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Parents' Guide to

Cloak & Dagger

By Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Fantasy-adventure is exciting but full of dark mayhem.

Movie PG 1984 101 minutes
Cloak & Dagger Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

corynnmichele
corynnmichele Adult
May 28, 2021
age 11+

My childhood favorite

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid so I watched it with my kids a few years ago and they haven't stopped making fun of me for how inappropriate it was. It is rather violent
spencerh
spencerh Adult
January 21, 2019
age 12+

Lots of Fun; but very violent, with some profanity. For older kids only.

This movie was tons of fun. I was rather surprised at how much I enjoyed myself while watching it. Henry Thomas and Dabney Coleman give great performances and give the film lots of heart. However, while this may look like an innocent little kids or family movie, parents of small children beware it is the exact opposite. Also keep in mind it came out in 1984 when PG rated films are PG-13 by today's standards. This movie is filled with violence, and has a huge subplot of adults endangering children and threatening to kill them. Some of the threatening adult villians are likely to scare younger viewers. There are also several shootings which result in characters dying, or being critically injured. The violence has very little or no blood and is fine for older tweens and teens but is inappropriate for smaller children. There is also some profanity, including uses of the "s" word. It's a really fun movie, just make sure your children are old and mature enough to handle the violence and threatening situations that happen to the characters. Younger children should avoid, in addition to the violence and profanity being too much for them, they are likely to be confused by the story or to lose interest in it altogether.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

After the death of his mother, Davey Osborne (Henry Thomas) withdraws into a world of video games and make-believe. His accomplices are a little girl almost his age, a computer nerd, and, most importantly, his imaginary friend, Jack Flack, a daring adventurer who looks exactly like Davey's loving but distant father (Dabney Coleman in a dual role). Davey's fantasies become all too real when he witnesses a startling murder and the dying victim hands him a video game that holds critical government secrets. When the bad guys identify Davey, the chase is on.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (6 ):

CLOAK & DAGGER is flawed, with gaping plot holes, unquestionably violent action sequences, and highly ineffectual adults. But kids (especially preteens who have a firm grasp on real versus make-believe violence) will find it appealing. Superheroes have been delighting audiences for generations; they embody all that's good, and they defeat all that's evil.

When the superhero is a normal 11-year-old boy, the audience can identify with him, and he's an even more appealing hero. Davey takes on a gang of evil spies, saves the country, avenges the death of his friend, and teaches his father a thing or two about parenting. For most kids, there's nothing better than that.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Davey's immersion in video games and role playing. What are the pros and cons of this activity? How much is too much?

  • Why did the filmmakers use the same actor to play Davey's father and Jack Flack? What did that tell you about Davey's feelings about his dad?

  • In this movie, the two kids are in great danger, and Davey has to deal with the villains himself. Are you able to distinguish the make-believe violence from movies that portray violence as real? As an audience member, what are some of the ways you know the difference?

  • There were several shots in the movie of a video game that was popular in 1984. How have video games changed in the years since?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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