Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

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Parents' Guide to

The Faculty

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Kitschy '90s sci-fi horror, lots of cursing, some gore.

Movie R 1998 104 minutes
The Faculty Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

age 11+

A good sci fun.

Fun film.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (3 ):

This movie, clearly rooted in the tradition of alien invasion and monster B movies of the 1950s, offers a 1990s version here. Instead of Martian attacks rooted in the fears of communist invasions and nuclear war, it's the invasion of the herd mentality in the high school football-loving small towns of America mixed with the clique-questioning of 1980s John Hughes movies, and the oh-so-'90s self-awareness of having the characters flat-out reference the movies and books upon which the movie is borrowing from. And let's not forget a soundtrack sprinkled liberally with horrible '90s bands covering songs they should have left alone (in this case, for example, Creed covering "I'm Eighteen" by Alice Cooper).

It's not groundbreaking cinema, and everyone involved in this all-star cast went on to do far more memorable projects. The archetypal characters at times veer into stereotypes, and expressions of bullying and homophobia haven't aged well. But for some it's an enjoyable glimpse into the recent past, a time before the characters could easily have solved the mysteries and conflicts of The Faculty with a few short clicks and texts on their phones.

Movie Details

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