Iffy for 15+
Sinister sibling-rivalry drama is majorly creepy.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this is a very scary movie about evil triumphing over good. The most vulnerable creatures -- animals, a newborn baby, loving parents and grandparents -- are stalked, threatened, and destroyed by a little boy who uses his extraordinary intelligence to wreak havoc on the world around him. There are upsetting deaths and some blood, though much of the actual destructive violence is implied and takes place off screen. Some drinking and swearing (including "f--k").
- Families can talk about the impact of implied violence in scary movies like this one. Are movies scarier when they show violent acts taking place on screen or when those acts are left to your imagination? Why? What statement is the film making about the nature of evil? Is Joshua purely bad, or is there any way he could be redeemed? How is his state of mind revealed by the music he plays? What role does music play in this movie and in other scary movies?
The good stuff
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Messages: Evil triumphs over good. Intelligent, loving parents are no match for a child with a deadly agenda and without a conscience. Superior brain power and artistic genius are equated with stop-at-nothing wickedness. A Christian fundamentalist is portrayed as well-meaning but narrow-minded and cluelessly ineffectual.
What to watch for
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Violence: Much of the actual destructive behavior is implied and takes place off camera. A dead woman is shown with pooling blood around her. Animals die under suspicious circumstances. The lead female character is graphically seen stepping on broken glass. Child is beaten by father.
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Sex: One scene of affectionate sexual foreplay between husband and wife. No nudity. A new mother is shown using a breast-pump.
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Language: Plenty of swearing: "F--k," "bulls--t," etc.
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Casual drinking: wine at dinner, a champagne toast. In one scene, a lead character drinks when upset.
Fan Reviews provided by
1
Watching this film was torture by film-fanatic
I saw the trailers for this film and was really excited about watching this movie. Let me tell you - THE TRAILER WAS BETTER than the film itself. The storyline and character development was very weak. I think the creators of this film should have revised the story and made it into a dark comedy rather than a dark "Omen" type movie. The whole time I was watching I kept wondering when the movie would pick up the pace - it was painfully slow throughout. One word comes to mind at the very end - CHEESE! It's like a bad Paul Anka song. Unless you were offered free admission and free concessions - DON'T waste the gas to go see this film!
2
A Crying Shame by Scottfb
Waaah!! This is not entertainment! the kid (Joshua) does a nice job in his role. It seems he is actually playing the piano, which is impressive (if you are his parents), but it does not make his playing good enough for prolonged use as a film score. It was an irritating morbid drone. There are other good actors involved in this flm---but---It goes nowhere for two hours. Far too much time is spent listening to screaming and crying after the new baby comes home; and that's from the Mom! The director and writer must have a strange concept of "perfect parents". They were each self absorbed and unnurturing; but not enough to justify the boy's dopey revenge. We should have been paid to sit through this mess.
2
Slow Moving, Unconvincing. by PaulEPratt
Previews suggest an intriguing combination of The Bad Seed and Damian, The Omen. At no point does Joshua ever develop for its title character the requisite and palpable malice evident in -- and necessary for elevating -- those classics. One scene -- a revelation in night-vision -- would seemingly lead to some interesting plot advancements. While it does, it takes on a mildly comedic overtone rather than advancing the expected fear factor. The kid simply outsmarts the adults, which makes for fairly unsympathetic heroic figures. While Joshua does manage to notch the intensity bit by bit, creating a few tense moments, overall the film disappoints.
2
Slow, annoying and poorly acted. by Rychris
If you like hearing a baby cry for two hours, this is your movie.