It’s supposed to be good, but…
Your kid sees a preview for such-and-such a film, and starts getting excited. You think it looks kind of cute, too. And from what you’ve read online, it’s supposed to be good, but…
…what about for my kids?
Fortunately, it’s no longer necessary to try to preview the movie yourself– or take the kids anyways and hope for the best. The internet is full of resources for parents who are trying to make the best media decisions for their families. Using these review sites as tools, parents can determine whether to take the kids, but better still, they can prepare themselves to lead post-movie (or, sometimes, mid-movie!) discussions with their children. Below (in alphabetical order), I’ve highlighted some of the better review websites out there, describing their strengths and weaknesses. For comparison purposes, I’ve also included a link to each website’s review of the same film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009).
Happy watching!
- Reviews: Movies, TV shows, video games, websites, music, and new books.
- Strengths: You can search for age-specific media– great if you don’t have something already in mind.
- Weaknesses: The reviews are more general and less detailed than others available.
- Sample review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009).
- Reviews: Movies.
- Strengths: The reviews detail shortcomings point-by-point, and include brief suggestions for discussion topics.
- Weaknesses: Movie shortcomings are listed only if the reviewers considered them to be an issue for the majority of families.
- Sample review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009).
- Reviews: Current movies; its archives go back a few years, with a smattering of older films that were recently re-released on DVD.
- Strengths: Each review gives some detailed starting points for family discussions after the movie, and includes an “Alternatives” section, highlighting similar films parents might want to check out.
- Weaknesses: The reviews, while giving good plot summaries and listing a few specific problem areas for each film, aren’t as clearly structured or as detailed as are some of the other sites’ reviews.
- Sample review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009).
- Reviews: Movies, music, TV shows, and video games.
- Strengths: Reviews give a more detailed run-down on a movie’s problem areas. Because Plugged In is an online publication of Focus on the Family, its orientation is Christian.
- Weaknesses: If you don’t follow a similar worldview, you probably won’t like the Christian slant.
- Sample Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
- Reviews: Movies.
- Strengths: The reviews are very, very detailed. Anything that could possibly give pause to any parent is listed, point-by-point. Parents can skim through and determine what might be offensive to their values or what might merit a mid-movie comment or later discussion.
- Weaknesses: The website is a haphazard mess. There is a cleaner, subscriber-only website available, but it’s not free. Much of the same information can be found on the free site; it’s just more difficult to locate. Recent movie reviews are listed by movie release date here; movies on video from 2004-present are indexed alphabetically here; and movies on video prior to 2004 are here.
- Sample review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009).
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Movie Reviews
- What it reviews: Movies (both past and current), TV (upcoming films on TV and a few nonfiction programs or series), and theater.
- Strengths: The site maintains a massive database reviewing over 8000 films, from the early years of cinema (including some silent films!) to the present day. Although reviews of the older films are short and sweet, it’s one of the few resources available if you’re looking at pre-1990s movies.
- Weaknesses: The reviews are very general and much less detailed than others available.
- Sample review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009).
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[...] know going in if something scary is going to happen. If it’s a movie, check out a review online. Find out what could be frightening, and when it’s going to take place. In this case, [...]
Scary stuff: facing their fears « Woozles & Heffalumps said this on December 18, 2009 at 7:25 pm |