Sci-Fi
Sci-Fi movie reviews
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Review
Most teenagers feel that they can do things on their own, without their parents help or wisdom. That’s how Sean Anderson,(Josh Hutcherson) felt. He claimed that he could take care of himself; and he especially didn’t want any advice from his step-father (Dwayne Johnson). However, things changed the day Sean received a coded signal from a mysterious island. Since his step-father was once in the Navy, Sean realized that he might need his help after all. So Sean and his step-father decoded the secret message, and discovered that the note was from Sean’s long-lost Grandpa (Michael Caine). So now Sean, his step-father, a helicopter pilot, and the pilot’s beautiful daughter (Vanessa Hudgens) ventured out to find the mysterious island; and that’s when the excitement begins. A sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, is an action/adventure, sci-fi movie, with some great messages for kids!
Rating: 3 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: June 5, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group:8+
Sexual Content:Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
See a clip of my review here, along with a review of The Vow!
Talking Points:
Initially Sean wanted nothing to do with his step-father, however they gradually developed a special relationship,which was nice to see. Hank (the step-father), gave some great parenting tips on making wise choices, and he even gave some advice about girls.
When researching the island, Sean and his step-father got clues from classic novels. Great for kids to see!
Kailani,(Vanessa Hudgens) the helicopter owner’s teenage daughter was very close with her father. She frequently expressed her love for him, and appreciated his protection and care. Great parent/child conversation.
I felt the movie was a little corny and unrealistic, though kids may feel differently.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Kailani wore a low-cut tank top and short shorts.
- Sean and Kailani briefly kissed.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There are many chase scenes with giant lizards, huge birds and an electric eel. This may scare young kids.
- We also saw an enormous spider, which was scary looking, however not threatening.
- When the island started to sink, volcanoes erupted, the land shook, and things got very chaotic.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Characters say, “heck” and “crap.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a film for the whole family. Younger kids may get a little scared in parts, though most likely they’ll be be entertained, especially with some parental comfort. Depending on your child, I recommend this film for kids ages 8 and up.
Cowboys and Aliens Review
When I first heard of the movie Cowboy & Aliens, I thought that it sounded like a fun kids movie, well I was wrong. The film starts out in Arizona during the 1800’s, where we meet Jake (Daniel Craig), a local cowboy, who is all bloody and wounded. The local cowboys, headed by Jake, and the Apache tribe have been feuding enemies for a long time. However, everything changes when a spaceship appears in the middle of the night, led by an alien who is determined to destroy the human race to obtain gold. Now the cowboys and Indians must get along, only to fight against their unexpected visitors from outer space. This violent, action packed movie is based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
Rating: Two out of five buckets.
Release Date: December 6, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
See a clip of my review here, review of Smurf too!
Talking Points:
One thing I really liked about this movie is how the long time enemies (cowboys and Indians) unite to save the lives of innocent people against the alien threat.
A preacher tells a women that when you have faith, things will go well for you. The preacher also tells Jake, “God don’t care who you were, son. Only who you are.”
There are wonderful actors in the film with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.
The movie was way too violent for me, not like a Harry Potter violence, but a gross disturbing violence that I didn’t like, and I don’t recommend this for kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A character appears naked in front of a fire, we see her shoulders and up.
- Characters kiss, but no other sexual involvement.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There is violence throughout the whole film starting and ending with cowboy Jake. To name a few things; he knees a guy in the crotch, severely punches other characters, and slams a guys face into cell bars.
- There are a lot of intense battle scenes with gun shots and explosions.
- We see a women reduced to a pile of ash from a laser beam.
- The preacher stitched up a wound with a needle and thread.
- The aliens are creepy and scary as they try to kill the humans.
- To sum it up someone is continually being beaten or shot at throughout the whole movie.
Profanity: Excessive
- Swearing throughout the film. The d-word, h-word, a-word and b-word used several times.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- A cowboy drinks a bottle of whiskey.
- Men drink in a saloon.
- Men smoke and role cigarettes.
I am not a huge fan of gross, violent movies. There are many disturbing scenes that are not appropriate for kids. However, it may interest older teenagers that like westerns and sci/fi movies.
Oblivion-Teen Movie Review
Earth was destroyed by an alien race, and Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is the caretaker. However things get complicated when an unexpected traveler arrives, which causes Jack not only to question his mission, but also himself. Oblivion is a sci/fi futuristic film, one that mature teenagers will most likely enjoy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: April 19, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 14+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
The cast of the film were wonderful and captivating! With Tom Cruise as Jack Harper and Olga Kurylenko (whom I wasn’t familiar with) as Jack’s wife; both interesting characters. Morgan Freeman also starred in the movie, another intriguing character.
For the most part, the film was appropriate, however there was a lot of violence, however, the battles were mostly with Tom Cruise and mechanical drones.
Teenagers will most likely enjoy the film, though it was a little slow and confusing in parts; which may not appeal to tweens and younger kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We saw a naked woman, from the back side only.
- It’s implied that Jack and two different women were sexually involved.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There were gun shots and explosions throughout the film, however it mostly involved Jack and drones.
- A character was shot in the stomach, and her shirt was covered with blood.
- We saw a gun pointed at a character’s head.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word was said once. We also heard, “sh-t,” “b–ch,” and “h—,” throughout the film.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We saw a character smoking a cigar.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
- Teenagers that like futuristic sci/fi movies will most likely enjoy this film. I interviewed five high school students from a Charter Academy. They said the film was, “awesome.”
Overall this is an appropriate film for teenagers; 14 and up. Parents need to be aware of the violent content and some profane language.
Men in Black III Review
Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back; still wearing black! However in this third installment of the Men in Black series, Agent J travels back in time to the 1960‘s. His goal is to stop Boris the Animal, an evil, scary- looking alien, from killing the young, naive Agent K (Josh Brolin), and to save the future of the world. Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie with a 1960’s flare.
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: November 30, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back; still wearing black! However in this third installment of the Men in Black series, Agent J travels back in time to the 1960‘s. His goal is to stop Boris the Animal, an evil, scary- looking alien, from killing the young, naive Agent K (Josh Brolin), and to save the future of the world. Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie with a 1960’s flare.
Talking Points:
Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) are great characters. They’re devoted to each other as partners and friends.
There are some subtle messages woven through the film. One character says, “The bitterest truth is always better than the sweetest lies. Another says, “The most destructive force in the universe is regret.”
I read that this is one of the few movie series that’s directed by the same person; Barry Sonnenfeld. Having them go back in time added a unique twist to the series.
Since they went back in time, it was interesting to see the moon launch in the 60’s. Kids may like that.
Having not seen the first two movies in the series, I was a little confused by the storyline.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A woman wears a low-cut form fitting dress.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Boris the Animal may scare young kids, with his horrific face and awful teeth . He has a creepy spider which evolves from the palm of his hand. We see him torment many people as he continuously throws spikes into their bodies and heads.
- Agents J and K are involved in violence as well, with many gun shots and ray guns blasting throughout the film.
- We see a creatures head flattened from being hit so hard with a frying pan.
- We see Agent K kill a villain.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- “Sh-t,” “d-mn,” “h–l,” and “a–,” are said several times each. “B–tard,” is also said once.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Character’s drink mixed drinks and champagne.
Overall Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie, however parents need to be aware of the moderate profanity and excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this film for kids ages 11 and up.
Knowing Review
The movie starts in 1959. As part of a dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students are asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. Most of the kids draw pictures of what they thought the world would look like in 50 years, except for one mysterious girl, whose paper is covered with rows of numbers. Then 50 years later a new generation of students opens the capsule, and a boy named Caleb gets the sheet with all the numbers. Caleb’s father(Nicholas Cage), discovers that the numbers are dates of disasters, and the number of victims, from the past 50 years. At the end of the list there are 3 disasters that are left to occur, all within the next few days few days. So Caleb’s father takes it upon himself to try prevent the destructions.
Rating: One out of five buckets
Release Date: July 7, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 18+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Talking Points:
It has a clever premise.
The previews are deceiving. A lot people thought the movie would be like “National Treasure” from watching previews, but it’s not at all!!!!!! It’s really not a kids movie.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Comments on whether someone is gay.
- A male character is seen in the shower, only his upper body is revealed.
Violent Content: Excessive
- It’s very scary, silent, slightly menacing people, are haunting Caleb throughout the movie by following him, and whispering strange things to him, very creepy.
- There is a plane crash and subway crash, which are disturbing to watch.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- “A–s,” d–n” and “sh-t” are used.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Excessive
- There is drinking throughout the film.
Overall it’s a very scary, creepy, unpleasant movie, with no redeeming elements.