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DOA: Dead or Alive

(2007, Rated PG-13, Action/adventure, Starring Jaime Pressly, Eric Roberts, Devon Aoki)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    1.0
  • Common Sense says

    Sexed-up game adaptation is heavy on bikinis.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Inane motives are the primary offense here, though the fact that just about everyone joins in the ongoing melee means there are no moral or intellectual alternatives.
  • Violence:

    Video-gamey violence includes kicks, karate chops, punches, body slams, flips, falls from great heights, sword fights, crotch grabs and crotch kicks, needle stabs/pricks, head-butts, bites, breaking bones (with crackly sound effects), eye gougings, martial arts weapons (stars, poles, etc.), and explosions. Pirates appear with guns but don't use them. Father and daughter fight it out in a river; two girls fighting throw each other around in the mud and rain. The island explodes at the end (in slow motion, of course).
  • Sex:

    Women wear bikinis and/or underwear, showing lots of cleavage; men appear in underwear, too. Christie first appears in the shower, then a towel as she battles intruders (she slips her panties on to distract them, eventually tossing her bra into the air, which then falls onto her naked form in slow motion, accompanied by brief profile shots of her breasts -- but they're suggestive rather than explicit). Max and Christie embrace in bed and make flirty talk (the movie then cuts to a presumably post-sex scene in bed); Zack "comes on" to Tina in hot tub; she flirts, then leaves with his clothes (he gets out naked, covering his genitals). Seeing two women in bed prompts a father to assume that they're lesbian lovers. Battle between two women takes place in rain and slow motion (wet T-shirt effect); Christie and Max kiss passionately; closing kiss inspires Tina to tell a couple to "get a room."
  • Language:

    Several uses of "s--t," plus "ass," "hell," and "son of a b--" (it's cut off in mid-utterance).
  • Consumerism:

    One big promotion for the video game it's based on.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Characters drink what looks to be beer, champagne, and wine.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About DOA: Dead or Alive

Parents need to know that this movie (based on the same-named video game) is full of incessant, mostly mindless action (though not too much blood), much of which seems to be designed to showcase girls in bikinis and underwear. In fact, there's a fair amount of sex-related content for a movie aimed at kids -- including brief profile shots of a woman's breasts, characters embracing and flirting in bed, the assumption that two women are lesbians, and more. There's also some implied drinking, as well as several uses of words like "s--t," "ass," and "hell."

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about video game-based movies. What's their appeal? What do they have in common? Why do you think filmmakers want to adapt video games? What sorts of plots or characters do they provide? Does this movie's story work better on the big screen or on a console? Why? What audience do you think it's trying to attract?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 1.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative message

    STUPID DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE WATCHING THIS FILM LIKE I DID

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    An ok movie for ALL ages

    This film was actually a LOT more than expected. I thought it was going to stink after I read this review made by CSM; but it turned out like a great family movie.

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Arizona
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 1.0

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Louisiana
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    awesome

    good movie. the matial arts and figting is also awesome. i think it is good for a rent then a buy

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