Inception (PG-13, 2010)
common sense media says
Intense, complex, brilliant sci-fi thriller is OK for teens.
parents & educators say
- 65% say violence is an issue
- 29% say there are positive role models
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this complex, original science-fiction fantasy movie from the director of The Dark Knight has lots of action and violence -- including guns, blood, fighting, car crashes, etc. -- as well as some slightly scary imagery. But it's very light on language, sexy stuff, and drinking, so teen fans of star Leonardo DiCaprio should be able to handle it. It's not an easy story to explain, but it's very easy to follow; parents and teens will likely want to talk at length about the story and may even find themselves wanting to go back for a second helping.
Positive role models:
The main character acts for personal reasons -- to earn the ability to return home to his kids -- and has a job that's slightly on the shady side. But when he's at work, his team shows excellent teamwork, as well as selflessness when it comes to their teammates' well being.
Violence:
Though most of the movie's violence takes place in dreams and is therefore not "real," it includes guns and shooting, gunshot wounds with blood, fistfights, rioting, explosions, car chases, and car crashes. Characters scream in pain when shot or stabbed. In the movie, being "killed" or committing suicide can "wake" you out of the dream. One character is shot in the head, another is stabbed, and another plunges off a building to her death.
Sex:
The main character pines for his dead wife, whom he still sees in his dreams. They share some intimate emotional moments, but there's no kissing, nudity, or sex. Two other characters share a brief kiss.
Language:
A few uses of exclamations like "goddamn it" and "Jesus Christ," as well as "hell," "ass," and "damn."
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Adult characters drink wine, beer, and champagne, but no one overindulges.
More on Inception
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Review It
Based on 62 parent & educator reviews:
- 65% say violence is an issue
- 29% say there are positive role models
Most useful reviews by all members
jcb333
parent of 18 year old
parent of 18 year old
absolutely not
uses Lords name in vain.
do not see, period.
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worstsitever
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
Best Picture material. Buy this film.
Few movies have been of such excellence that I've seen them three times. Inception is one of those movies. This was a year that was almost devoid of films with an original, and rich story. Inception mixes it's robust plot with thrilling fight scenes to create an truly captivating experience. The movie may be hard to follow at some times. But if you give your utmost attention, you'll be rewarded. As I mentioned before, I've seen this movie 3 times. If you watch this film multiple times, you'll notice an overwhelming amount of new things. This is a spectacular film that could only come from the exuberant mind of excellent director Christopher Nolan (who wasn't nominated for Best Director, stupid Academy).
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moviefan22
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
Inception is fantastic!
This movie was so unique and wonderful... Inception really made you think if it was really possible to enter dreams like that. Sure it stretched reality a bit, but all in a good way. Violence is about 2 gunshots away from The Dark Knight (not that bad) and sex is nothing. Language is profane at like a few parts, but otherwise watch it!
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ac rockster
kid, 10 years old
kid, 10 years old
perfect for teens
I loved it. Great movie. A must see. But for older kids
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agneumeyer
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Content Not Too Bad, but Plot Difficult to Understand
I fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it, the second time, my love only expanded, but it was my fourth viewing to take in the full extent of Inception. Sure, I got the gist, but some parts of the plot were difficult to understand, and for younger children, it would probably be just inexplicible.
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Glee rockz
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
See it
A great film for ALL ages, but it won't let me make it ON for age 0+. This film involves people working together for a common goal. Must see for all ages.
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potater
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
POtater ToMaTeR
Awesome movie!!! Common sense is messed up y'all!!!
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EmilyB123
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Perfect for ages 13+
I absolutely loved it!!! The movie has wonderful visual effects. It may be violent but the violence fits in with the story well and does not come with blood and gore. Perfect for ages 13 and up.
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Tsion
parent of 15 year old
parent of 15 year old
It must be hard to think that Christopher Nolan can top THE DARK KNIGHT in any way, shape, or form. Oftentimes in successful careers like his, the director hits a high point and immediately sinks to mediocre projects (M. Night, I'm talking about you!). However, Nolan tops his latest Batman film in every way possible in the incredible picture INCEPTION. This movie is not only THE movie of the year, but also one of the best, most enjoyable movies I've ever seen!
And I'm generally hard to please as far as movies go. However, INCEPTION does everything: it's action-packed, engaging, entertaining, moving, and thought-provoking. This movie is nothing short of brilliant, and all adults and teens should go and see it right away. It's not okay for kids, however. Violence in the movie is almost constant, with loads of explosions, gunfire, and countless casualties. However, almost all of these are bloodless and they take place in dreams (thus rendering them harmless in real life). In order to wake up from a dream, a character needs to die. So, the film has countless harrowing scenes that show main characters commiting suicide by gun, knife, falling from great heights, etc. Most of this is bloodless, but in any case it can get sort of hard to watch. A ton of the movie is very intense and nerve-wracking, and young kids just flat out won't be able to handle that. On the upside, there is no sex and language is usually mild, with frequent "d**n"s, "h*ll"s, and infrequent "s**t"s.
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the green guy
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
BEST MOVIE OF 2010
the best movie for 2010 period! very long though lol i saw it 2nd night it came out w my friends and we walked in the theatre with sunlight outside and when we came back out it was full dark lol i was like wat the heck but anyway very good movie with good nplot but the beginning is kinda boring and the end kept u thinking was he still in a dream or not but i think he was still ina dream 555555555555555555555555555555758469856348956348956348956349856904723904723904723904628964923469348567563405684623046230460238462389046285623046 times 7697490237230453489563489642390473904702394623089462806902650923465907039247021347123904 thumbs up !
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kellipetrelli
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
BESTEST MOVIE EVER
Best movie ive seen this year. i love Di Caprio, and i just loved loved LOVED this movie!!!!!
for younger kids, it may be confusing, nd they probsbly wont understand it.
Confusing movie, but i paid extremely close attention and remembered every single line of the movie. My friends fell asleep, and got bored, but i sat and watched every second. :D
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Xenon Vortex
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
Very "Mind Bending" Movie (Pun not intended)
It's rare that a movie gets me to use my brain. Inception was BRILLIANT from start to finish. I loved the concept of the subconscious and all the science and ideas they presented.
I also loved how this movie had no sexual content. It's also rare when a PG-13 movie excludes that sort of content. Which is good. It makes younger audiences able to see it, I suppose.
My only issue was excessive profanity and violence, but since most of the violence takes place in the dream world, it's not as scary, but it's still intense.
GREAT movie. Thumbs up.
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FCD97909
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
AMAZING!!!!!!!!
all i have to say its the BEST MOVIE EVER CREATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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masonlackey
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
good movie
good movie
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jamisan
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
amazing movie
A must see
Awesome
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Skyrock5
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
Terrific, intellectual, fascinating.
Ok, the truth is that its quite complex, and creates a non-existent world that at some points terrifies you! But, on the other hand, I have never seen such an intellectually-stimulating movie like this one. All the comparisons to The Matrix are unbelievably wrong - it has nothing to do with it. This is in a world of its own, but a terrific world. It fascinated me, and Ive seen it more than twice. Let it do the same to you.
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Messi10
parent of 12 and 14 year old
parent of 12 and 14 year old
People 9 and up
This movie is one of my favorite movies of all time, and i think that children 9 and up is the appropriate age for this movie. The only thing that would be difficult for small children is the plot, and there are some startling sequences, like when Ariadne touches the mirror and it shatters.
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rachel4missions
parent of 9 year old
parent of 9 year old
Watch this movie. Now.
Amazing movie. Top three ever for me. The whole concept was beautiful to start with, but then the execution... I can't even begin to explain it. It's like getting on a ride that starts out slowly, but by twenty minutes in your feet are swinging through the air and you're thinking, "woohoo!!!" And of course, the ride lasts a good two hours. Ellen Page is fantastic in her role, but really all of the characters bring colour to the film.
I don't remember any sexual content and only very minimal language (especially for a PG-13 movie). The violence was not remotely excessive for an action flick; I think there was more blood in The Princess Bride (though it's been a while, lol). Mostly there's just lots of shooting and explosions, nothing new or unusual for the genre.
One note of caution: some kids can take things too literally. While I doubt any kids would feel like they were in a dream and would try to kill themself to wake up, you never know with kids. If that sounds like something your kid might do, wait until they're just a little older or talk with them about that.
All in all, it's really one of the most brilliant, breathtaking movies I've ever seen. Even several months later, if I hear "Je ne regrets a rien," I will pause and smile and start thinking about the movie. So, so good.
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sfflann
parent of 12 year old
parent of 12 year old
best movie ever by far. im not being serious about 2 and up is on but im saying that its not that bad and all there is is violence. i think the only thing is that its reall confusing and younger kids wouldnt understand it
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ilikemusik23
adult
adult
Inception
This is a very good and original Sci-fi thriller. It is unlike anything i've ever seen before and is the 2nd best film i've seen this year so far. There is violence but most of it is bloodless. However, i reccomend this for High-School age kids because the plot is very complex and will most likely be too complicated for most kids to follow. I thought the film for the most part was excellent besides the end where it just kind of felt like the last few seconds should've been left out (Some of you will understand what im talking about if you've seen the movie). Overall, if you looking for a good, smart, sci-fi film, Inception is the one to see!
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