Sci-Fi
Sci-Fi movie reviews
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb-Kids Movie Review
It’s the best night ever!!! Our beloved statues at the American Museum of Natural History are back, though they don’t have much energy. The magic power of The Tablet of Ahkmenrah, the stone which brings the museum figures to life, is slowly dying out. So Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), the museum security guard, along with his teenage son and some museum characters head to The British Museum of Natural History to save the magic… before they all die. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is the third and final movie in the Night at the Museum trilogy. It’s not only the best night ever, it’s the best family movie of 2014!!!
Rating: 4 and 1/2 bucket out of 5 buckets
Release Date: March 10, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 7+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
This is a film that will make you laugh and cry. There are some emotional topics such as kids growing up and heading off to college, and of course saying goodbye to Theodore Roosevelt (Robin Williams)… which brought tears to many.
This is a film that will appeal to the whole family…kids and teens will enjoy the storyline and the wonderful characters.
There are some great new additions such as Dan Stevens as Sir Lancelot and Rebel Wilson as a British security guard.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two characters fall in love and kiss.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- An elegant dinner party, held at the museum, is destroyed by museum characters who come to life. Mayhem ensues as character’s are smashing display cases and running all over the place.
- A character smashes his head through a glass window.
- There’s a battle amongst Sir Lancelot, a dinosaur, and a metallic snake.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “D–n,” and “h–l,” are said.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- A teenage boy has a party and we see high school students drinking out of red Solo cups.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is a fun and entertaining film, one for the whole family!!!
Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies-Kids Movie Review
Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the rest of the dwarves fight the dragon to reclaim their homeland and reclaim the gold treasures found in Lonely Mountain. Ultimately Thorin battles with greed, obsession and five armies of dwarves, elves, orcs, goblins and men. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is the third and final film of The Hobbit trilogy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: March 24, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids/ Teens Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
There are many battles woven through the film. Having said that, the main characters are fighting for peace and justice.
The subject of greed and the evil it instills is portrayed as we see Thorin obsessed with his possession of gold. At one point Gandalf tells Bilbo, “Don’t underestimate the evil of gold,” referring to Thorin’s greed.
This film has more violence than the other Hobbit films. Something parents need to be aware of.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A character disguising himself as a woman by stuffing his chest with gold.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
- There are numerous battles throughout the film involving not only men but goblins, dwarves, elves, bats, trolls, Orcs and giant worms.
- Characters are impaled, beheaded, slashed and brutally beaten.
- A female character is shown repeatedly thrown against stone walls and stairs.
- Dwarves are stabbed and thrown off cliffs.
- We see explosions and character’s burning to death.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “B-tards” was said once.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- A character drinks wine, and another smokes a pipe.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall the fans of The Hobbit series will enjoy the film. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violent scenes throughout the film.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1: Teen Movie Review
She’s the face of the revolution and a symbol of hope. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is a seventeen year old girl from District 12, and a survivor of the of the country’s inhumane Hunger Games. When she awakes in District 13 and discovers that District 12 has been shattered to rubble due to the previous games, she’s panicked and scared. Though her mom and sister are safe, she discovers that Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), her friend and true love, has been captured by the Capitol’s evil President, and is being used to spread propaganda. Now Katniss, with the help of some friends, must not only save Peeta, but save a nation and it’s oppressed people from their corrupt government. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 is the third film in a trilogy, based on a popular novel by Suzanne Collins.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: March 6, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
This movie is not as violent as the previous films in the series. We don’t see children killing children as a source of entertainment. Having said that, this is a dark and somewhat disturbing film. While the nation of Panem is in the midst of a civil war, we see fighting and evil throughout the film.
The movie could spark some interesting parent/child conversations regarding war and propaganda.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Katniss and Gale briefly kiss.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
- There are battles between the rebels and the “peacekeepers.” Character’s are shot to death, beaten and blown up.
- We see injured civilians and remnants of hundreds of corpses all over the ground.
- A character nearly choked to death.
- During a bomb raid, characters of District 13 hide underground. We hear the loud booming noise while the scared victims seek shelter.
- A character is injected with venom, and used as a human weapon. We see him struggling as he’s in severe pain.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is an intense drama. Depending on the child, I feel this is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.
Big Hero 6-Kids Movie Review
When Hiro, an intelligent 14 year old boy, says, “ouch,” Baymax appears. Baymax is a big marshmellow-like inflatable health care robot, that Hiro’s older brother, Tadashi, invented. After a tragic criminal act, which kills Tadashi and threatens the city of San Fransokyo, Hiro is left sad and depressed. However it’s Baymax and Tadashi’s nerdy friends that come together and help Hiro find the villain behind the awful crime. Big Hero 6 is a wonderful animated, action packed film, one for the whole family.
Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: February 24, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
- The theme woven throughout film is about helping one another, whether it’s your family, a friend or someone in need.
- There are fun loving and wonderful characters in the film, especially Baymax!!!
- Hiro, Baymax and their four geeky friends use their talents and work as a team to solve the crime.
- Parents need to be aware of the issue of death in the film. Hiro’s parents passed away when he was three, and his brother dies when he’s fourteen. This may disturb young kids. Having said Hiro is taken care of by his loving Aunt; the movie demonstrates a healthy way of handling grief.
Sexual Content: Mild
- There’s a brief explanation of puberty and hormonal changes.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- The villain in the film uses millions of tiny robots to destroy streets, vehicles and buildings.
- During a car chase, Hiro and the gang drive off a pier and into an ocean…Baymax rescues them.
- When Hiro reprograms Baymax, Baymax becomes scary as he intends to destroy and kill the bad guy.
- The Big Hero 6 team uses their defensive skills when trying to capture the villain, which shows some action and fighting scenes.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Bonehead,” and “Holy Mother of Megazon” are said.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- When Baymax’s battery is low he’s portrayed as silly and drunk.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
I interviewed three kids:
- A five year old boy said he loved the film, though he thought the “bad guy” in the mask was scary.
- A nine year old boy said he loved it, and his favorite character was Baymax.
- A thirteen year old girl said she didn’t like it and thought it was corny
Overall this is a fun action film, one for the whole family.
Interstellar-Teen Movie Review
“I love you forever and I’m coming back.” That’s what Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) told his 10 year old daughter Murphy as he was leaving for an extremely dangerous and difficult mission. There had been an environmental disaster which wiped out most of the Earth’s food supply. Cooper’s mission was to travel through a wormhole near Saturn, which would lead he and other explorers to a new galaxy, with hopes to save mankind.
Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: March 31, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12 +
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
The film is thought provoking and will spark some great parent/child conversations regarding the importance and power of love and family.
Coop accepts the mission through the wormhole to save humanity. Leaving his family was devastating, however the films portrays that love is stronger than anything in the universe.
There is an all-star cast, to name a few; Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Matt Damon and John Lithgow.
The movie is creepy and disturbing in same context as the film, Gravity. While explorers are up in space you constantly wonder if they’ll make it home alive.
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- Two astronauts fight in space. One tries to murder the other and cracks the visor of his helmet.
- Characters die in explosions, one character died being after being thrown around by a huge wave of water.
- There’s not a lot of physical violence, however the storyline is creepy and disturbing. We see people on Earth suffering and scared while trying to get food and shelter.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is said once, we also hear, “sh–,” “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” and “h–” sporadically throughout the film.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see character’s drinking beer.
Will Teens Like It? Yes
Overall this is an intense and interesting drama. Depending on the child, I feel it’s appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.