Parents' Guide to

Big Sky

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Violent, unsurprising thriller lacks tension despite twist.

Movie NR 2015 90 minutes
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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Hazel (Bella Thorne) suffers from crippling agoraphobia and is on her way to a treatment center with her mother and several other new patients. Without warning, their van is carjacked, one of the other passengers is abducted, and the kidnappers shoot almost everyone else. Hazel is uninjured, but her mom (Kyra Sedgwick) is badly wounded. Hazel, who's terrified to be outside, must hike across the desert, under the oppressively vast BIG SKY, for help -- even though every single step is an ordeal.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Big Sky has a simple premise that could have been interesting, had it been executed well ... but it wasn't. The question of how an agoraphobic girl can overcome her debilitating fears in the open desert to save her dying mom is compelling. But what it needed to work is an actress who can really tap into -- and show -- a deep fear; Thorne, unfortunately, mostly mutters to herself and stares at the sand with a blank look. For a girl who's afraid to leave her bedroom, it seems like her phobia comes and goes, as she trudges across the sand with a determined gait; Hazel seems mostly bored, rather than terrified.

The rest of the film is flawed as well, from the bumbling kidnappers who have no coherent plan, to the drugged-out biker who appears from nowhere in the middle of the desert and then disappears from the film without serving much of a purpose. The pieces simply don't fit together, and viewers aren't given much reason to care how it turns out.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Big Sky's violence. How does it compare to what you might see in a horror movie? Which has the most impact? Why?

  • Do you think the film portrays agoraphobia accurately? How would this condition affect Hazel's life, and her mother's? Did Hazel's ordeal help her overcome her fears?

  • How does this film compare to other kidnapping thrillers?

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