Action
Action Movie reviews
Interstellar-Teen Movie Review
“I love you forever and I’m coming back.” That’s what Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) told his 10 year old daughter Murphy as he was leaving for an extremely dangerous and difficult mission. There had been an environmental disaster which wiped out most of the Earth’s food supply. Cooper’s mission was to travel through a wormhole near Saturn, which would lead he and other explorers to a new galaxy, with hopes to save mankind.
Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: March 31, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12 +
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
The film is thought provoking and will spark some great parent/child conversations regarding the importance and power of love and family.
Coop accepts the mission through the wormhole to save humanity. Leaving his family was devastating, however the films portrays that love is stronger than anything in the universe.
There is an all-star cast, to name a few; Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Matt Damon and John Lithgow.
The movie is creepy and disturbing in same context as the film, Gravity. While explorers are up in space you constantly wonder if they’ll make it home alive.
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- Two astronauts fight in space. One tries to murder the other and cracks the visor of his helmet.
- Characters die in explosions, one character died being after being thrown around by a huge wave of water.
- There’s not a lot of physical violence, however the storyline is creepy and disturbing. We see people on Earth suffering and scared while trying to get food and shelter.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is said once, we also hear, “sh–,” “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” and “h–” sporadically throughout the film.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see character’s drinking beer.
Will Teens Like It? Yes
Overall this is an intense and interesting drama. Depending on the child, I feel it’s appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.
The Book Of Life-Kids Movie Review
Who will Maria (voice of Zoe Saldana) marry? Manolo (voice of Diego Luna), a sensitive guitar player whose family wants him to be a ruthless bullfighter, or Joaquin (voice of Channing Tatum) Manolo’s best friend. Both men are madly in love with Maria, however things dramatically change when Manolo is bitten by a poisonous snake. He travels through the underworld on a Mexican holiday called The Day of the Dead. This is a magical day when the spirits of the departed return to earth to receive gifts from living family members. Now Manolo sees a whole new world, but the only thing he really wants is to return to his true love and win her heart. Narrated by a museum tour guide, The Book of Life is an animated film about death, the afterlife and true love.
Rating: 3 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: October 17, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 7+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids? No
Talking Point:
- The characters are good people who strive to do right thing. One character says that true hero’s are selfless. The story highlights the importance friendship and love.
- The animation is great with cute and colorful characters.
- With the mature and deep subject matter of death and the afterlife of the Mexican culture, kids may get bored. There’s also a romantic element to the story, which may not appeal to kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two couples kiss.
Violent Content: Moderate
- Though this is a story about death, we only see on person die.
- We see characters pounded and beaten.
- We see prayers for the dead, skeletons, afterlife worlds, and a godlike Candle Maker. Though animated, parts may scare young kids.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking wine.
- A stumbling character says he was at four different bars.
Will it Appeal to kids? No
- This is an animated film with an adult storyline. Overall I don’t think it will appeal most kids.
Pirates Code: The Adventures of Mickey Matson-Kids Movie Review
Mickey Matson (Derek Brandon) and his best friend Sully (Francesca Derosa) are back in the exciting sequel to Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Treasure. In this film Mickey and Sully take on a dangerous mission to save the country from the evil villains, Admiral Ironsides (Frank Collison) and his crew of modern day pirates. Ironsides and company have a plan to destroy every electronic device on earth, which would change the world forever. Now the two young heroes must work together and prevent Ironsides from succeeding in his evil mission. Pirates Code: The Adventures of Mickey Matson is an action packed, adventurous film, one for the whole family.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: October 17, 2014
MPAA Rating: NR
Best Age Group: 7+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Talking Points:
There is a wonderful message from Grandpa Jack (Christopher Lloyd from Back to the Future) as he stresses the importance of team work, and that working together is the most powerful weapon. Great parent/child conversations.
The film is a Michigan based movie which is exciting for Grand Rapids residents. The cast visited the DeVos Children’s Hospital and had a special showing for the patients. The producers plan to have many showings of the movie at children’s hospitals nationwide.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Excessive
- We see characters hitting and punching each others. They also use “battle sticks” to fight one another.
- Pirates use ray guns to shoot kids and adults.
- We see character’s throwing knives and other weapons at one another.
- A character with brass knuckles punches another character.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Name calling such as “snot nosed kids.”
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Overall this is a fun entertaining movie. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 7 and up. Parents need to be aware of some of the violent scenes that my scare young kids.
The Boxtrolls-Kids Movie Review
In an underground world lives a group of subterranean trolls who adopted an infant orphan boy named Eggs (voice of Isaac Hempstead Wright). These trolls look fearsome in their card board box attire, however they are very kind-hearted loving creatures. Things get difficult for the trolls as the evil exterminator, Snatcher (voice of Ben Kingsley) wants to eliminate all them, with hopes to to become a high society man. However it’s not that easy for Snatcher. Eggs and his wealthy friend from above, Winnie (Elle Fanning), will do anything to try and save the loving creatures underground. Based on the children’s novel ‘Here Be Monsters’ by Alan Snow, The Boxtrolls is a dark, animated film that will most likely scare young kids.
Rating: 2 and 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: January 20, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids? No
Talking Points:
Though this is a dark and disturbing film for kids, I did find some redeeming qualities. The importance of a loving father is highlighted as Fish protects and nurtures his adopted orphan son, Egg. The Boxtrolls are kind-hearted creatures who love children.
Egg eventually stands up to Snatcher, saying, “Cheese, hats, boxes they don’t make you who you are. You make you.”
This is an animated film geared towards children. However with the dark and creepy storyline, kids will most likely be frightened by the fact that characters are kidnapped and tortured. See details in violent content below.
Sexual Content: Moderate
- Madame Frou Frou has a seductive, manly voice. Her lyrics are sometimes inappropriate as well.
- When it’s revealed that Madame Frou Frou is also Archibald Snatcher, a character blurts out…”Oh my God, I regret so
- much.”
Violent Content: Excessive
- Snatcher is a dark, evil villain, who enjoys inflicting pain on others. He desperately wants to kill the Boxtrolls and eventually kidnaps several of them. He even invades the Boxtrolls’ underground home by using a huge robot.
- Snatcher uses a crushing press to execute all the creatures he’s captured.
- We see Snatcher’s allergic reaction to cheese, his face swells and looks disgusting.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids? No
Overall this is a dark and disturbing animated film, one I don’t recommend for kids. See Dolphin Tale 2 or Rio 2 instead!
The Maze Runner-Children’s Movie Review
He woke up confused and in a state of amnesia. That’s how Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) felt when he found himself in a different world. A world governed by a group of teenage boys and surrounded by four walls. If you stay within the walls, and follow the leader’s rules, life is good and you’ll be safe. However when Thomas decides to explore and walk through a large gate, his life changes forever. This gate leads him into a maze, one filled twists and turns and scary creatures. Can this maze take him back home or is there no way out? The Maze Runner is an action packed suspenseful film, based on a young adult novel by James Dashner.
Rating: 3 and 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: December 16, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Talking Points:
Thomas is a great character. First off, he risks his life to save a suffering boy, while others abandon the boy. Thomas is a good guy, who leads the group to do the right thing.
There are a lot of intense, dark scenes which may scare kids. See details below.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Excessive
- The creatures (named The Grievers) in the maze are large, mechanical, slimy monsters. They attack humans while making loud, growling noises.
- The Grievers inject poison into the humans, which makes the humans go crazy, turning their veins black.
- A woman commits suicide by putting a gun to her head and pulling the trigger.
- The boys fight and hit one another. Sometimes it’s an organized fight, other times it’s a chaotic out of control brawl.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- We hear “a–,” “sh-t,” “b–ch,” “b–tard,” “d–n,” and “h–,” some words used more than others.
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
- I interviewed an 11 year-0ld boy who loved the action and suspense of the film.
Overall this is an action packed, intense film. Depending on the child I feel it’s appropriate for kids ages 11 and up.