 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
After.Life
- Review Date: April 8, 2010
- R
- Genre: Horror
- 2010
Common Sense Media says
Confusing chiller explores death; too dark for teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that After.Life -- a psychological horror film that's more depressing than it is scary -- features a female character who is nude or wearing a negligee throughout much of the film. She is also supposed to be dead, even though she's conscious, and is under the control of a creepy male undertaker who seems to drug her into submission. The movie explores death extensively and doesn't offer much in the way of hope or positive characters. It features a great deal of swearing (including "asshole," "s--t" and "f--k,"), drinking and drugs (including driving while intoxicated), and general, simmering anger. Also, an adult hits a child across the face in anger.
What's the story?
Schoolteacher Anna (Christina Ricci) isn't very happy. She pops pills and doesn't seem to get along with her boyfriend Paul (Justin Long). Just as he is about to propose to her, they fight, and she drives off in a rainstorm. She wakes up on a slab in a funeral home, where a soft-spoken funeral director, Eliot Deacon (Liam Neeson), informs her that she's dead. Eliot claims to have a "gift" that allows him to speak to dead people, but Anna doesn't know what to believe. Paul seems to think that Anna is still really alive and that Eliot has some kind of fiendish plan afoot. As Paul tries to unravel the mystery, Anna gets more and more confused, and so does the audience...
Is it any good?
Despite the appealing cast, an interesting ambiance, and some very ambitious subject matter, AFTER.LIFE doesn't really work either as a scary movie or as a food-for-thought cautionary tale. It's dreary and depressing, with a relentlessly negative, almost angry tone. The movie's message about finding a point to life is both overly simplistic and frustratingly muddled. And those looking for scares will find the movie lacking too -- when the infrequent scary parts pop up, they don't pack much of a punch.
Moreover, the movie has the feel of something that could be a wonderful Sixth Sense-like puzzle, but refuses to make anything clear or satisfying. With an ambigious ending, viewers might end up wondering, "What's the point?" For horror fans looking for something meatier than the usual fare, After.Life gives them something to chew on, but ultimately, it might leave a bad taste.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about whether the movie was scary or not. Can psychological thrillers sometimes be scarier than outright violent horror movies? Why? What different elements make a movie scary? How do you deal with feeing scared from movies or TV -- does it ever effect you after the movie or show is over?
Did Paul and Anna really love each other? If not, was that the reason
they went through their ordeals?
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Adult
February 1, 2011
AGE
NOT GOOD FOR ANYONE 17 OR UNDER
Terrible! Not good for anyone 17 or under! Should have been rated NC-17 and NOT FOR KIDS.
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Adult
July 25, 2010
AGE
I don't like horror film,it's horrible.I am yellow-bellied .
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Teen, 13 years old
October 28, 2011
AGE
Read
Rated R: Nudity, Sexuality, Gore, Drug Use, and Language
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Teen, 16 years old
August 25, 2010
AGE
This movie does not appeal to me
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Teen, 16 years old
December 16, 2010
AGE
Horrible horrible movie
Just an awful movie. Watched it for Justin Long. Crap crap crap
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Adult
August 5, 2010
AGE
Peepshow nudity and NO real movie here!
Could have been a great mystery type movie. The plot was promising and alot like the sixth sense. Ended up a bit repetitive and predictable. Anna is completely nude from mid way through the movie with lots of slow shots of her body and breasts. Sad to see so much nudity... makes me sick. I would not recommend to anyone :(
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Teen, 13 years old
April 5, 2011
AGE
Not Inappropriate.
A few mild hings but not inappropriate
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Adult
October 6, 2010
AGE
Just another bad scary movie. Confusing, with quite a bit of nudity.
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Teen, 15 years old
August 9, 2010
AGE
disturbing movie
This movie is confusing, but at the end you find out the grim truth that is disturbing
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Teen, 13 years old
January 15, 2012
AGE
Very bad,NO KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Confusing,bad ,no plot and made me wonder why i wasted a few bucks and 2 hours of precious time that i will never get back.
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| Studio: | Anchor Bay Entertainment |
| Director: | Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo |
| Cast: | Christina Ricci, Justin Long, Liam Neeson |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 95 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 9, 2010 |
| DVD release date: | August 2, 2010 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | nudity, disturbing images, language and brief sexuality. |
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