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Black Panther-Kids’ Movie Review

African prince turned king! When T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), a young and handsome prince, hears about his father’s death he immediately returns home to the African nation of Wakanda. His father was the king of Wakanda, so now T’Challa takes his rightful place and becomes the new king – a.k.a. Blank Panther. Luckily, the country’s king is always given the super powers of the panther as part of his title. T’Challa will definitely need to his new powers, especially when he discovers that Wakanda and the entire world are threatened by an evil villain. Now the young king tries to save his beloved nation and the world.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 15, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
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 are wonderful messages highlighted throughout the film. To name a few: loyalty, integrity and and friendship.
T’Challa is a wonderful leader as he’s patient, thoughtful and kind.

Sexual Content: Mild

There is some flirting.
We see character’s passionately kissing.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

Character’s are punched, kicked, stabbed and shot at. We see many bloody wounds as well.
There are intense battles with fierce weapons such as; blades, spears, knives and super power guns/cannons.
The bad guys shoot innocent victims.
There is a a car chase causing a lot of destruction.
There are two emotional death scenes.
A character’s throat is cut during a battle.
A woman is shot in the head and killed.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “sh-t,” “a–,” “b–ch,” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Characters are shown drinking in a casino.
Black Panther drinks a liquid to obtain his powers.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed kids of all ages, and their parents, who all loved the film. One 8-year-old said she had to cover her eyes in one scene, but still loved it.

Overall Black Panther is a great story about a wonderful superhero. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child I feel this film is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.

A Wrinkle In Time – Kids’ Movie Review

A Wrinkle in Time follows the life of a 13 year old girl named Meg Murry (Storm Reid). Meg is a very insecure and anxious middle schooler who is struggling since the disappearance of her father. Meg’s father is a renowned physicist, Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine), who disappeared four years earlier. No one knows what happened to him, but Meg is determined to find out. One day Meg’s brilliant younger brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), introduces Meg to three supernatural beings: Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey). The kids eventually learn from their supernatural friends that in order to save their father they must travel across time and space to rescue him from an evil entity called “The It.” So now Meg, Charles Wallace, and Meg’s friend are guided on a dangerous journey across time to find their beloved father. Based on the 1962 fantasy novel; A Wrinkle In Time.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: June 5, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

There are wonderful messages throughout the film that will spark some great parent/child conversations. To name a few; accepting who you are, accepting others who are different from you, and the importance of love. The film also highlights themes of courage, perseverance and bravery.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a married couple kiss.
Mild flirting between two teenagers.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

A girl throws a basketball into a classmate’s face after being provoked by some mean comments.
Kids encounter several dangerous situations. They’re tossed around and whisked away in a tornado.
A boy is possessed by evil and hurts his sister.
A boy falls from a very high point and lands on a bed of wildflowers.
Character’s are pulled down a dark hallway by an unseen force.
There is a dark and creepy tone throughout the film.
It’s briefly noted that a girl suffers from an eating disorder; we see her “eating rules” on a bedroom wall.
A dad is shown yelling at his son, calling him an “idiot,” for a poor report card.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: None

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed a two siblings 6 and 8 years old. The 6- year-old was scared and the 8 year old liked it but was scared at the end. I also interviewed two 10- year-olds that loved the film.

Overall this is an entertaining and thrilling drama. Having said that, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and disturbing scenes throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 10 and up!

Winchester-Kids’ Movie Review

Are haunted houses real? Winchester, set in 1906 San Jose, Ca, follows the life of rifle heiress Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren). After Sarah inherits her husband’s profitable rifle company she’s determined to build a mansion. After all, many people have died by the Winchester guns, so this is her way of dealing with the ghosts of those who have passed. Things get complicated when the board of the Winchester Rifle Co. hires Dr. Eric Price (Jason Clarke) to evaluate Sarah’s psychological state. When Dr. Price interviews Sarah he discovers that’s she’s spunky and clever. Price eventually realizes that Sarah Winchester talks to spirits and that her seven story mansion, filled with hundreds of rooms, are actually built for the victims of the Winchester guns. Price learns that Sarah Winchester’s ghosts are real… and so is her haunted house. Winchester is based on true events.

Rating: 2 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 1, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will Kids Like It? No

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a male character with three women; he’s shown kissing each of them. It’s implied that they might be prostitutes.
A woman’s naked back is shown.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There’s some gun violence. One scene shows a flashback of a mass killing.
A child is possessed by a spirit and is shown shooting a woman. He also jumps off a house ledge.
A painting appears to bleed.
There are several ghosts in creepy scenes.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “b–ch” said once.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate

A main character has a drug and alcohol problem. He frequently ingests drops of laudanum from a glass dropper. He also drinks from a flask, and enjoys drinking whisky at home.

Will Kids Like It? No

I interviewed some teens who thought the film wasn’t that scary and even somewhat boring.

Overall this is a horror film based on true events. Parents need to be aware of the violence and drug and alcohol contents.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure-Kids’

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is back in this third and final movie of the Maze Runner series. Thomas and some of the escaped Gladers desperately want to save their friends, however it is not an easy task. They must break into the legendary Last City which is a WCKD controlled labyrinth. This could potentially turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. If they make it out alive they will get the answers they’ve wanted to hear since they arrived in the maze. Maze Runner: The Death Cure is the finale in the popular Maze Runner trilogy based on James Dahner’s best-selling dystopian novels.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: April 24, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
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 see a couple of quick kisses.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are numerous fatalities. We see characters die from shoot-0uts, explosions and buildings falling.
A character is fatally wounded in a knife fight.
Characters who are infested by a deadly virus are shown transforming into zombies.
Scary looking monsters are shown throughout the film.
A couple of men die in a suicide attack. They drive their vehicle into a massive explosion.
Characters hit each other and end up getting into massive fights.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

We hear the f-word once. We also hear “sh-t,” “d–n,” “b–ch “d–k,” “a–hole,” “b–tard,” and “holy s–t.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see a character drinking liquor.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Fans of the series, who have read the books and seen the previous movies, liked this final movie of the trilogy.

Overall parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and profane language throughout the film. Depending on the child, this is appropriate for kids ages 15 and up.

The Commuter-Kids’ Movie Review

Life is good for Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson). He has a good job as an insurance salesman, he’s happily married, and has a teenage son who’s headed to Syracuse University. Michael has a very regimented daily routine as he commutes on the train everyday in and out of New York. Michael’s life dramatically changes on one of his daily commutes. He learns that he’s going to get fired, just when he needs to pay a lot of money for his son’s college tuition. Feeling very sad and defeated, Michael’s train ride is not going very well, and it eventually gets even worse. A woman on the train offers him $100,000 if he’s willing to find a passenger who doesn’t belong on the train, and he must find this person before the train’s last stop. Michael soon realizes that his wife and son will be in danger if he doesn’t follow the rules. Now Michael has to figure this strange puzzle not only to save his family’s life but also the innocent victims on the train.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: April 17, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
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 see Michael and his wife kiss in bed together, they are fully clothed.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are several brutal fight scenes with martial arts, stabbing with knives, punching, hitting and shooting. We see many bloody wounds.
We see a man pushed in front of a bus.
There’s an intense train crash.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

We hear “f–k,” “s–t,” “h-ll,” “goddamn,” and bullsh-t.”.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

There’s a scene where we see a man drinking several pints of beer in a bar.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall this is an exciting action packed drama. Having said that it’s very similar to Liam Neeson’s previous films. Parents need to be aware of the language and excessive violence.