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Parents' Guide to

The Moderator

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Anti-misogyny message in atrocious action-thriller.

Movie R 2022 82 minutes
The Moderator Movie: Poster

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

Movie G.
Movie G. Adult
December 15, 2022
age 18+
Absolute trash. It’s almost confusing, you’d think the idea was combating rape and abuse, but neck slicing doesn’t seem like much of a solution. And a female character actually saying she doesn’t mind getting raped has no place in a movie trying to deliver a moral message. Neither does vigilante-ism. Two wrongs don’t make a right, right? Don’t bother with this movie, it’s garbage on all ramifications.
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What's the Story?

In THE MODERATOR, a woman (Irma Lake) receives a happy video from her two friends who are vacationing in Morocco. Then she hears a news report that these same friends have been killed, apparently in a terrorist incident. Using her contacts, the first woman gets a code name, "Mya Snik," and springs into action. She kills a man who seems to be involved with posting footage of the murder online and then heads to Morocco. There she crosses paths with Hakim (Don Bigg), a local who has his fingers in many pies and may be connected with the murder. He's also connected to American pop star Vance Wilhorn (Michael Patrick Lane), who loves partying and luring women into his lair and raping them. As Mya causes more and more carnage, local police officer Selma (Soraya Azzabi) gets closer to tracking her down ... and finds more than she bargained for.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This atrocious action movie is bad in just about every way: poorly written, poorly acted, poorly shot, preachy, unintentionally funny in spots, brutally offensive in others, and just clueless. Characters make awkward line deliveries across the board, and Vance feels more like a time-share salesman than a pop star (as evidenced by an awful, badly lip-synched "recording session"). Then there's Mya herself, who has virtually no background or introduction other than waking up in skimpy underthings, petting her cat, and doing some yoga. (Who's taking care of the cat while she's wreaking vengeance around the world?)

Mya is referred to as a "motorcycle travel blogger," but she's also someone with a "particular set of skills." She seems to be working for some shadow organization, but she also seems to be on a personal vendetta. Sometimes she's good in a fight, and other times she's terrible, taking to throwing shoes at one assailant and unable to catch up to a huffing villain on a trail in the woods. Eventually The Moderator gets to its #MeToo message, that misogyny and rape are bad. But it treats viewers as simpletons and includes extremely problematic elements, such as a woman who says, "I wouldn't mind being raped by a handsome man like that." And its blunt solution to these problems is vigilantism. It's unclear how a movie like this gets made, but it's best to avoid it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Moderator's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

  • What is misogyny? What do you think are the best ways of combating it?

  • What is a vigilante? Is vigilantism effective? Why, or why not? Why are vigilantes popular characters in movies?

  • How is gender represented in the movie? Are any of the women role models?

  • How is drug use shown? Is it glamorized? Are there realistic consequences? Why is that important?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: July 29, 2022
  • On DVD or streaming: July 29, 2022
  • Cast: Irma Lake , Robert Knepper , Gary Dourdan
  • Director: Zhor Fassi-Fihri
  • Inclusion Information: Black actors, Middle Eastern/North African writers
  • Studio: Saban Films
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Run time: 82 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: violence, sexual assault, language, some sexual content and brief drug use
  • Last updated: December 1, 2022

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