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Action Movie reviews

Ready Player One-Kids’ Movie Review

Set in 2045 in a gloomy area of Columbus, Ohio, Ready Player One follows the life of a high school boy named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan). Sadly, Wade’s parents are deceased so he lives in a trailer park with his aunt and her abusive boyfriend. Wade escapes his awful life at home by gaming. He and millions of dedicated gamers are in their virtual world called the Oasis. They are searching for an Easter egg left hidden in the game’s code by its late creator, James Halliday (Mark Rylance). However, finding the egg is very difficult but if you succeed the test, the winner receives the creator’s trillion-dollar fortune. Wade is on a mission to win the game, and also find true love. Based on Ernest Cline’s best selling 2011 sci-fi novel, Ready Player One.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: July 24, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

It was fun and entertaining to see the 80’s pop culture references; such as the music, movies, video games and TV shows.

Sexual Content: Moderate

Virtual flirting. Avatars are shown seductively dancing and touching one another.
Character’s kiss.
We see the bare back of a naked woman.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are many battles and fight scenes in the Oasis causing numerous deaths.
Avatars are attacked by dinosaurs, King Kong and various virtual weapons.
We see a flood of blood, ax attacks and scary zombies.
There is also violence in the real world. An evil corporation sends assassins to kill people, arrest them, blow up their homes, and shoot them.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “f—ing,” once, and then “sh-t,” “b–tch,” “d-mn,” “goddamn,” and “h-ll” are said sporadically throughout the film.

Drug and Alcohol Content: None

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall, this is a fun and entertaining film for pre-teens and teens.

Pacific Rim: Uprising-Kids’ Movie Review

It’s been 10 years since the horrific battle between the invading monsters (the “Kaiju”) and the man-made robots (the “Jaegers”). Pacific Rim: Uprising follows the life of Jake Pentecost, a former Jaeger pilot and the son of a Kaiju War hero. Jake’s life is a little different now as he’s abandoned his training as a pilot and now makes a living by stealing and selling Jaeger parts on the black market. However, things dramatically change for Jake when cities are threatened by an evil force and Jake is given a chance to try and save the world and follow his father’s legacy. Pacific Rim:Uprising is the sequel to 2013’s Pacific Rim.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: June 19, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

Flirting – two men like the same woman. She kisses each of them on the cheek before they go off to battle.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

A lot robots vs. monsters violence throughout the film. There’s a lot of destruction which is very loud.
We see the monsters and robots fighting with guns and electric swords/whips and various other weapons.
Humans fight and punch each other.
We see a character’s bloody hand.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “s–t,” “a–,” “bastard,” “son of a b–ch,” and “god—n.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see character’s drinking beer, and another one drinking an alcoholic beverage.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed a group of 10 to 12 year-olds. They thought it was a fun, sci-fi action film.

Overall this is an action packed film. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film.

Black Panther-Kids’ Movie Review

African prince turned king! When T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), a young and handsome prince, hears about his father’s death he immediately returns home to the African nation of Wakanda. His father was the king of Wakanda, so now T’Challa takes his rightful place and becomes the new king – a.k.a. Blank Panther. Luckily, the country’s king is always given the super powers of the panther as part of his title. T’Challa will definitely need to his new powers, especially when he discovers that Wakanda and the entire world are threatened by an evil villain. Now the young king tries to save his beloved nation and the world.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 15, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

There are wonderful messages highlighted throughout the film. To name a few: loyalty, integrity and and friendship.
T’Challa is a wonderful leader as he’s patient, thoughtful and kind.

Sexual Content: Mild

There is some flirting.
We see character’s passionately kissing.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

Character’s are punched, kicked, stabbed and shot at. We see many bloody wounds as well.
There are intense battles with fierce weapons such as; blades, spears, knives and super power guns/cannons.
The bad guys shoot innocent victims.
There is a a car chase causing a lot of destruction.
There are two emotional death scenes.
A character’s throat is cut during a battle.
A woman is shot in the head and killed.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “sh-t,” “a–,” “b–ch,” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Characters are shown drinking in a casino.
Black Panther drinks a liquid to obtain his powers.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed kids of all ages, and their parents, who all loved the film. One 8-year-old said she had to cover her eyes in one scene, but still loved it.

Overall Black Panther is a great story about a wonderful superhero. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child I feel this film is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.

A Wrinkle In Time – Kids’ Movie Review

A Wrinkle in Time follows the life of a 13 year old girl named Meg Murry (Storm Reid). Meg is a very insecure and anxious middle schooler who is struggling since the disappearance of her father. Meg’s father is a renowned physicist, Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine), who disappeared four years earlier. No one knows what happened to him, but Meg is determined to find out. One day Meg’s brilliant younger brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), introduces Meg to three supernatural beings: Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey). The kids eventually learn from their supernatural friends that in order to save their father they must travel across time and space to rescue him from an evil entity called “The It.” So now Meg, Charles Wallace, and Meg’s friend are guided on a dangerous journey across time to find their beloved father. Based on the 1962 fantasy novel; A Wrinkle In Time.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: June 5, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

There are wonderful messages throughout the film that will spark some great parent/child conversations. To name a few; accepting who you are, accepting others who are different from you, and the importance of love. The film also highlights themes of courage, perseverance and bravery.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a married couple kiss.
Mild flirting between two teenagers.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

A girl throws a basketball into a classmate’s face after being provoked by some mean comments.
Kids encounter several dangerous situations. They’re tossed around and whisked away in a tornado.
A boy is possessed by evil and hurts his sister.
A boy falls from a very high point and lands on a bed of wildflowers.
Character’s are pulled down a dark hallway by an unseen force.
There is a dark and creepy tone throughout the film.
It’s briefly noted that a girl suffers from an eating disorder; we see her “eating rules” on a bedroom wall.
A dad is shown yelling at his son, calling him an “idiot,” for a poor report card.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: None

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed a two siblings 6 and 8 years old. The 6- year-old was scared and the 8 year old liked it but was scared at the end. I also interviewed two 10- year-olds that loved the film.

Overall this is an entertaining and thrilling drama. Having said that, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and disturbing scenes throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 10 and up!

Maze Runner: The Death Cure-Kids’

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is back in this third and final movie of the Maze Runner series. Thomas and some of the escaped Gladers desperately want to save their friends, however it is not an easy task. They must break into the legendary Last City which is a WCKD controlled labyrinth. This could potentially turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. If they make it out alive they will get the answers they’ve wanted to hear since they arrived in the maze. Maze Runner: The Death Cure is the finale in the popular Maze Runner trilogy based on James Dahner’s best-selling dystopian novels.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: April 24, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a couple of quick kisses.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are numerous fatalities. We see characters die from shoot-0uts, explosions and buildings falling.
A character is fatally wounded in a knife fight.
Characters who are infested by a deadly virus are shown transforming into zombies.
Scary looking monsters are shown throughout the film.
A couple of men die in a suicide attack. They drive their vehicle into a massive explosion.
Characters hit each other and end up getting into massive fights.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

We hear the f-word once. We also hear “sh-t,” “d–n,” “b–ch “d–k,” “a–hole,” “b–tard,” and “holy s–t.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see a character drinking liquor.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Fans of the series, who have read the books and seen the previous movies, liked this final movie of the trilogy.

Overall parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and profane language throughout the film. Depending on the child, this is appropriate for kids ages 15 and up.