Sci-Fi

Sci-Fi movie reviews

The Circle-Kids’ Movie Review

“Sharing is caring.” That is the motto of the successful tech company called The Circle. The Circle has some strange rules. They have social mangers who not only keep track of its employees at work, but also outside of work. They want their employees to be “community-minded.” Things get really creepy when the new employee Mae Holland (Emma Watson) agrees to be apart of the companies latest tech experiment. She commits to have a transparent life which involves constantly wearing a camera; everything she does and says is streamed live. This cult-like company has an impact on Mae and eventually changes her life forever. The Circle is a science fiction film, based on the 2013 best selling novel, The Circle.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: August 1, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The film will spark some great parent/child conversations. Though the movie is fiction, it’s not far from the truth. With social media today many people feel as though their life is transparent.

Sexual Content: Mild

We briefly see a married couple making love. There is no nudity.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

Mae nearly drowns while kayaking.
A man accidentally drives a vehicle off a bridge. We later hear that the man died.
We hear about a woman who killed her three children by locking them in a closet, letting them starve to death.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

The f-word is said once. We also hear “sh-t,” “a–,” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see characters drinking wine and other alcoholic beverages.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall this is a thought provoking, somewhat creepy, film that teens will find interesting.

Power Rangers-Kids’ Movie Review

At times teenagers have a lot of stress in their lives with relationships, school, sports and peer pressure. Though it’s nothing compared to the pressure that the five teens from a small town of Angel Grove have. These teens are ordinary high school students dealing with day to day life. However, things get really difficult for the teens when the world is threatened by an alien attack led by villain Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks). Now these five ordinary teenagers are chosen to band together as the Power Rangers, and are sent on a dangerous mission to save the world. Power Rangers is based on the popular ’90s TV show.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: June 27, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The film highlights the importance of teamwork.
Power Rangers might appeal to young elementary-aged kids, though its more appropriate for middle-school aged kids and up.
This film has more violence, language and mature themes unlike the TV show.

Sexual Content: Moderate

A female character strips down to her underwear and jumps off a cliff.
One of the female Power Rangers discusses with a friend that she might be gay.
The female villain shows up in Trini’s (a female Power Ranger) bedroom and seductively strokes her face and neck.
There’s talk of masturbation.
There are references that someone digitally shared a student’s inappropriate photo.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

Characters are attacked, buildings are destroyed and blown up.
Rita, the villain, drowns someone.
Rita gathers the gold teeth that she’s removed from several victims’ mouths.
The teen Power Rangers have scary visions
where they see a street full of people all incinerated and turned into ash.
Several characters are hit and killed by an asteroid.
A train hits a van full of people; we see the van tumbling.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “sh-t,” “a–, “h—, and “b–ch.” A character starts to say, “m—–f—,” but then stops himself.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

The Rangers spend the night around a campfire, and it looks as though they’re drinking beer.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall this is a fun and entertaining film. Having said that parents need to be aware of the violence and sexual content.

Beauty and the Beast-Kids’ Movie Review

Belle (Emma Watson) is a smart and beautiful young woman who lives alone with her widower father. Belle doesn’t have many friends and is not very close with the townspeople. They find her very odd because she loves to read books, something they don’t appreciate. Belle’s life dramatically changes when she is taken prisoner in a castle by a beast (Dan Stevens). Belle doesn’t know it, but the Beast is a cursed, arrogant prince who must find true love in order to break a spell. Though the Beast has a hideous exterior, Belle befriends the monster-like character and the castle’s enchanted staff. She eventually realizes that the Beast is a kind soul whom she falls in love with. Beauty and the Beast is Disney’s live-action remake of the classic 1991 animated musical.

Rating: 4.5 popcorn buckets out of 5
Release Date: June 6, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
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 film highlights the importance of humility.
Belle is a loving daughter who is willing to do whatever it takes to insure her father’s well being.

Sexual Content: Mild

Character’s flirt with the opposite sex and the same sex.
LeFou briefly dances with a man. He’s confused as he’s trying to figure out his sexual preference.
Female characters wear dresses that show their cleavage.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

There are intense and scary scenes throughout the film. More graphic violence in this version than in the animated version.
Vicious wolves attack several characters.
There’s a battle between the townspeople and servants in the castle.
We see mob violence with pitchforks and torches.
There’s an intense battle between the Beast and an attacker. They fight with fists, claws and guns.
The Beast may scare young kids with his growl and loud roar.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

Name calling such as; “idiot,” and “fool.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see characters drinking at a local tavern.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

The theater was filled with attentive kids who loved the movie.

Overall this is a wonderful film for the whole family. Having said that, parents need to be aware of the moderate violence that may scare sensitive kids.

Kong: Skull Island-Kids’ Movie Review

They knew it would be more than a three hour tour, but it was way more than they expected. Kong: Skull Island follows a group of scientists who are on a mission to investigate a mysterious island in the Pacific. The jungle is beautiful and lush, however when the scientists arrive they hear rumbling noises… and it’s not Gilligan. It happens to be an enormous ape who’s trying to protect his habitat. Now the scientists must find a way to escape an island filled with dangerous creatures. Set in the 1970’s, this gorilla film is entertaining though violent.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: July 18, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
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 is an all-star cast. To name a few: Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly and John Goodman.
Among all the violence and drama, there are some comedic parts especially with John C. Reilly. He adds some light humor.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see women in revealing outfits dancing provocatively at a Saigon bar.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

Kong destroys a some helicopters, tearing the aircraft and occupants apart.
Men are stepped on by Kong’s large feet, thrown around and tossed into Kong’s mouth.
A gigantic, lizard-like creature eats soldiers and civilians.
An enormous spider pushes its huge leg into a man’s mouth and down through his body.
Kong and the island’s other monstrous inhabitants also fight one another in a huge battle.
Kong and a large octopus battle one another.
Soldiers use high caliber weapons and toxic gas to battle Kong.
We see victims dismembered, stomped on, eaten, and tossed around.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear the f-word once. We also hear “d–n,” “sh-t,” “h—,” “b–ch,” b–tard,” and “a–,” throughout the film.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see characters smoking pipes, drinking shots of alcohol and beer.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed some pre-teen and teenage boys who loved the film.

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

The Lego Batman Movie-Kids’ Movie Review

They’re all back; Batman (Will Arnett) and his sidekick Robin (Michael Cera), his loyal butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), and of course his arch nemesis the Joker (Zach Galifianakis)… all as Lego’s. In this film Batman wants to stop the Joker from his hostile takeover of Gotham City, the only problem is Batman thinks he can do it alone. Eventually Batman comes to realize he might just need a little help from his friends and cohorts to save his beloved city.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: June 13, 2017
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:

The film highlights the importance of teamwork and family. Batman is humbled and realizes he can’t do everything by himself.
There’s some potty-humor in the film. There are references to “farts” and being “silent but deadly.”
There are a lot of butt jokes as well. Batman refers to Alfred as his “Buttler.”

Sexual Content: Mild

Bruce Wayne labels himself as a “playboy.”
Batman loves his body and well built physique.
There’s a lot of humor relating to Robin’s given name, Dick.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

There’s a lot of slapstick, silly violence.
We see superheroes and villains get beat up, bashed and blown up.
There are a lot of bad guys and battles throughout the film.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear, “butt,” “loser,” and “sucks.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Batman and his butler Alfred discuss different kinds of wines.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed kids ages 5 to 8 who loved the film. Having said that, one 5 year old girl was scared, and didn’t like all the fighting.

Overall this is a fun, entertaining film for the whole family. Parents need to be aware of the mild potty humor and moderate violence throughout the film. I recommend this for kids ages 7 and up.