DVD Reviews
War For The Planet Of The Apes-Kids’ Movie Review
Caesar (Andy Serkis), the intelligent leader of the apes, suffers a tremendous loss when his home is attacked by human soldiers. Sad and upset, Caesar moves his tribe to a new location though he briefly leaves the group to find the colonel responsible for the attack. Fortunately, Caesar is accompanied by close friends and while on their odyssey they come across some interesting characters. Caesar eventually finds the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), hoping to seek revenge. War for the Planet of the Apes is the third movie focusing on Caesar… the intelligent leader of the apes.
Rating: 3 and 1/2 buckets out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: October 24, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Maybe
Talking Points:
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
- The film is dark and creepy with a lot of violence. There are battles with guns, arrows, missiles and explosions throughout the film.
- Apes kill humans and battle with one other.
- We see injured characters and their bloody wounds.
- Apes are imprisoned, hung on X-shaped crosses, whipped and treated like slaves.
- A gorilla is suffocated.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “goddamn,” and “h-ll.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Maybe
Overall this is a dramatic sci/fi film that will most likely appeal to the Planet of the Apes fans.
Spider-Man: Homecoming-Kids’ Movie Review
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) was on cloud nine after his so called “internship” with Tony Stark/Iron Man ((Robert Downey Jr.) and his new role as Spider Man. When Peter returns home to his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) he tries to live a relatively normal life as a high school student. However, he is preoccupied with his Spider-Man identity and desperately wants to use his powers to save lives. The only problem is that Tony Stark hasn’t been in touch with Peter, and his assistant Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) doesn’t return Peter’s messages. Eventually, Peter decides to put on his suit and be the neighborhood superhero. He stops petty thieves, and even helps old ladies with directions. Peter’s life dramatically changes the night he catches some crooks stealing money from an ATM, and they have some very high tech and unusual weapons. Now Peter tries to find the villain who made the glowing and intense weapons and put his powers to the test. Spider-Man Homecoming is an entertaining film that will especially appeal to pre-teens and teens.
Rating: 3 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: October 17, 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:
Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is a father figure to Peter. Peter wants to wear his Spider Man suit and use his powers to help people. He tells Stark that he’s nothing without his suit. Tony says, “If you’re nothing without the suit, you shouldn’t have it.” Peter eventually learns what being a hero really means.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We see a couple of kisses.
- There’s a reference to watching porn.
- Teenagers are shown flirting with one another.
- There’s a suggestive comment made about Peter’s Aunt.
- Teen girls play a game called “F, marry, kill.”
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- We hear the f-word, “sh-t,” “a–,” “b–tard,” “d–n,” and “h—.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- A teen party shows kids drinking out of red Solo cups.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is a fun and entertaining film for kids ages 10 and up.
Transformers: The Last Knight-Kids’ Movie Reviews
In Transformers: The Last Knight there is a war between humans and Transformers. Strangely, a large number of robots come crashing down on Earth which cause human authorities to be overwhelmed. The chaos is discovered due to the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Autobot leader (the good guys), Optimus Prime, is gone but with the help of Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), Bumblebee, an English lord (Anthony Hopkins), and an Oxford professor (Laura Haddock), they work together to try and save the world. Transformers: The Last Knight is the fifth installment on the Transformers series.
Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: September 26, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
Sexual Content: Mild
- We only see one kiss, but there are a lot of racy jokes and innuendos about sex.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
- There are a lot of battles and violence throughout the film. Characters (Transformer and humans) battle. We see several sword fights and gun fights. Characters are crushed and set on fire.
- There are numerous car chases which cause destruction.
- Robots destroy buildings with blasts and explosions. We see massive structures crash to Earth killing innocent bystanders.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- We hear the f-word twice and “sh-t, “b–ch,” “d–n,” “a–, and “h-ll” throughout the film.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
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Characters are shown drinking alcohol and smoking.
Merlin is described as a drunkard. We see him drinking from a bottle.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is an action packed film that will most likely appeal to pre-teen boys.
47 Meters Down- Kids’ Movie Review
Nothing like a vacation in Mexico. Beautiful resorts, crystal clear water, and entertaining night clubs. Sisters Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt) are definitely enjoying their relaxing getaway in Mexico until Kate decides they need some adventure. Besides, Lisa’s boyfriend dumped her before the trip because she’s so boring so Kate wants to get her sister out. After a night of dancing and drinking they meet two handsome local men who invite them on a shark-watching expedition the next day. Now the adventure begins as Lisa and Kate join their new friends on a rickety old boat. Shortly after the girls enter the cage the cable snaps and the shark cage sinks to the bottom of the ocean…47 meters down. With limited oxygen and white sharks circling nearby, Lisa and Kate must try and remain calm and figure out how to survive.
Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: September 26, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
Sexual Content: Moderate
- We see women in revealing swimsuits.
- One of the girls asks if the wetsuit makes her “butt look cute.”
- We see couples kiss.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
- There’s a lot of blood swirling in the water from bleeding wounds and disgusting chum buckets.
- There are shark attacks.
- Characters are trapped at the bottom of the ocean in a cage. There is a lot of suspense.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- We hear the f-word once. We also hear “sh-t,” numerous times.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see characters drinking at a night club.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is a suspenseful drama that will keep you at the edge of your seats. Parents need to be aware of the disturbing scenes.
Cars 3-Kids’ Movie Review
Most talented professional athletes have their moments in the spotlight with their fast moves and skillful plays, and then a new generation comes along to take it away. Whether it’s Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant there comes a time when they should end their careers. In Cars 3 the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is surprised when new racers like the arrogant Jackson Storm zooms right past him in a race. Depressed and devastated, #95 is not quite ready to quit. With the help of an eager young race technician and inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet, Lightning McQueen tries to get back in the game. This is the third film in Pixar’s popular Cars franchise.
Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: November 7, 2017
MPAA Rating: G
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
There are some life lessons regarding age and growing older. The film stresses the importance of trying new things no matter how old you are. A character says, “don’t fear failure. Try new things.”
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- We see a couple of intense car crashes where the main characters are demolished to scraps of metal. However, later we see the vehicles in one piece.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Some of the racers meet in a bar and drink oil.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Cars 3 is wonderful action packed film for kids of all ages. Parents will like it too.