Harry Potter The Prisoner of Askaban Review
In the Prisoner of Azkaban, the gang is back for their 3rd year at Hogwarts. Everyone’s talking about Sirius Black, a dangerous wizard who escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban, and is now searching for Harry. Black is believed to be responsible for leading Voldemort to Harry’s parents 14 years ago and ultimately to their murder. With the help of Ron and Hermoine, Harry struggles to escape the Dementors, the prison’s guards, and very scary creatures, and also to find Sirius Black, and learn the truth of his parent’s death.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: November 23, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 9+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
This movie is also rated PG, but is a little darker and scarier. Now Harry is a teenager trying to figure out his life. After watching this movie my 9 year old son was little scared, which he wasn’t after 1 and 2. Unlike 1 and 2, there is a new director in this movie. I would recommend this movie for kids ages 9 and up for this movie.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review
Harry Potter has more adventures in his second year at Hogwarts. He is warned by a mysterious house elf not to return to Hogwarts because terrible things will happen to him. However he ignores the warnings, and returns to school with his friends Hermoine and Ron where he is the center of attention because of his 1st year heroics. He falls under suspicion, however, when messages written in blood warn that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened and students start getting petrified (literally) in the hallways of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine work together to discover the Chamber and rescue a student who gets drawn into it. Once again, Harry is confronted by the spirit of the evil wizard Voldemort who is trying to return to the physical world.
This movie is also rated PG for mild violence. As in the first movie the visual images may be disturb some kids. Good for kids ages 7 and up.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: April 11, 2003
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 7+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content:Mild