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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

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

jmo97
jmo97 Adult
June 22, 2016
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
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What's the Story?

Set in a time before the unification of China, HERO follows the story of a nameless warrior (martial arts star Jet Li) who plans to assassinate the ruthless ruler of the kingdom of Qin. He tells the king he has killed the king's three most feared enemies -- Sky, Snow, and Broken Sword -- but the king doesn't believe his story. Three further flashback stories ensue in scenes accented with reds, whites, blues, and greens.

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."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why the movie told the same story four different ways and why the nameless hero does what he does in the end.

  • Also, this movie is an excellent springboard to talk about what it took to make the modern nation states we have today.

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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