Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Graphic, gratuitous violence in forgettable sci-fi thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Afterburn
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In AFTERBURN, set in a future Europe where violence, chaos, hunger, disease, and warlords rule, a former treasure hunter, Jake (Dave Bautista), is hired by the wannabe king, Augustus (Samuel L. Jackson), to find lost valuables. Through Defense Minister Fuentes (Eden Epstein), Jake is sent on one final mission, and promised a boat and his freedom if he's successful. The mission is to fly into France, an even more violent place overseen by the despotic Volkov (Kristofer Hivju), and retrieve the "Mona Lisa." Rebel liaison Drea (Olga Kurylenko) is sent to help Jake. But the mission will turn out to be nothing like what Jake was expecting.
Is It Any Good?
This dystopian thriller features an international cast that's just one of several key components that doesn't make a lot of sense. The details of what has sent the world into violent, apocalyptic chaos are glossed over in a simplistic voiceover at the start of Afterburn. We're immediately thrown into the action as Bautista heads out on a mission that will inevitably end in a deadly fight. You know it from his warnings as well as the forsaken city streets (why are there barrel fires everywhere?).
It's never clear whether Jackson and Epstein's characters are to be trusted, why Americans are in charge in England, nor why the cartoonishly evil Norwegian Hivju is running France. Bautista and Kurylenko handle the action scenes well (the occasional heavy metal music wasn't necessary), but their emotional bond isn't developed enough to warrant the film's happy-ish (for them, but what about the rest of the world?) ending.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what caused the current world's chaos in Afterburn. Other films have depicted similar dystopian futures. Which, in your mind, has offered the most believable version?
What's the appeal of violent sci-fi thrillers like this? Why do you think they continue to be so popular?
The film uses heavy metal music occasionally during fight scenes. How did this affect the scenes? Would the mood have changed without the music?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 20, 2025
- Cast : Dave Bautista , Samuel L. Jackson , Olga Kurylenko
- Director : JJ Perry
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Amazon Prime Video
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Adventures , Dystopia , Friendship
- Run time : 105 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong bloody violence, and language
- Last updated : May 22, 2026
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