Action
Action Movie reviews
Beverly Hills Chihuahua Review
It’s about a very pampered, well-to-do, Chihuahua named Chloe, who lives in Beverly Hills. While Chloe’s on vacation in Mexico (with her equally snobby dog-sitter), Chloe gets lost. The movie shows her adventures in Mexico, and how she’s trying to get back home to her luxurious life in Beverely Hills.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: March 3, 2009
MPAA Rating: G
Best Age Group: Any age
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
The film was funny: Chloe goes to the spa,dogs on tread mill, seaweed wrap
diamond collar and designer clothes and boots.
Dog owners can relate to the silly things in the movie.
Funny Line:
Papi- Her neighbor dog, (who is in love with Chloe), searches for her in Mexico. The Mexican police say they don’t need Papi’s help. Papi says, “We’re Mexi-can not can’t.”
Movie Entertains adults and engages kids right from the beginning of the movie.
My 12 year old daughter and friend thought it was really corny. (The dramatic dog scenes in the middle of the movie.)
Sexual Content: Mild
- Girls wear bikinis. One man is very suggestive to Rachel, wanting more than just a dance.
- Songs such as: “I”m too Sexy,”” Whomp,” and “Hot, Hot, Hot,” play as background music.
Violent Content: Mild
- May be a little scary for younger kids. A mean Mexican dogcatcher who wants to capture Chloe could scare younger kids.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- There is some mild name calling such as, “fool.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- In a restaurant scene, there are many champagne glasses that are shown.
- One of the dogs is named Whiskey.
Overall it’s a wholesome Disney Movie.The movie highlights loyalty and friendship. Chloe relies on her friends to try to help get her back to Beverly Hills.
Battleship Review-Teen Movie Review
“You sank my battleship!” Even though they don’t say that in the movie, it’s a familiar phrase from Milton Bradley’s classic naval combat game…Battleship; and now it’s on the big screen! Lieutenant Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) also known as Tim Riggins from the TV series Friday Night Lights, is intelligent and handsome; but makes poor decisions. He’s 26, his car won’t start, and he sleeps on his brother’s couch, who’s a commander in the Navy. Alex’s life dramatically changes when his brother convinces him to join Navy and get his life in order; so that’s what Alex does. Things start out a little slow, an admiral even tells him, “You’ve got skills, but I’ve never seen anyone waste them like you!” However when the world is attacked by an army of aliens, Alex takes command with hopes to save the world. Battleship is a sci-fi, action/ adventure film, one that boys will love, though it’s very violent!
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: May 18, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content:Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
Alex went from a guy who didn’t care about much, to someone who became passionate about helping people, and saving the world. He was a great character and role model for kids. Good eye candy for moms!
One of the soldiers lost his legs during the war, he felt insecure about his handicap, though he become a key part in helping his country.
Alex and his brother have a strong relationship, which ultimately helps Alex become a true hero. Another great thing for kids to see.
At the end of the film a group of 80 year-old men help Alex and company save the world from the alien invasion. This was a great, motivating scene!
Rihanna was not the best actress, I think she should stick to singing.
Sexual Content:Mild
- Alex’s girlfriend wears low-cut, revealing shirts.
- In one scene Alex’s girlfriend straddles him, while not wearing much, as we see them passionately kiss.
Violent Content:Excessive
- There are several ships that sink, we see hundreds of people die.
- The alien’s weapons could tear through metal, which would ultimately sink our ships.
- This was a very loud movie, with many massive explosions throughout the film.
- Aliens and humans engage in fistfights.
- We hear screams of several victims.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- “S–t,” “b–ch,” “b-tard,” “d-mn,” and “a-s,” are said throughout the film.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Character’s are shown in a bar drinking shots and beer.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is an action packed violent film that boys will love, however parents need to be aware of the continuous violence. Depending on the child, I feel the movie is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.
The Amazing Spider Man Review
“Poor Peter Parker,” that’s what villain Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) says as he attempts to kill Peter, also known as Spider-Man! This is the story about Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), a troubled teenager who was abandoned by his parents, and raised by his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). When Peter finds his father’s mysterious briefcase, he discovers the secrets of his father’s bizarre past and he begins to understand his parents’ disappearance. Information in the briefcase leads him to the lab of Dr. Connor’s, his father’s former partner, which leads him to one life-changing bite…a spider bite. The transformation begins as Peter Parker turns into Spider-Man! The Amazing Spider-Man is a suspenseful action/adventure movie, one that pre-teens and up will enjoy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets.
Release Date: November 9, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
Not only is this an action packed movie, but there are some wonderful life lessons for teenagers woven through the film. When Peter plays a heartwarming voicemail from his uncle, Uncle Ben states, “With great power comes a great responsibility.” Ben insists that his nephew is a hero; he also says that we all have certain gifts, and to use them wisely.
When Peter forgets to pick up his Aunt from work, Uncle Ben demands an apology, and insists that Peter show respect to his Aunt May. Uncle Ben also gives Peter many well-deserved lectures when he acts up. This could spark some great parent/child conversations!
It was nice to see Peter’s transformation from a troubled teenager, to a caring helpful person; wanting to do the right thing. There was a great scene when Spider-Man rescued a little boy trapped in a car.
Peter promises his girlfriend’s father that he’ll stay away from her, however later he implies that he won’t keep that promise.
Young kids may get scared as the villain is a creepy monster; half-human, half-reptile.
Two likeable character’s die, which may be disturbing to kids.
The beginning is a little slow as the film explains the origin of Spider-Man; my 14 year-old got a little bored.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Peter and his girlfriend kiss several times; sometime passionately.
- Peter sneaks into his girlfriend’s bedroom.
- Spider-Man accidentally rips off a girl’s shirt, she’s shown only wearing a bra.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Dr. Connor’s transforms into a lizard, a very painful process, which was disturbing to see.
- There are several fights amongst teenagers; especially with the school bully.
- There are several gunshots and fights amongst the evil Lizard, Spider-Man and thugs on the street.
- We see character’s bleeding from gun shots, we also see open wounds as a result of brutal fights.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “A–,” “d–n,” and “h–,” are said, though not a lot.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It: Yes
Overall this is a fun action packed film with some great lessons. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and some disturbing content as two character’s die. Depending on the child this film is appropriate for kids ages 10 and up.
Abuction Review
Abduction is a a story centered around the life of Nathan (Taylor Lautner), a teenage boy who is determined to figure out the truth about this life after finding his baby picture listed on a missing persons website. Through a lot of suspense and action, Nathan and his neighborhood friend Karen, eventually realize that there’s a lot more to this than they had ever anticipated.
Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets.
Release Date: September 23, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 14+
Sexual Content:Moderate
Violent Content:Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
See a clip of my review here, plus Moneyball!
Talking Points:
Nathan might not be the best role model for teenage boys, but he is a nice guy, who cares about his family, and will do anything to protect his friend Karen.
This film may attract tween girls; the big fans of Taylor Lautner and Twilight fans. However in this movie Lautner gets drunk and beats people up, he’s definitely not Twilight’s Jacob, who the girls really want to see.
Sexual Content: Moderate
- Nathan and Karen have some passionate kisses, and there’s some touching going on as well.
- Teenage girls wear low-cut outfits, and skimpy bikinis.
- There’s a joke about virginity.
Violent Content: Excessive
- When the killers invade Nathan’s home, they shoot his parents, right in front of Nathan…this may be very disturbing for kids.
- There are viscous fights, gunshots and explosions.
- Karen is hit, tied up and threatened by the bad guys.
- We see flashbacks of Nathan’s birth mother being killed, with Nathan watching as a young child…once again, this is disturbing for kids to see.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is used once, other swear words are used throughout the film, such as; “a–,” “b–ch,” and “d–n.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- When we initially meet Nathan, he’s on his way to a party to get drunk; Nathan ends up passing out on his friend’s lawn.
Overall I was not a big fan of this film. I didn’t like the violence and disturbing content, and I definitely do not recommend this for the tween girls that are really only there to see their favorite werewolf (Twilight’s Jacob)! Mature teens that are not sensitive to violence, may like the suspense and action of this film.
The Adventures of Tin Tin Review
The race is on…young journalist Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell) and Captain Haddock (voiced by Andy Serkis) are on a mission to recover a treasure from a sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s ancestor. However, they’re not alone, Red Rackham (voiced by Daniel Craig) was on the same mission, and he was very determined to beat Tintin and the Captain. The Adventures of Tintin is the first installment in the series, it is an adventurous, fun movie, with outstanding animation!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Release Date: March 13, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
See a clip of my review here, plus Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol
Talking Points:
Tintin was a tough, resilient character, who would do anything to help Captain Haddock reclaim his family fortune.
When Tintin was feeling down about himself, Captain Haddock told him, “There are plenty of people ready to call you a failure. Don’t say it about yourself!” Great parent/child conversation!
The animation was amazing, similar to The Polar Express and Disney’s latest version of A Christmas Carol.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Excessive
- After being shot outside of Tintin’s door, a dying man leaves a message on a newspaper with his own blood.
- Onboard the steamer, thugs chase Tintin, while shooting him… bullets flying everywhere.
- Tintin has his own hand gun, and uses it when necessary.
- A flashback showed sword battles, with men being stabbed and hammered.
- Captain Haddock and Tintin were on a plane that crashed in the desert, Tintin was unconscious and headed toward the spinning propeller.
Crude and Profane Language: Mild
- Words,” d–ned” and “h–l” are used.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Excessive
- Captain Haddock was an alcoholic, which was very obvious, and comical throughout the film.
This was a hard movie to review. As I previously mentioned, the animation was unbelievable; it was a well done film, with an interesting and exciting storyline. However, this is an animated film which people tend to view as children’s movies. However, there’s an uncomfortable amount of violence with swordfights, gunfights and explosions. So before sending your youngsters to this film, know that Tintin has a gun, and isn’t afraid to use it!