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Parents' Guide to

Hero

By Liz Perle, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Gorgeous martial arts movie for older kids.

Movie PG-13 2004 99 minutes
Hero Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

age 15+

Complex, interesting ideas and themes take a while to process and think through

Though the acting feels a bit sub-par, the story is very intriguing, and mature teens may have interesting discussions with parents about the "Heroes" of the story and how their actions and intentions affect each other. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the fight scenes are IMPRESSIVELY filmed, in that fantasy, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" type of fight scene (if you've seen that other film, you know what I refer to). There is one sexual scene, but it's brief, non-graphic, and mostly under covers. The violence is not too intense, but there are some disturbing images of bodies shot with arrows, and stabbings. I haven't even fully processed this film, but this makes me want to see it again to understand it more. 7.2/10

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (6 ):

Hero is a very sophisticated movie. It's not Jackie Chan or even Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but a serious meditation on the nature of heroism. This may be one of the most beautiful movies ever shot.

There is some blood, a good deal of suspense and, in what is guaranteed to confuse younger kids, "nameless" tells four different versions of the story to the king. As one 10-year-old said, "It doesn't have a clear plot, but it does have a clear moral."

Movie Details

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