Parents' Guide to

The Girl with All the Gifts

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Very gory zombie movie tackles interesting ideas.

Movie R 2017 111 minutes
The Girl with All the Gifts Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 7 parent reviews

Naturallyk8
Naturallyk8 Parent of 8 and 10-year-old
October 31, 2021
age 12+

Shockingly good

I didn’t expect much out of this zombie flick, but it was so good!! An original zombie story with a very unique twist. Not overly bloody (for a zombie movie). Some heart and thoughtful dialogue. Fine for pre-teens and up who can handle dark matters.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
June 22, 2020
age 16+

A true triumph for its budget and one of the best zombie movies of all time

While the man-eating fungus-body-snatcher-plague is by no means original, the serious portrayal of a zombie apocalypse in The Girl with All the Gifts is one of the best. It's hard to believe they managed to do all they did on screen with such little budget (less than $5 million). The derelict natural-takeover landscapes are stunning and the fungal evolution is otherworldly and interesting. There's some extremely tense moments in this film and it achieves horror without reliance on jump scares or gratuitous gore. All that being said, the film's finale is poorly executed. Did the soldiers just decide to abandon all reason for the sake of wrapping up the plot? The teacher just accepts the near total genocide of the human race after a few tears? In the end, the Girl may be somewhat human, but she is absent of any humanity... And in this case, quite "literally worse than Hitler."

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS, the zombie apocalypse has come, the result of a kind of fungal infection, and scientist Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close) is confident she can find a cure. This is partly because certain infected children can still think and operate as humans, even though they hunger for flesh and blood. Young Melanie (Sennia Nanua) seems to be the smartest and most promising of these kids; certainly her teacher, Helen (Gemma Arterton), thinks so. When their compound is breached and overrun by zombies (called "hungries"), they escape, accompanied by Sgt. Parks (Paddy Considine) and soldier Kieran (Fisayo Akinade), seeking safety and shelter. Unfortunately, Melanie discovers that the still-hoped-for cure will come at the cost of her life.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7):
Kids say (3):

There's no shortage of zombie movies out there, but this one, based on a novel by Mike Carey, at least tinkers with some fresh ideas. And, like the best zombie movies, its strengths are based on human themes. In The Girl with All the Gifts, director Colm McCarthy (a veteran of TV's Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Peaky Blinders) conjures up strong visuals, from the miserable, prison-like interiors that begin the film, to the lush, green, overgrown city streets in the second half, with "hungries" lurking everywhere.

Melanie is the key; even as she's forced to wear a plastic mask or satisfies her hunger with a stray cat, dribbling blood down her front, she's polite and wise in dealing with the adults. The movie asks whether she's a monster -- or the future? Which group should be sacrificed so that the other can live? It's not an easy question. Though the movie frequently stoops to bursts of all-too-ordinary horror violence, it's still satisfyingly focused on its concept of progress, both constructive and destructive.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in The Girl with All the Gifts. How does it make you feel? How do the filmmakers achieve that effect? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Is the movie scary? How does it compare to other zombie movies you may have seen?

  • What's the appeal of zombie movies?

  • Melanie is a very strong, resourceful girl, even though she's a "hungry" (a.k.a. zombie). Is she an appealing character? Is she someone you'd want to be like or be friends with? Do you agree with her final choice? Was she doing the right thing? Who benefits, and who loses? How?

Movie Details

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