Script2Screen

I just got back from seeing the film. I don’t have time to post a full review at the moment, but here’s some information for parents to help them decide whether to take their kids or not. Overall, it’s a good family film (good messages, character growth, etc.), but the following should be considered.

VIOLENCE

Violent content should be a given for this film, but be forewarned that the fighting is more brutal than I remember the original being. It could be simply because of the reduced age of the characters compared to the original, but this film seems more violent. There are a number of bone-crunching blows throughout. The original’s infamous order for bully Johnny to “sweep the leg” has been changed to “break the leg.”

LANGUAGE

Dre Parker, the hero, uses “ass” repeatedly and “damn” at least once early in the film. It is part of his generally disrespectful attitude prior to learning kung fu. His kung fu teacher Mr. Han corrects both the attitude and language.

SEXUALITY?

The violence and language didn’t particularly bother me, but there was one scene that I found discomforting. Dre and his love interest go to an arcade and take turns playing some freestyle dance video game. The twelve or thirteen-year-old girl performs an age-inappropriate dance set to “Poker Face”, a dance obviously intended to be “hot” to tweens. It leaves Dre speechless and elicits a “You’re hot!” response from the game.  It was a very uncomfortable scene to watch and I imagine it would’ve been much more uncomfortable if I had taken a child to see the movie.

I still recommend the movie, but thought I’d prepare parents for anything they might find objectionable.