Action
Action Movie reviews
Hunger Games: Catching Fire-Teen Movie Review
The 74th Annual Hunger Games were finished and the winners, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), were ready to go home to District 12 and be with their family and friends. However there wasn’t much time at home due to the “Victory Tour” they had to attend. Visiting each district and pretending to be madly in love was next on their agenda. Continue reading
Thor: The Dark World: Kids Movie Review
Thor is back to save to the world! Things are going well for the prince of Asgard and guardian of the Nine Realms. He continuously helps his people in various situations and truly cares for their well-being. However it gets complicated when he visits his girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) on Earth. When Jane’s not feeling well, Thor discovers that she’s been infected by an Aether, a life-threatening substance. Thor discovers that the evil elf, Malekith, (Chrisopher Eccleston) is involved, and wants to destroy the universe with the Aether. Now Thor and his colleagues risk their lives not only to save Thor’s true love, but also to safe the world!!
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: February 25, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will It Appeal to Kids? Yes
Talking Points:
Thor and other character’s are willing to sacrifice their lives in their attempt to destroy Malekith, the evil villain.
There is an all-star cast, to name a few; Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Anthony Hopkins.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We see two different couples kissing.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There were a lot of battles with swords, guns and other weapons used.
- Spaceships crash and destroy buildings, resulting in several casualties.
- There were scary monsters and other evil creatures that caused mayhem throughout the film; swallowing humans, throwing cars, and stabbing people.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “sh-t,” “h–l,” and “d–n,” however, only a few times throughout the film.
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking adult beverages.
- A scientist was known to take several prescription drugs.
Will It Appeal to Kids? Yes
Overall Thor is an action packed sci/fi film, one that kids (especially those that like super-hero movies), will enjoy. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 10 and up. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violent content woven through film.
Ender’s Game-Kids Movie Review
Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a brilliant young boy who lives at home with his sadistic brother Peter, his sister Valentine, whom he is very close to, and his loving parents. Though very shy and weak, Ender is a gifted boy. Not only is he extremely intelligent, but he’s a master at war games. On Earth, there had been a horrific alien vs. human war seventy years earlier, so the military were preparing for the next attack. They were looking to enroll, smart, young boys, and they found Ender. He was pulled out of school on Earth, and sent to Battle School in space. He quickly succeeded in his new school and got promoted to Command School, where he lead his follow soldiers into battle. Ender’s Game is an action packed sci/fi film based on a young adult novel.
Rating: 4 1/2 buckets out of 5
Release Date: February 11 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Talking Points:
As I previously mentioned, Ender’s Game is based on a young adult novel. Seventh grade Challenge English classes are currently reading the book for school. It will be interesting for them to compare and contrast the book from the film.
Ender is a great character. He wants to succeed and be a good leader, though very conscience and worried about always doing the right thing.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
- There were several fights amongst the boys. Some bullies punched and hit Ender, however he defended himself and fought back by hitting and repeatedly kicking the boy that initiated the fight.
- While Ender was taking a shower, another boy started a fight with him; once again Ender defended himself by spraying extremely hot water on the attacker, and pushed him against a concrete wall.
- There were battles between soldiers and droids. We saw explosions and fire throughout the film.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- A character said “a–.”
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will It Appeal to Kids? Yes
- The film will appeal to pre-teens, especially since it’s based on a young adult book.
Overall Ender’s Game is an exciting action packed sci-fi film, one that kids will enjoy. Depending on the child, I recommend this film for kids ages 10 and up. Parents need to be aware of the moderate violent content.
Escape Plan-Teenage Movie Review
Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) escapes from prisons for a living. He’s paid by the Feds to find flaws in a prison’s security, and proceeds to find his way to escape. It’s not that hard for Ray…he reviews the layout of the prison, observes the guard’s habits and routine and seeks help from a trusted inmate. He’s got it all figured out! Continue reading
Runner Runner-Teen Movie Review
Princeton University student Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) lost his tuition money through a corrupt online poker site. When Richie discovered that the owner, Ivan Block (Ben Affleck) hosts the site from Costa Rica, he traveled there hoping to get his money back. Richie not only succeeded in getting his money, he became enthralled with Ivan’s powerful world of material things and beautiful women, and even became Ivan’s righthand man. Initially life in Costo Rica was great for this young college student, however things changed when an FBI agent kidnaped Richie to bring down Ivan Block…the gambling mogul.
Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: January 7, 2014
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 17 +
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol: Excessive
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Talking Points:
Runner Runner is an interesting and captivating story. It will spark a great parent/child conversation regarding the negative effects of online gambling.
Sexual Content: Moderate
- We see a brief clip of a married man having sex with several women.
- We see women in skimpy outfits, with men touching and fondling them.
- There is a brief scene of a couple having a sexual encounter.
- There were several sexual references as well.
Violent Content: Moderate
- Richie is punched and beaten by cops, thugs and FBI agents.
- Two men were covered with chicken broth, then thrown into a lake filled with crocodiles. One was eaten, the other was shown bruised and bloodied.
Crude or Profane Language: Excesesive
- The f-word was said continuously throughout the film, we also heard, “a–,” “b-tard,” “p—y” and “h–.”
Drugs and Alcohol: Excessive
- We see college kids drinking beer.
- We see character’s drinking a lot of alcohol throughout the film.
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Overall this an interesting movie, one that may appeal to teenagers. Having said that, it’s an R rated film, which means kids under the age of 16 need to be accompanied by an adult. Parents need to be aware of the inappropriate contents listed above.