Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Downbeat, futuristic sci-fi has uneven story, characters.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Young Ones
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In the future, water is extremely scarce, and a farming family led by Ernest Holm (Michael Shannon) struggles to survive. He makes a living delivering supplies to the men who work for a huge company, routing water to bigger corporate farms. Ernest tries to strike a deal, but fails. Meanwhile, his daughter, Mary (Elle Fanning), is secretly seeing Flem Lever (Nicholas Hoult); Flem has ambitious plans that include stealing the family's robotic mule and could even involve murder. It falls to Ernest's son, Jerome (Kodi Smit McPhee), to discover the truth and set things right.
Is It Any Good?
Writer/director Jake Paltrow (Gwyneth's brother) comes up with an intriguing setting for YOUNG ONES: a futuristic farmland in which water has become the top commodity. Details include government-issued food packs and washing dishes with dirt. Like the superior Mad Max and The Rover, it's not so far out that it seems irrelevant. But into this backdrop he plunks a tired old crime story about an interloping stranger who fools almost everyone with his deceptive charms, adding nothing fresh to it.
The balance is all off. Flem seems outright villainous at all times, making Mary unsympathetic. Then Jerome becomes far too crafty far too quickly. A would-be romance is added and forgotten, and the fascination with the robot donkey never really pays off. Perhaps worst of all, there's no real connection between the characters' interactions and the futuristic setting. What happens to them has little to do with water. Overall, Young Ones is a bit of a drip.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Young Ones' violence. How shocking/bloody is it? Does the violence seem to arise from existing tension, or does it come from nowhere?
Which character has a drinking problem? How bad is it? When he drinks, does he drink for pleasure, or for some other purpose? Are there realistic consequences?
What can we learn from stories about the future? What is good or bad about this future? How can we prepare for it?
What do you think might happen if water became scarce and the government started controlling it, favoring large, corporate farms over smaller, individual farmers? How could this be prevented?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 17, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : January 13, 2015
- Cast : Elle Fanning , Nicholas Hoult , Kodi Smit-McPhee
- Director : Jake Paltrow
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Screen Media Films
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some violence and language
- Last updated : September 20, 2022
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