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Parents' Guide to

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Remake of raunchy cult classic lacks spark of original.

Movie NR 2016 88 minutes
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 15+
I am a long time fan of the original, the acted in front of screen, and the musical. Just finally saw this version, and it holds up fine. All the lines and lyrics match up so you can sing along. As for appropriate content, I think it is best for 16 and up. I am a teacher and couldn't imagine my middle schoolers seeing this. High schoolers would be just fine. At that age I was going to the late night theater to see it and believe we all handled it just fine back in the 90s. This version is toned down a bit--no oral sex behind a screen, so if you are cautious, choose this version. Nothing like the original work of art, but leave that for older teens.

This title has:

Too much sex
age 12+

Representation in leading role

A great remake and holds all the same great qualities of liberal exploration of sexual orientation and gender identity. The only thing that makes this better is an actual trans woman plays Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Laverne Cox).

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (9 ):

The cast does tolerably, and the jump to TV doesn't dial down the naughtiness too much -- it's just that this comedy has lost some joy in translation. Without the cult history of the original, The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again is simply a campy musical, albeit one whose messages about gender and sexuality have aged remarkably well. The idea of a bisexual character is no longer shocking, nor is one who enjoys cross-dressing (though since Cox is a trans woman who spends the majority of the film's running time dressed in sparkly and brief lady-dancer costumes, that bit might be a tad confusing to new viewers); the songs have held up, and so has the idea of satirizing an old-time movie.

Cox is no Tim Curry, though she seems to be doing an imitation of him, with a terrible English accent that frequently lapses into New Zealand-ish tones, particularly when she calls for "Bred" and "Jehnet." For that matter, few members of the cast give performances as lovably idiosyncratic as the originals and frequently seem to be trying to give the exact same line readings as their predecessors. Which asks the question: If you're going to do a shot-for-shot remake and add nothing but a new cast imitating the old cast, why bother?

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