 | 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. |
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- Review Date: June 29, 2011
- PG-13
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2011
Common Sense Media says
Slightly better than No. 2 but still crude and very violent.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the third installment in the blockbuster Transformers franchise is less crude than the first sequel but more violent than the original. Tween and teen boys in particular will be interested in seeing this movie, but even younger kids who are familiar with the Hasbro toys may be curious about yet another live-action adaptation. Like all of director Michael Bay's films, there's a constant threat to all the characters -- in fact, humanity in general -- and an accompanying body count to match that sense of peril. Some robot deaths are particularly startling. Language is edgy, with frequent uses of "a--hole," "bitch," and "s--t" and two variations on the F-bomb. This is a dream movie for car, weapon, and military aficionados, but not so much for young girls, since the only three women in the film are stereotypes -– the young blond "hottie," the tough older careerist, and the wisecracking middle-aged mom.
What's the story?
Since the end of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) has graduated from college, been dumped by his long-term girlfriend, and taken up with another beautiful woman, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), despite not having a job. After mysterious Autobot technology is found in Chernobyl, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) leads a mission to the dark side of the moon, where he discovers his predecessor, Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy). Once they've returned to Earth, Optimus revives Sentinel, who's the only Transformer capable of launching a teleportation system he created. Optimus assures the head of national intelligence (Frances McDormand) that Sentinel is trustworthy, but it turns out he's actually aligned with Megatron (Hugo Weaving) and the Decepticons, who plan to use the teleportation bridge to rebuild Cybertron on Earth.
Is it any good?
The target audience for this movie (those with Y chromosomes) probably doesn't care whether it's good or not; they just want their fix of Michael Bay's signature explosions, metal-on-metal battles, and scantily clad damsels in distress. More discerning audiences, however, will be slightly reassured that this installment is better than the awful Revenge of the Fallen; for one, there's less offensive material (although there are still some squicky lines, like when Mrs. Witwicky muses whether her son's got some hidden "skills" that are responsible for him landing two such "world-class hotties" as girlfriends), and secondly, you might not want to leave 20 minutes into the movie.
But just because this "threequel" is mediocre rather than horrible doesn't make it worth two-and-a-half hours of an audience's time. It's laughable (when will screenwriters realize that a woman can't run for her life in stilettos?) and in desperate need of a merciless editor (this isn't an epic like The Lord of the Rings, so there's no need for it to be over two hours). The best part is seeing McDormand and pal John Turturro joke with each other on what was probably the easiest acting job of their careers. Of course, young boys will get a kick out of the Transformer battles, the space-race history lesson, and living vicariously through Sam (whom every male -- human or Transformer -- calls "lucky" for having the babelicious girl on his arm). It's not likely to be the movie of the summer like the original in 2007, but if you've got a teen boy, it's going to be a must-see nonetheless.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the movie's nonstop violence. How does the filmmaker differentiate between Transformer-on-Transformer violence and violence against humans? Do you think the director gets away with depicting more violence because Transformers aren't people?
Although there's less stereotyping here than in the previous movie in the series, what are some instances in which characters of a particular gender, ethnic, or racial group are depicted in a stereotypical manner?
Despite the number of attractive male characters, why does the movie focus so much more on the leading actress' body? What message does that send audiences?
Nearly every scene features a product placement; is this realistic (because people do use particular brands) or is it distracting?
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AGE
Best movie ever!!!
This movie is the best movie ever. The graphics are amazing. I would not recommend under kids of 10 to see it, because when a transformer dies it looks like blood comes out, the language is pretty rough, there is f-words, s-words, different d-words, a-words, and b-words. Then the sexual stuff is iffy. You see Carly in her underwear and half button-up shirt and she kisses Sam and Carly wears revealing dresses and there are crude and suggestive remarks. But it is a great movie!
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AGE
Boycott Hasbro
F bombs in a toy movie? Absolutely wrong. Boycott Hasbro.
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AGE
Best movie in the series is much more violent and cruder!
I bet there are so many young kids that want to see this movie. They might think that it looks "awesome" and stuff. But parents, this movie is not for little kids. Even though Transformers is a toy developed by Hasbro. Most of you probably know that it is not for kids already because of the first two films. But just in case. With the movie being rated PG-13, it is definetely for teens and adults only. Expect tons of violence, human deaths, "robo-blood", swearing, sexual jokes and innuendo. Here is what you need to know. The movie is packed with tons of violence. Explosions, intense robot combat, and a scene of dead human bodies. In fact, it is so violent, that it makes the first two films look appropriate for 5 year olds. Swearing is a regular thing in this movie. On top of that, there are many sexual jokes and a very sensual scene at the beginning where you can see "Carly in her underwear, reveiling a tiny bit of her buttocks. It was actually pretty hilarious because almost everyone in the theater started saying "Whoa!" Anyway, after that "Carly" gets in Sam's bed and they hug. They kiss a few times too. There is also a scene where a guy gets in a bathroom stall with Sam. Then he starts taking off his pants. But NOT for the dirty reason! Later another guy sees them coming out of the stall together, probably thinking that they were having sex. In conclusion, I rate this movie on for 14 and up!
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AGE
Not for children.
I saw this movie today--I'm in my 40s. I've seen other Transformers and like this one I enjoyed it. I was shocked today though by the amount of violence. It was ALL violence. The message is basically kill or be killed. I don't think this is the kind of message children should be getting. As far as the sexual content, the woman, Carly, is very sexualized and wears skintight clothing throughout. It is a stereotypical and derogatory depiction--and the other major female character is DEsexualized and acts really masculine. I didn't find that nearly as objectionable as the violence though. Overall it was an entertaining movie, funny at some points and definitely action-packed but just not something I think children should see.
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AGE
Very good movie in my opinion.
Now I saw this movie tonight with my younger brother. He's 13 years old and yes the movie DOES Use some forms of language. But I don't think it focuses as much on the lead actress' body as the review says. Yes there's a few provocative scenes but her clothing from about an hour and on is not as bad as it seems. Prime, Bumblebee, Sideswipe and just about all the Autobot's provide positive role models. The violence is quite a bit and yes quite a few humans die in the decepticon take over. Any child over 13 will be good for this mostly because of being able to distinguish right from wrong and understand the message that no matter how dark the times may become, that you should always have hope and faith in not only those that fight with you but yourself as well. Don't entirely believe what major reviewers say about this movie. There is quite a bit of character development in it's own way. As I have said now a days, no matter how hard someone tries they can never please everyone so before you draw your conclusions from my own review or those of others see it for yourself and draw your own conclusion as you never know you may miss out on something you might like a lot. Note that if you happen to enjoy some of the characters of the autobots that some do die.
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Kid, 11 years old
July 1, 2011
AGE
awesome movie! :)
Ignore the posh critics and appriciate the movie for what it is, a brillently tounge in cheek action sci fi movie with high octane battles,a great sense of humour and a good and great plot.
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AGE
Epic action packed and very brudal
the action is epic yet brutal to some audiances
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AGE
Definitely the best of the three
I didn't see this in 3D, so I didn't get the full effect. It doesn't matter though, because it was still awesome! It's definitely the best of the three. The new girl, Rosie Hunitington Whiteley is definitely a better actress than Megan Fox, and in my opinion, fitter. The first half of the movie was a bit boring, I got a bit restless waiting for the robots to appear and beat the hell out of each other. It has a great cast, from John Malkovich having a kung fu fight with Bumblebee, to Mr Chow (The Hangover) making very memorable cameos. It was a bit long, but overall: AWESOME!
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Kid, 11 years old
July 1, 2011
AGE
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
This was much better than the second (which was lame). As in the others, there is a near constant stream of violence. The sexual material was not as bad as the second, though the mpaa says it was worse. It was just humor. This was based on toys, so that's the consumerism. Wine and Liquor are seen unoften. This was a very fun movie.
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AGE
Commonsense give terrible reviews on transformer movies
Come on commonsense get the transformer movie reviews right for once! This movie is an action-packed, well made and hilarious! The reviews you did on the transformer movies were atrocious! These movies are fantastic! There is only robot on robot or a human and robot fights however, this may only disturb little kids. There is a lot of swearing in this but the "sexy stuff" is no where near as bad. Commonsense give terrible reviews on these transformers movies, take my advice, ignore commonsense and watch the movies they're great!!
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| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Director: | Michael Bay |
| Cast: | Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Shia LaBeouf |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 154 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | June 29, 2011 |
| DVD release date: | September 30, 2011 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi action violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuendo |
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