Parents' Guide to

Fast Color

By Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Atypical superhero story means well but lacks power.

Movie PG-13 2019 102 minutes
Fast Color 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 3 parent reviews

otherthings
otherthings Adult
July 11, 2020
age 11+

A breath of fresh air

A fantastic, sci-fi-tinged superhero story that's grounded in the emotional reality of a broken family. While the post-climate-change future setting starts out pretty bleak, the film is mercifully free of the grim-dark tropes, white-male-centric storylines, glorified violence and relentless action set pieces typical of the genre. Instead you get a fresh and thoughtful story, with three-dimensional characters whose strength manifests in much more surprising ways. It's also a beautiful film to watch, with outstanding visual storytelling from the cinematography down to each individual prop. My 11-year-old daughter loved it as much as I did. The subject of drug addiction comes up, but is handled so delicately that it never felt too dark for her age. The few swear words in the film are used with precision and are incredibly effective.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Janette N.
Janette N. Adult
January 13, 2020
age 14+

Beautiful But Lacks Plot

Fast Color is a beautiful movie. The effects is breath taking and pleasing to he eye. I love that there is a person of color as the main character. But there are problems with the movie. There is such bland plot. No real character development, just your usual tropes. They use the same old, " I believed this until I got a dramatic flashbacks and now I believe this." There is wasted potienal with the entire story. Like the setting is in a future where Earth has ceased any rain. There's government people chasing the main character. The main character has an interesting power. But none of it is really explored in-depth. Everything is just squandered by your common tropes and usual plot devices.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In FAST COLOR, Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) has a special ability to destroy things with her mind, but she can't control her earthquake-triggering seizures without taking drugs. On the run from the government, she hides in the place she abandoned long ago: home. There she reunites with, among others, Lila, the daughter (Saniyya Sidney) she left behind a decade before.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (3 ):

For a superhero movie, this one lacks power. Ruth tells Lila that they may possess unusual telekinetic powers, but "we're not superheroes" -- but viewers are still meant to understand that the special abilities Ruth and all the women in her family line possess are indeed superhuman. The ability to break things apart isn't just limited to cigarettes and ceramics: They have the mental strength to move heaven and earth.

Humanity loves a good story about magical skills that extend beyond the norm, with each decade bringing its own brand -- from I Dream of Jeannie to Carrie to Superman to Harry Potter ... and back to Superman. Despite our current cinematic worship of all things superhero, however, both the DC and Marvel universes are distinctly lacking in female voices of color. Fast Color looks to solve that crisis. But most superhero stories are meant for kids -- and Fast Color is not. It may offer up a mirror to viewers who feel ignored by society (and the multiplex): Drug-addicted Ruth got pregnant while high, then left Lila behind in an effort to give her a better, safer life. But kids whose lives don't have comparable circumstances may receive a different message. Will they understand that they can change the world by relying on the traits they've inherited from their ancestors? Will they see those who are "specially" abled as equal, if not superior? The metaphor just doesn't go far enough for kids to internalize/appreciate. For teen audiences, as good as writer-driector Julia Hart's intention is, Fast Color isn't super, but rather a little draggy, a little heady, and a little boring.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Fast Color's message that we all have special powers in our DNA: the skills, traits, and lessons that we get from our ancestors. When you go up your family tree, what "powers" can you find that could be lying dormant in you?

  • Is Ruth a role model? Why or why not? In real life, can someone change their story?

  • Do you ever feel -- like Ruth and the other women do -- that you have to hide your true self for society to accept you? How do you think swallowing their real identity affects someone?

  • Why do we like movies, comics, and TV shows about people who have superhuman abilities?

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