What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this action thriller is surprisingly bloody and violent, pushing the limits of the PG-13 rating. There's a startling amount of very realistic violence, even though many of the action sequences are shot in a stylized, rapidly edited manner. Characters are killed in all manner of ways -- with arrows, knives, guns, fists, and everyday objects turned into weapons. With such a high body count and so many bloody deaths (including the torture and implied deaths of innocent bystanders), the movie is pretty iffy for younger teens. In addition to the violence, there's some sexuality (a married couple is overheard making love, and teenagers briefly kiss or try to kiss) and language, including one memorable "f--k." And, ultimately, the movie's messages are fairly negative, suggesting that if you have killer instincts, it's your destiny to give in to them.
- Families can talk about the amount of violence in the movie. Is it always necessary to show how Hanna kills? Would the movie have been better or worse with less graphic violence?
- Marissa says that children can be bad people, too. What do you think about the popularity of young "assassins" like Hanna and Hit Girl, or even Katniss in the Hunger Games books? Why is there so much appeal in female warriors?