Common Sense Media Review
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Coming-of-age drama has peer pressure, bloody scenes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Plague
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
THE PLAGUE follows a group of boys at a water polo summer camp. The new kid in the neighborhood, Ben (Everett Blunck), wants to fit in with a group of boys who are led by ringleader Jake (Kayo Martin). Jake has convinced everyone that another boy, Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), has "the plague," and keeps the other boys away from him. Ben's uneasy friendship with Eli, plus his desire to fit in, eventually teaches him a lesson about the importance of being yourself.
Is It Any Good?
This intense drama focuses a gut-wrenching magnifying glass on the challenges of growing up, including peer pressure, puberty, and trying to find your identity. Fresh from his success in Griffin in Summer, Blunck proves again in The Plague why he's one of the best young actors around. He brings a genuine sensitivity to the role of Ben, the new kid at water polo camp who wants to make friends but is affected by the group mentality of the other boys. As Jake, the leader of the group, Martin's ability to become cold and calculating is also impressive, as is Rasmussen as Eli, a boy who's ostracized for his skin rashes as well as what is coded to be his autism.
All of the boys in The Plague, including Lennox Espy, Lucas Adler, Caden Burris, Elliot Heffernan, and Kolton Lee, deserve props for realistically portraying the goofiness, weirdness, and, frankly, brutally mean qualities that adolescent boys can have. The Plague also makes an always relevant point through its use of body horror: It pays to be yourself, even if others don't understand you or make fun of you for it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how peer pressure is depicted in The Plague. In what ways does Ben respond to peer pressure? How does it compare to what you've experienced or heard about in your own life?
Why do the other boys keep their distance from Eli? What can lead to people who are different from the majority being judged or feared? What message does the film have about being yourself?
How does Ben stand up to Jake? How does his relationship with Jake affect his relationship with Eli?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 24, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : February 3, 2026
- Cast : Everett Blunck , Joel Edgerton , Kenny Rasmussen , Kayo Martin
- Director : Charlie Polinger
- Studio : IFC
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Friendship , Sports
- Character Strengths : Compassion
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, sexual material, self-harm/bloody images, and some drug and alcohol use - all involving children
- Last updated : March 19, 2026
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