Fantasy
Fantasy movie reviews
Guardians of the Galaxy- Kids Movie Review
A talking raccoon, a tree-like creature, Drax the Destroyer, an assassin named Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and a smooth talking, handsome guy from Earth named Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), are the Guardians of the Galaxy. They are a group of misfits who all want to make some money by selling a strange metallic orb. However when they discover that the orb is a dangerous weapon, they eventually come to realize that they must keep it away from the evil Ronan. Ronan is a powerful villain who threatens to destroy the universe. Now it’s up to this odd group of characters to save the world and be the Guardians of their Galaxy.
Rating: 3 and 1/2 out of 5
Release Date: December 9, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids/ teens? Yes
Talking Points:
The film has a great mix of action/adventure and comedy. Though there are a lot of violent scenes, the characters are funny and entertaining. A great soundtrack as well, with a sentimental element to it.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Peter flirts with Gamora and tries to kiss her, though she wants no part of that. She even tells him not to use his “pelvis magic” on her.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Humans and aliens are punched, kicked, shot, stabbed, choked and blown up. Sometimes they’re serious, sometimes they’re silly.
- Buildings are smashed and destroyed by explosions.
- We see little critters eaten by larger animals.
- When character’s hold a certain weapon, we see their insides burn up and their skin flakes off.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is said once, we also hear “a–,” “sh-t,” “p–ck,” “d–k,” “b–ch,” “b–tard,” “d–n,” and “h–.”
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- Character’s are shown drinking alcoholic beverages.
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
- I interviewed two 14 year old girls and a 9 year old boy who loved the film. They thought it was funny and said it was, “The best Marvel film yet.”
Overall this is a fun action packed entertaining film. Having said that, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence. Depending on the child this is appropriate for kids ages 10 and up.
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.
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return-Kids Movie Review
“There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home…,” the very familiar quote from The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy as she was trying to leave Oz and get back home to Kansas. In Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, a continuation of the beloved fairy tale, Dorothy goes back to Oz to rescue the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd), the Lion (Jim Belushi) and the Tin Man (Martin Short) from the Jester. The Jester is the evil brother of the Wicked Witch of the West, who wants to take over Oz. As Dorothy tries to save her old friends she meets new ones along the way; an owl, a marshmallow magistrate, a china doll princess and a tugboat. Together the gang must not only save Dorothy’s friends, but restore happiness back to the wonderful Land of Oz.
Rating: 4 and 1/2 buckets out of 5
Release Date: May 9 2014
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Talking Points:
With the colorful scenery, fun music and an entertaining storyline, young kids will most likely enjoy this sequel to The Wizard of Oz.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
- China doll people are cracked and smashed from an earthquake that the Jester created with his special weapon.
- The Jester creates a tornado in an attempt to kill Dorothy. He says, “In a twister you fell from the sky and in a twister you shall die.”
- We see flying monkeys who threaten people with their sharp claws.
- The Jester torments the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow by magically trapping them in their worst nightmares; a circus cage, a tank of water and a green-flamed fire. He threatens Toto too.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
- I interviewed two kids…
- An eleven year old girl said, “It’s a fun version of The Wizard of Oz.“
- A five year old boy said, “It was soooo good.”
Overall this is a fun entertaining film for young kids, adults and older kids may get bored.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2- Kids’ Movie Review
The graduation march “Pomp and Circumstance ” was playing as Valedictorian Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and her boyfriend Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) receive their high school diplomas. Now they have to face the real world. Being the good and moral guy he is, Peter tells Gwen that he can’t see her anymore. Though he’s madly in love with her, he had promised her dying father that he would stay away from Gwen, due to his dangerous double life as Spider-Man. Now Peter must try to move on and face his role of saving lives as a superhero. Continue reading
Captain America: The Winter Soldier-Kids Movie Reviews
He’s not a big guy, he’s deemed unfit for the military, but he’s a dedicated American…he’s Captain America. Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans) teams up with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to take down a Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier. Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes place right after the end of The Avengers, it’s a fun, though violent, entertaining film about a great American superhero.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Release Date: September 9, 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? Yes
Talking Points:
Captain America is a good guy and always wants to do the right thing. He even tries to save the bad guys! He’s a good role model for kids.
There’s an all-star cast, to name a few; Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie and Cobie Smulders.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A couple passionately kiss.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There are a lot of fights throughout the movie which include brutal and violent punches, kicks and stabbings.
- Captain America takes a lot of abuse as he’s shocked with a Taser, stabbed, shot and brutally beaten.
- There are several explosions.
- Characters are shown with open wounds and broken limbs.
- There are car, truck and plane crashes.
- An innocent cleaning lady is shot and killed.
- A man is pushed off a high building.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “sh-t,” “a–,” “b–ch,” and “h—,” a few times each.
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- We see characters drinking champagne.
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Overall this is an exciting movie, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 12 and up.