Action
Action Movie reviews
Transformers: Age Of Extinction-Teen Movie Review
Where is Optimus Prime? That’s the big question, as the CIA and Technology tycoon Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) are desperately searching for the leader of the Autobots, a.k.a. the good guy Transformers. However, Cade Yeagar (Mark Wahlberg) knows where the beloved robot is. Cade runs a robotic repair shop in Texas. He was repairing an old truck, hoping to fix it up and give to his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz). Though Tessa never got the truck, the truck started to talk and move, the truck became…Optimus Prime! Now the action and adventure begins for Cade, Tessa and her boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor) as they become involved in a war of good vs. evil.
Rating: 3 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: September 30, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Extensive
Crude or Profane Language: Extensive
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to teens? Yes
Talking Points:
I liked the father/daughter relationship in the film. Initially Tessa gives her boyfriend all the credit for rescuing her, however she eventually comes to realize that her father is the true hero in her life!
The film is action packed, and humorous in parts, having said that it is way too long…165 minutes! I noticed kids in the theater getting fidgety after two hours.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two characters kiss.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Cade and his daughter Tessa are beaten and thrown to the ground by the black ops team. They also threaten to blow Tessa’s brains out while pointing a gun to her head.
- Characters are beaten, punched, smashed and thrown through windows.
- Robots beat humans.
- There are gun shots, explosions and disasters throughout the film.
- Gigantic Dinobots destroy the town with their spiked tails and long teeth.
- Mechanical dogs attack characters.
- An alien space craft destroys buildings, vehicles and railroad cars.
- Transformers are brutally beaten, decapitated and blown to shreds.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- The f-word is said. We also here “sh-t,” “a–,” “h—,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” and “b-tard.”
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- Tessa and her high school friends discuss “getting wasted” after graduation.
- We see Cade drinking a beer.
Will it Appeal to kids/ teens? Yes
- I interviewed two boys, 8 and 13 years old. The 8 year old boy liked the film a lot, but thought it was too long. The 13 year old loved the action and the Dinobots. The film held his attention the whole time. Neither boy was scared. I interviewed there father as well, who liked the film but thought there were too many swear words.
Overall this is an action packed, entertaining film…though too long!!! Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and profane language throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 10 and up.
22 Jump Street-Teen Movie Reviews
They claim to be “partner’s for life,” and they are. Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are back as undercover detectives.In this second installment of the Jump Street series, the two goofball cops go incognito at a local college, searching across campus for the dealer responsible for the drug WhyPhy. During their search, they are involved in frat parties, joining the football team and meeting new friends; with hopes to solve the mystery.
Rating: 2 and 1/2 buckets out of 5
Release Date: November 18, 2014
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 17+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol: Moderate
Will it Appeal to teens? Yes
Talking Points:
There aren’t any life lessons or inspirational messages, however it is a light-hearted comedy with a lot of action and adventure.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Schmidt and Maya (the girl he likes) have a sexual encounter. We see them in bed the next morning; he’s wearing only boxers, she’s in panties and t-shirt.
- Maya’s roommate complains about Maya and Schmidt’s loud sexual noises at night.
- There are sexual jokes regarding male and female body parts and oral sex.
- Schmidt and Jenko go to Mexico for spring break, where we see thousands of college aged girls in skimpy bikinis.
Violent Content: Moderate
- Schmidt and Jenko are involved with drug thugs. There are car chases, gun-shots (which result in casualties) and fistfights.
- Schmidt is attacked by an octopus, we see the bruises on his neck.
- During the credits, we see a knife thrown into a man’s chest.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- The f-word is said continuously throughout the whole film, we also hear “d–n,” “a–,” “b–ch,” and “h—.”
Drugs and Alcohol: Moderate
- College students are shown drinking beer, wine and hard liquor in dorm rooms and frat parties.
- The premise of the film is searching for the dealer responsible for the drug WhyPhy. We see Schmidt and Jenko under it’s influence, Schmidt has a “bad drug trip,” while Jenko’s is colorful and silly. This is shown is a cartoon-like scenario.
Will it Appeal to teens? Yes
- It’s a funny and entertaining film.
22 Jump Street is an R-rated film which means that kids under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents need to be aware of the excessive profane language and moderate sexual and violent contents.
How To Train Your Dragon 2-Kids Movie Review
Hiccup, his beloved dragon Toothless, and the rest of the gang are back. It’s been five years since the dragons and vikings have been peacefully united living on the island of Berk. Some are having fun dragon racing, while Hiccup and Toothless are traveling through the skies exploring new worlds. They come across a lot adventures, however when they discover the secret ice cave, things get complicated. They find themselves in the center of a developing war. Now it’s up to the Hiccup and Toothless to stick to their beliefs and keep the peace.
Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5
Release Date: November 11, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
Talking Points:
There are wonderful messages woven throughout the film regarding the importance of family, and the positive impact it has on ones life.
The character’s (except for the bad guy) in the film are fun-loving and entertaining. Kids in the theater were laughing at the comedic parts.
Though this is an animated comedy, there are some intense and emotional scenes. For example, a main character dies. During this scene I heard a child crying in theater.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A couple kiss.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There are dragon and human battles with fire and explosions, causing several casualties.
- Character’s are hit by dragon fire and dragon ice.
- The villain, Drago, is evil and doesn’t hesitate killing anyone.
- Dragon trappers use sophisticated nets to capture their prey.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
Overall this is an entertaining film, however parents with young kids need to be aware of the excessive violence and some emotionally intense scenes.
Maleficent-Kids Movie Review
Is there such a thing as true love? Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), a young and powerful fairy didn’t think so. She had been heartbroken by Stefan (Sharito Copley), a young human peasant boy who desperately wanted to be king. After several years apart, Stefan is instructed to kill Maleficent as she defeats the current king in a battle. He burns off her wings instead, claiming that he killed her. Devastated by Stefan’s betrayal, Maleficent turns into a dark, cold hearted, evil person and wants to seek revenge. She casts a spell on Stefan’s newborn daughter Aurora (Elle Fanning), sentencing her to a deathlike sleep when she turns sixteen. However, things change when Maleficent secretly watches over Aurora during her childhood years, and secretly protects her from any danger, not even realizing her nurturing effect. Maleficent eventually learns the power and happiness that true love can bring… and that there is such a thing as true love.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: November 5, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
Talking Points:
Though very dark and violent for a PG rating, there is a powerful message about love. Initially Maleficent was filled with evil and hatred, however when Aurora came into her life, she realized that true love is real. She was ultimately filled with peace, love and happiness.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Excessive
- There are battles with sword fights, chains and a dragon.
- Monsters, made of wood, are scary and violent.
- Maleficent is very sensitive to iron, it burns her skin. Stefan, the villain in the film, traps her in an iron net wanting to kill her. He also threatens to kill her with an iron knife while she’s sleeping.
- Aurora pricks her finger with a needle, we see a small amount of blood.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
Overall this is a wonderful story, however parents need to be aware of the violent content throughout the film.
Godzilla-Kids Movie Review
Cities are being destroyed and innocent civilians are dying. People are wondering if this is an earthquake or some other natural disaster. However, Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a bomb-disposal expert in the U.S military, discovers the problem. As Ford goes to Japan to get his estranged father out of jail, they visit a radiation plant. At the plant scientists are studying cocoon-like structures that feed on radiation. They eventually come to realize that a Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Object, also known as MUTO, has broken free, and that he’s not alone. Ford is desperate to get back to California to save wife and son, but must also help the military devise a plan to save the world from the enormous monsters that could take over mankind.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: May 15 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
Talking Points:
The humans in the film are continuously saving and helping one another to defeat the monsters.
The film is slow in parts.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We see Ford and his wife passionately kissing on the couch.
Violent Content: Excessive
- The monsters destroy buildings and entire cities.
- MUTO hit a Japanese power plant, killing several workers, and even Ford’s mom.
- Thousands of innocent civilians were smashed and killed by the enormous monsters.
- Two MUTO’s and Godzilla are shot and blasted with rockets. The monster eggs are destroyed by a gasoline explosion.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “Sh-t,” “h–l,” and “d–n,” were said.
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- Ford and his wife drink wine.
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
- I interviewed some middle school age boys who thought the movie was slow, but good.
Overall this is an action packed drama. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending the child I feel this is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.