Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Jonah Hex

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Dumb, violent action Western totally misfires.

Movie PG-13 2010 80 minutes
Jonah Hex Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 7 parent reviews

age 13+

Not the comic

it's a huge departure from the comic and I'm ok with that. Was never really big on the western comics, especially from d.c. I watched this with a grain salt and to be honest I was pleasantly surprise. My only annoyance was Megan Fox's character. Unlike many fans of the comic, I enjoyed the added supernatural abilities given to Jonah Hex. It actually made him more interesting.
age 13+

Recommended for teens

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (12 ):

The original Hex comics were moody and often thoughtful, with a touch of cynical humor -- and Jonah sometimes performed good deeds in spite of himself -- but the movie is dumb and violent. Hex acts out of nothing but revenge and is a one-dimensional villain determined to destroy the world for no good reason. Fox is added to the mix for extra box office appeal, but she has little to do, and her character borders on stereotypical.

Directed by Jimmy Hayward (who also did the wonderful Horton Hears a Who!), Jonah Hex is clumsy, choppy, and so poorly filmed that it's difficult to follow the action. The loud, heavy metal-esque music sometimes makes it difficult to hear the dialogue -- the dialogue that is audible is simplistic and annoying. The movie makes attempts to "update" the Western genre by adding modern fighting techniques and futuristic weapons, but these ideas just seem desperate. Ultimately, despite all the state-of-the-art weaponry, it's a total misfire.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: June 18, 2010
  • On DVD or streaming: October 12, 2010
  • Cast: John Malkovich , Josh Brolin , Megan Fox
  • Director: Jimmy Hayward
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Bisexual actors
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Genre: Western
  • Run time: 80 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: intense sequences of violence and action, disturbing images and sexual content
  • Last updated: July 9, 2023

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

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.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate