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Parents' Guide to

Fahrenheit 451

By Marty Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Soggy, violent adaptation of book-burning sci-fi classic.

Movie NR 2018 100 minutes
Fahrenheit 451 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Connor M.
Connor M. Adult
June 16, 2018
age 15+

Much more mature and original adaptation

Compared to the 1966 adaptation, this is a much more mature and gritty version. Farenheit 451 overall was a very good adaptation. Although it didn't follow the book's original plot, it still got the message through clearly that we shouldn't burn books. the film however has some F-bombs (7 in total, one combined with mother), a few used of s--t and a use of a--. Some scenes has brutal fighting, but no gore. Farenheit 451 has many tense moments, making this film not a good choice for sensitive viewers. But in conclusion, this film adapted the book in a new original and still effective way. If you have younger kids, the 1966 version is a better choice.
Mith and Myths
Mith and Myths Parent of 12-year-old
May 6, 2023
age 11+

The book is essential reading for children; this adaption of the novel is a good supplement for teens and mature tweens.

This is an adaptation of the Bradbury classic into a more modern world. The themes of the book are mostly present in the movie: the dangers of giving control to the government, the hazards and harms of book banning and group-think, and the truth and beauty that good art can nourish in our souls. Parents should know that the swearing is a bit gratuitous. While there is drinking and drug use (the drugs are unnamed eye-drops), the message is clear: these people have lost their purpose in life, lost their sense of the good and the beautiful, and their happiness is a shallow facade for their inner emptiness. Jordan is an excellent actor and does a great job in this movie, while the other performances are adequate. The message is important and uplifting, and I’m somewhat shocked that HBO greenlit this project seeing as it focuses on objective morality, the importance of truth in art, and its warning against giving control to the government to silence dissenting opinions.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In the totalitarian American society in FAHRENHEIT 451, books are banned and "firemen" don't put out fires -- they start them. The belief is that books, or any sort of culture that might present a point of view that conflicts with the government's, can literally drive people insane and therefore must be destroyed. Firemen like Captain Beatty (Michael Shannon) and his Master Trooper Guy Montag (Michael B. Jordan) use blowtorches to eradicate any unauthorized books, films, music, or computers they can find, usually smuggled by book-reading outcasts called "eels." Anyone caught with books is stripped of their identity for a number of years.

After a few book raids on eel houses, Montag starts to question what he has been told about the dangers of reading, and he strikes up a friendship with an eel named Clarisse (Sofia Boutella), who helps to educate him about the real purpose of books. As he learns more and more, Montag must choose between being a fireman and reading, a choice that could lead him down a path toward rebellion against not only the government but Captain Beatty, who has been a father figure to him.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (4 ):

This fiery book-based tale had potential, but this adaptation ultimately ends up as soggy as can be. "Who controls information?" is a prevalent question in America in 2018, whether it's applied toward cable news, social media, or government. So it's easy to see why the creators of this version of Fahrenheit 451 have seen parallels between Bradbury's allegorical novel and our present society. But after some chilling opening scenes where firemen Beatty (Shannon) and Montag (Jordan) indoctrinate a class of young children into believing that reading books can make you crazy, the director fails at even simply telling a cogent story, let alone a resonant one.

Fahrenheit 451 spends a lot of time on mundane aesthetics: a futuristic world lifted wholesale from Blade Runner 2049, terrible special effects (mostly just different types of screens), and showing how fun it is to burn things. But the film takes its characters for granted. The steps in Montag's turn from wolfish fireman to literate rebel are difficult to track, and there's confusion as to Beatty's motivations throughout -- he seems to have some hidden depths but turns out to just be a two-dimensional villain. With no one to really root for here, and tons of contradictions in the setup, the premise itself falls apart under its own weight.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it means to live in a society without books or a society where what you read is dictated by the government. Why would the government want to control what books people read, or what films they watch, or what music they make? How does the government in Fahrenheit 451 maintain this control?

  • How does the world of Fahrenheit 451 compare to our current society? The story seems to be set in the future but with many of the same tools and technology that we currently have, like the internet, computers, and flash drives. What's different -- and do you think we would ever be in a similar situation?

  • The main characters in Fahrenheit 451 are "firemen," who use fire to destroy things. What do you think the fire represents? What would it mean to have these kinds of fires and firemen in our society?

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