Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violence, language in offbeat, occasionally funny thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sacrifice
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Movie star Mike (Chris Evans) is making his first public appearance after an embarrassing on-camera meltdown at his last film's premiere in SACRIFICE. He's attending a black-tie charity gala with his agent, Oliver (Sam Richardson), inside a mine in Greece, but he's still not in a very stable place emotionally. While he's away from the ballroom berating himself for posting yet another potentially embarrassing video, chaos breaks out. A group of eco-terrorists have taken over the proceedings, coordinated by leader Joan (Anna Taylor-Joy) and her siblings (Yung Lean and Jade Croot). At gunpoint, they select three people to take hostage—Mike, tech "visionary" Ben (Vincent Cassel), and dancer Katie (Ambika Mod). What these three don't yet know is that they're expected to play a role in an elaborate ritual that will involve human sacrifices in order to save the world.
Is It Any Good?
Your enjoyment of this film is going to depend entirely on how much you are swayed by its intended social critique or how much you get into the performances. Evans and Taylor-Joy give their all to their roles in Sacrifice. Both characters undergo mental shifts over the course of the film. Neither has a firm grasp on reality—he, because he's lived his life on-screen, giving him the sense that nothing he's experienced or felt has been real, and she, because she's been raised in a backwoods survivalist family that has allowed her to develop delusions of world-saving grandeur. There are ideas in here worth thinking about, but the film struggles to pull it all together cohesively and coherently.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the beliefs of Joan and her siblings in Sacrifice. Did any parts feel like they could be plucked from actual headlines, or did their upbringing, ideology, and actions feel entirely fantastical?
How do you explain the ending? What clues are there earlier in the film that this is coming?
Talk about the film's violence. Is it shocking? Thrilling? Both? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 16, 2026
- Cast : Chris Evans , Anya Taylor-Joy , Vincent Cassel
- Director : Romain Gavras
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Activism ( Climate change ) , Dystopia , Family Stories ( Dads , Siblings ) , Friendship
- Run time : 106 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some bloody violence, and language including some sexual references
- Last updated : October 30, 2026
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