Parents' Guide to The Skulls

Veteran director Rob Cohen keeps THE SKULLS moving, even when the action stops making sense. Adults may become impatient with the many lapses in logic. However, this is a thriller for teens. The main character learns that money and power at the expense of friendship isn't worth it--not such a bad message during a time when wealth is seen as the ultimate, if not only, barometer of success.

One fifteen-year-old female viewer liked the two friends Luke leaves behind the best: fellow rower and outsider Will, whose murder sparks Luke's turnaround, and the girl upstairs, Chloe. Will is a strong, if briefly developed African-American character, and Chloe turns out to be one tough woman, planning getaways and out-driving killer SUVs. But even the fifteen-year-old saw where the plot went awry. The scene in which Luke goes from a thorazine coma to fighting a duel exasperated her, but it didn't dampen her overall enthusiasm. Bottom line: The glossy visuals, intriguing settings, and action in The Skulls may help teens forget that all the plot twists add up to a pretzel.