 | 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. |
Formula 51
- Review Date: May 13, 2003
- R
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2002
Common Sense Media says
Missing: plot, dialogue, characters.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has extreme graphic violence and non-stop profanity. The language used includes many exceptionally vivid British swear words, the literal meaning of which may not be familiar to some users. The characters are drug dealers (who generally themselves don't use drugs), and there's a generally lax attitude toward substance abuse of all kinds. There's one sex scene that is moderately explicit and brief non-sexual nudity.
What's the story?
In FORMULA 51, Elmo McElroy (Samuel L. Jackson) is a pharmacist by training who never got his license because of a drug conviction. So, he spent 30 years cooking up concoctions for a very mean drug dealer (rock star Meat Loaf) who not only speaks of himself in the third person but when doing so actually calls himself "The Lizard." McElroy has an idea for one last big deal to buy his freedom. All he has to do is blow up all of his current customers and sell his latest invention, a drug 51 times more powerful than any ever invented before while avoiding the beautiful assassin who is trying to kill him.
Is it any good?
This Formula is missing some key ingredients – like plot, characters, and dialogue. What it does have is the undeniably cool Samuel L. Jackson (who co-produced) in a kilt, fending off attackers with golf clubs and one funny joke. Unfortunately, Jackson also fends off other attackers by inducing severe intestinal distress. And the joke is stolen from Pulp Fiction, in a much better scene. There's also lots and lots of violence and profanity, though none profane or otherwise that are particularly witty or memorable.
Director Ronny Yu brings out the tired old Hong Kong camera tricks. Every other scene is either sped up or slowed down. He wastes the talented Robert Carlyle and Emily Mortimer. They play characters with different motivations and even different personalities from scene to scene. They do whatever moves the story forward, which means whatever will cause the most destruction.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how McElroy developed the plan that would allow him to achieve his dream (which is not fully revealed until the credit sequence). Why was that dream so important to him? Speaking of dreams, they might like to talk about what it was about this material that made Samuel L. Jackson want to produce and star in it.
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| Studio: | Columbia Tristar |
| Director: | Ronny Yu |
| Cast: | Emily Mortimer, Robert Carlyle, Samuel L. Jackson |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 93 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 18, 2002 |
| DVD release date: | February 4, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong violence, language, drug content and some sexuality |
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