10 and older
Brave (PG). The second half of “Brave” becomes violent and intense enough that parents of children younger than 10 must use caution. That noted, the animated film looks gorgeous and tells a gripping yarn about a female teen hero. The free-spirited Merida is a handful. Unfortunately, she also is a princess. King Fergus and Queen Elinor believe it’s time for Merida to choose a husband. Merida runs into the woods, where she meets an old witch who gives the girl a cake containing a potion to give the queen, which turns her mother into a bear. The story teeters on the edge of tragedy as Merida tries to undo the spell, and the king nearly kills his own wife. By the end, Merida understands why her parents asked her to do something she didn’t want to do, and her parents understand why she needs her freedom.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Animal instincts lead the transformed queen to growl and nearly attack her daughter. The potential for disaster and the violence of the chases and sword, dagger and fistfights in the film’s climax make it problematic for kids younger than 10. The portrayal of some of Merida’s suitors as doofuses is so exaggerated that it almost implies they are brain-damaged, which goes too far.
PG-13
Rock of Ages. High-schoolers who love Broadway musicals or their parents’ 1980s rock tapes will find much fun in this flawed film, but fans of hard rock-and-roll might feel cheated. Adapted from the hit 2009 Broadway jukebox musical and brimming with familiar songs, “Rock of Ages” is part big-hair spoof and part tribute. Sherrie arrives in Los Angeles and meets Drew, who gets her a job at the club where he works. The owner has the tax man breathing down his neck, and his only hope is a promised appearance by drug-and-booze-addled rock god Stacee Jaxx.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
“Rock of Ages” includes strongly and steamily implied sexual situations in suggestive undress and subtly implied drug use, so it isn’t great fare for middle-schoolers despite its PG-13 rating. Stacee Jaxx and his groupies seem perpetually high. Characters all drink and engage in occasional midrange profanity, crude sexual slang and toilet humor. Sherrie sees hookers on the street and later dances in a strip club.
R
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Distorting and oversimplifying American history like an ill-conceived comics series, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” begins when Lincoln, as a youngster, tries to protect his free-born African American pal, Will, from evil Jack Barts. For spite, Barts bites Lincoln’s mother, who dies. Lincoln resolves to hunt down and kill Barts. It is not until he is a grown man that Lincoln learns what Barts is after meeting vampire hunter Henry Sturgess. Sturgess recruits Lincoln to kill vampires.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Graphic-novel-style special effects dilute the intensity of the mayhem. Still, it is unsettling when young Will endures the whip. Vampires are shown with huge teeth and double-jaws, blackish blood flying when Lincoln battles them. Humans have blood-red wounds. Characters occasionally use crude language. The film includes brief, mild sexual innuendo.
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