Fantasy
Fantasy movie reviews
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Review
Prince of Persia: The sands of Time, is an action adventure movie set in the beautiful lands of ancient Persia. We initially meet Dastan, a young orphan boy, who comes to another boy’s defense. The King happens to be passing by, and he’s so impressed with Dastan’s actions that he adopts him on the spot. Fifteen years later we see Prince Dastan as a very handsome young man, in his early twenties. When he and his brothers found out that a neighboring city is selling weapons to Persia’s enemies, they proceed to invade the city, but didn’t find any weapons. However, they do encounter the beautiful Princess Tamina. Together Prince Dastan and Princess Tamina risk their lives as they protect a magical dagger that could destroy the world.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: September 14, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
Beautiful scenery: As Dastan and Tamina travel to the neighboring city, we see the beautiful desert landscapes in Persia. Also, I thought Jake Gyllenhaal, was pleasant to look at, while my husband enjoyed looking at Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton).
Dastan’s adopted father and brother’s are a very loving and loyal family. The brother’s remember their father’s words to do the right thing, no matter what the consequence is.
I thought the movie was unpredictable, there were many surprises, though sometimes got a little confusing.
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Like a lot of PG13 action films there is a lot of violence! Some examples are:
Initially we see a young boy beaten by an adult, this was disturbing.
People are impaled by arrows and swords throughout the movie.
There are scary, creepy snake scenes, we even see a snake cut open.
Profane or crude language: Mild
I interviewed many people after the movie, some comments were:
One 11 year old boy loved it so much he saw it twice. Though he did not like the snake scenes, but loved the action.
Two teenage boys loved the action, thought the movie was well done, excellent ending.
Like I’ve said, there is a lot of action in this movie, which I typically don’t love. However, I really enjoyed the storyline, and found the movie to be very entertaining. Because of the violence and disturbing scenes, depending on your child, I would say it’s appropriate for ages 12 and up. I give it four out of five buckets.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Review
This is the fourth installment of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. In this movie we see Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), once again in desperate need of finding a ship. This time Jack’s quest is to find the Fountain of Youth, however he’s not alone. Rumor has it someone is impersonating him, and gathering a crew to also find the Fountain of Youth. This impersonator happens to be his ex-girlfriend Angelica (Penelope Cruz). She and her evil father, Blackbeard (Ian McShane) along with Jack’s long time rival, Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), and even the king of Spain, are all racing to find the magical waters that claim eternal life. They eventually come to realize it’s not as easy as they hoped it would be; they need to find two magical chalices and a single tear from a mermaid before they can complete their mission of finding this mysterious fountain. This is a great adventurous movie for the whole family.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: October 18, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Talking Points
There are some new and interesting characters. I thought Penelope Cruz was great as Angelica, but I especially liked Sam Claflin’s character; he played a missionary named Philip. He was a soft-hearted man who tried to find the good in everyone, even the evil Blackbeard.
Through all the action and violence, there’s a religious element to the film. As they’re looking for the Fountain of Youth, one character says, “Only God can grant eternal life.” I think that’s great for kids to hear.
People that liked the first three movies in this series, will like this one as well. I’ve heard many comments that this fourth movie is a little different, and better than the second and third films.
Sexual Content: Mild
• We only see a kiss, however there is sexual tension between Jack and Angelica.
• The mermaids are naked from the waist up, though we don’t see anything because their hair covers them.
Violent Content: Excessive
• There are sword fights, gun shots, and stabbings throughout the movie.
• Mermaids with fangs, attack a group of men on a boat, and drag them into the sea.
• There are scary walking dead zombies.
• Blackbeard has a voodoo doll of Jack Sparrow. He uses it periodically to torture Jack.
Crude/Profane Language: Mild
• The h-word, d-word and b-tard word are used, however not a lot.
Overall this is an adventurous, action packed movie. As I previously mentioned, there is a lot of violence, but fine for a PG13 rated movie. Depending on whether your child can handle some of the violent scenes, I recommend this movie for kids ages 11 and up.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief Review
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief is based on Rick Riordan’s novel. This is the story about Percy, a trouble-prone high school boy who struggles with learning disabilities. Percy discovers that he’s a descendent of a Greek god, and that his absent father is actually Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. He also learns that his Uncle Zeus’ lightening bolt has been stolen, and that he’s the prime suspect, and his mother’s taken hostage. So now the adventure begins, as Percy and his friends travel cross country to save his mom, and ultimately to catch the real thief.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: June 29, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
This movie is another action/fantasy movie, and has been compared to Harry Potter. However, director Chris Columbus, who also directed Harry Potter 1 and 2, said, “Harry Potter deals with wizards and witchcraft, and it’s set at Hogwarts in England. Percy Jackson is a New York kid dealing with gods and monsters of Greek mythology, but in modern-day America. They are two completely different worlds.”
I also read that the director said he wanted a movie that’s “appreciated on two levels: a wild ride for kids 7 to 16, and for older kids and their parents, a movie that would make them feel 12 years old again.”
I loved Percy’s relationship with his mom. Throughout the whole movie he tries to protect her.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Innocent flirting.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There are many violent, action scenes which may scare some kids:
- There are a lot of sword fights, with many bloody cuts. There are also monster attacks.
- The scene with Medusa is creepy. Percy slashes Medusa’s head off, then his friend picks it up, and carries it around.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
I interviewed many kids that liked it. Two 13 year old boys said, they liked the book better, but still enjoyed the movie. A nine year old girl said she liked it, but got a little scared.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. It was a fun, action/fantasy movie that the whole family will love. I recommend it for kids ages 8 and up, that enjoy action/fantasy movies. I give it 4 buckets.
Twilight Saga: New Moon Review
“New Moon” is based on the best-selling books by Stephanie Meyer. The love story continues between mortal Bella Swan and the handsome, mysterious vampire Edward Cullen. However, in this second movie of the Twilight series Edward realizes that Bella will never be safe as long as he’s around, so following Bella’s 18th birthday party Edward makes the difficult decision to leave his true love. After his abrupt departure Bella is in a deep depression, but is comforted by her family friend Jacob. She then develops a very strong friendship with Jacob and becomes once again drawn into danger, but this time, not only with vampires, but also werewolves. Now the love triangle begins, there is more danger and suspense for Bella and her family.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: March 20, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
This is a story about losing a loved one, which most people go through at some point in life. No matter if it’s loss from a terrible break up, loss of grandparent or even a family pet, most young teenagers will be able to identify with Bella’s sadness. This movie may trigger some good discussions on how to deal with hardships in life, something that Bella had a hard time with.
On the MTV website they listed five reasons why the Twilight sequel is an improvement to the original movie, and I agree with what they said. The five reasons are:
1) The Acting is Better.
2) It Looks Great- This movie is more believable because of the bigger budget.
3) It sets up “Eclipse” perfectly, it leaves you wanting more.
4) The New Characters Rock-Dakota Fanning is a great job of playing an evil character.
5) The Line has been Walked- The fan base will be pleased, thanks to the new director.
The soundtrack is amazing.
Younger kids may find it a little disturbing when Bella screams at night, while having nightmares.
Sexual Content: Mild
- As in the first movie, at night Edward sneaks into Bella’s bedroom. Jacob does too in this movie. Another topic that parents could discuss with their teenage daughters.
- Bella and Edward kiss passionately.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There were some violent scenes especially when Edward and the Volturi(another group of vampires) were fighting.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- The h-word is used several times and the d-word. “Fricken is used referring to the f-word.
Drugs and Alcohol Content:
- Bella’s dad drinks beer.
Fun Facts:
Taylor Lautner(Jacob) is from Grand Rapids. He lived in Hudsonville until 2003 then his family moved to LA to pursue his acting career. He is also a U of M fan, and tries to be a Detroit Lion’s fan.
Launter was almost dropped from the “New Moon” cast because the new director didn’t think he could fill out Jacob’s superhuman dimensions. Lautner locked himself in the gym until he fit the part.
Ever since the book was published in 2006, fans have been declaring themselves members of either Team Edward or Team Jacob. Lautner(Jacob) says, “We all get along great, and we’re in this together.” Robert Pattinson(Edward) said, “this is Lautner’s movie.”
After the movie I interviewed people in the audience. When I asked people’s opinions of the movie the comments were, “excellent, very very good, loved it, it was awesome.” That says it all, I’m giving it 5 buckets, appropriate for girls(and their moms) ages 11 and up.
Mirror Mirror Review
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Mirror Mirror is a comedic adaptation of the Snow White legend that we’re all familiar with. In this film, Julia Roberts is the evil Queen who steals control of a kingdom and becomes a ruthless, cruel ruler. However, things change when the seven courageous dwarfs help Snow White (Lily Collins) fight to reclaim her birthright, and also win the heart of her true love…Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer).
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets.
Release Date: June 26, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
I loved seeing the transformation of Snow White. She starts out as a meek child and turns into a respectable, strong, leader. With hard work and determination, she eventually believed in herself, and had the confidence to do the right thing. A great parent child conversation.
This was a very entertaining film for the whole family, as kids will enjoy the fun character’s and the colorful scenery. Along with action and suspense.
It was sad to see the towns people suffer as the Queen raised their taxes to buy lavish gowns, and throw amazing balls.
During a full body treatment, the Queen was stung by bees and scorpions, in addition to bird poop being smeared across her face. This was a disgusting scene.
Sexual Content: Mild
- The Queen gives Prince Andrew a love potion, which causes him to fall madly in love with the her. He jumps on her, pushes her onto the bed, while licking her face.
- Snow White passionately kisses the prince.
Violent Content: Moderate
- The evil Queen was on a mission to kill Snow White. She becomes very obsessed and cruel while trying to obtain her goal.
- There were many fist fights and sword fights throughout the film, though sometimes shown in a comedic way.
- Two character’s were captured by bandits and tied up, while hanging upside down. The prince and the Queen’s soldiers were attacked by the same villains. Even though violent, this was a silly, funny scene as well.
- Characters were attacked by a magical, large creature, which may scare younger kids.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “Idiot,” and “jerk,” are said.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- One dwarf came home drunk after a night at a pub.
Overall this is a fun, action packed, entertaining movie for the whole family. Parents need to be aware of the moderate violence throughout the film. I recommend this for kids ages 8 and up.