 | 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. |
Full Metal Jacket
- Review Date: September 13, 2005
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 1987
Common Sense Media says
Extremely graphic, violent Vietnam War film.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is an extremely graphic and unblinking look at war, starting with Marine Corps basic training. This movie is not appropriate for kids. There is a lot of very strong language and very explicit violence, much of it shot in slow motion.
What's the story?
The opening sequence of FULL METAL JACKET is a long series of scenes of Marine Corps basic training at Parris Island, shows both the ways soldiers bond together and how they're driven apart by the brutal treatment they receive. Lee Emery is the drill sergeant to end all drill sergeants, and the soldiers under his command, who are soon known only by their nicknames -- Joker (Matthew Modine), Pyle (Vincent D'Onofrio), Cowboy (Arliss Howard) -- each react differently to the intense and often cruel training regime. Once in Vietnam, they are thrown into an unpopular war that they don't really understand, fighting an enemy who refuses to play by the rules.
Is it any good?
Although this is a film about the Vietnam War, it could just as easily be about current events. The ugly realities of war, and what soldiers have to go through before they even get there, are a timeless theme, and Full Metal Jacket looks at the whole picture.
There isn't a lot of plot -- the soldiers go from training to war and they fight for their lives -- but the relationships among the men and the extremity of the situation they're in are riveting. The film captures both the excitement and the tedium of war, but ultimately loses something by not having a stronger storyline and a stronger leading man. Modine is a good actor, but he is something of a cipher here. We don't know enough about him to care deeply for him, but he is the moral center of the film. It's a well-made film that is powerful and still relevant, but it somehow doesn't quite deliver what it seems it could. Also, it's way too violent for kids, so share this one with older teens only.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about why the Marines are trained so harshly, and how it affects people to go through such grueling treatment. The realities of war, and the parallels to current events are also possible topics for discussion.
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AGE
War according to Kubrick!
Best War movie EVER!!!!
Kubrick nailed it!
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AGE
good movie
there is way to much language. like the terminology they use like calling girls the n word. they use way too much laguage every word is the F word
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AGE
Much more than just a war movie
Much more than just a war movie made by the legendary Stanley Kubrick, it goes into the deepness of the Vietnam war but also it was made buy Kubrick so really its not for the kids
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AGE
I find this movie to be fairly overrated. It's still pretty good though. The first half of the movie where they are in the training camp is brilliant, whereas the other half when they are actually in NAM isnt all that great. There is plenty of profanity and graphic violence, as well as some sexual material, though it's not too bad.
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AGE
Great movie for older teens
The main concern is language "fu*k " and its variations are used often. Some sex references like "Eskimo pus*y is mighty cold" Im a march. " do you suck di*k " ect
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AGE
Not as good as his previous anti-war film, 1957's Paths of Glory, but still a masterpiece.
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AGE
Ok for 14 plus
Good movie very gory though in one scene a man is sitting on the toilet picks up an M14 an shoots himselt right down the mouth resulting in blood spattering all over the wall next to him. Lots of swearing especially in boot camp.
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AGE
Great movie for people mature enough
This is a great representation of war. It gets more in depth on the training and how ordinary men are turned into instruments of warfare. The movie probably shouldn't be viewed by younger children due to violence and their lack of understanding for the significance of the movie. The movie itself tells of the training of a group of Marines and later depicting an event from the bloodiest battle of the Vietnam War, the Battle of Hu?.
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| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Stanley Kubrick |
| Cast: | Adam Baldwin, Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 117 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 1, 1987 |
| DVD release date: | June 12, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | violence |
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