Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inventive, exciting superhero thriller has strong violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Freaks
What's the Story?
In FREAKS, 7-year-old Chloe (Lexy Kolker) lives in a run-down, boarded-up house with her frazzled father, Henry (Emile Hirsch). He spends his time coaching her, getting her to memorize fictional answers to various questions. She must be prepared ... for something. But she's lonely and misses her mother, whom Henry says is dead. Chloe spots an ice cream truck outside and asks for some, but her father refuses to let her leave the house. Strange things then happen, such as Chloe interacting with people who aren't actually there and Henry occasionally bleeding from his eyes. One day Chloe sneaks out to meet the ice cream man, Alan (Bruce Dern), who turns out to be her grandfather. He has information for her that will blow her world wide open.
Is It Any Good?
Some of the best sci-fi movies are about good ideas and stories, told without massive amounts of effects, battles, and explosions; this imaginative quasi-superhero tale is one of them. Written and directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, Freaks could even be a template for where superhero movies could go in the future. Rather than continuously trying to get bigger and outdo everything that came before, why not start with a little mystery and a single location? Freaks intrigues right away, allowing viewers to jump in with curiosity and questions. The characters also help; the movie paints them ambiguously so that we don't quite know who to trust, or even who's real. It does use visual effects, but only when essential, and in a way that suggests more going on than we're really seeing.
Best of all, the movie embraces one of the main reasons superhero stories are so popular, which is the sense of being an outsider or a misfit—and the hate and bigotry that sometimes come along with that. In this world, those with superpowers are criminalized and hunted (similar to the X-Men stories) and labeled the "Abnormal Community." The movie makes the evils of bigotry clear. And yet Freaks is still an exhilarating adventure, as well as an ambiguous puzzle-box movie that could benefit from more than one viewing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Freaks' violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How does this movie use the idea of superheroes to tell its story? How is it different from other superhero movies?
How does the movie address bigotry? Does it offer any positive takeaways on the subject?
Do you think Henry makes the right choice in trying to protect Chloe by lying and keeping her inside? Why, or why not?
What do you think it means that most of the characters of color in the movie seem to work for the Abnormal Defense Force? What point is the movie trying to make about race and representation?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 13, 2019
- On DVD or streaming : December 3, 2019
- Cast : Emile Hirsch , Lexy Kolker , Bruce Dern
- Directors : Zach Lipovsky , Adam B. Stein
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Well Go USA Entertainment
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence and some language
- Last updated : June 5, 2024
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
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate