Captain America: The First Avenger - Parents Movie Review

PG-13 rating for family movie

MPAA Rating
PG-13

for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action

Genre
Action

Director
Joe Johnston

Starring
Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell

Studio
Paramount

Release Date/In Theaters
7/22/2011

Movie Summary

Another comic book comes to life in Captain America. A U.S. WWII soldier, Chris Evans, gains super human strength after taking an experiemental super-serum.

Movie Review for Parents

-by Ginger

Hey everybody, Captain America is back and this family movie review has the scoop! When the army deemed Steve Rogers unfit for military service, they offered him a second chance. Out of a sense of duty to his country, he volunteered for a secret scientific experiment that turned him into Captain America. This modern twist on the Marvel Comic classic is an action packed adventure into the world of underground secret military assignments and a plot to overthrow a would-be dictator. Yes, Captain America does it all in this film in the true tradition of the hero we all know and adore. This parental guide to movies is glad to see this Marvel classic back on the big screen.

It has its share of violence and centers around a World War II setting. It has lots of things blowing up, grenades, and other types of violence that you would find in your everyday average war zone. Captain America fights America’s enemies and superhuman villains. This is an action flick so it would not be advised for small children. However, it is rated PG-13, and this rating seems appropriate.

Captain America is the all American hero in this film. It has themes of duty, honor, and sacrificing oneself for the good of all. Captain America is about perseverance, courage, and all of the traits that make a hero an all American hero. Captain America not only struggles to fight the enemies, he struggles to stay just a guy from Brooklyn and remember who he is as a person, not just a soldier. This is one of the best qualities of this film and makes it more than just an action adventure in the opinion of this family movie review. It is an all around good film about American pride and values. Parents need to be cautioned that the entire film revolves around World War II and is portrayed more like a war movie than a comic book, but then again, that is what Captain America it is all about. Captain America is ruggedly handsome and he does get the girl in the end.

This family movie review found that the film does have some harsh language, about where Captain America will escort his enemies, “straight to” blank. Romance is restricted, but the film does have intense fighting scenes. This movie is appropriate for preteens who are already comic book fans and know what to expect from this type of action film. However, I would not suggest taking the younger members of the family to it because it might be too scary for them.

In general, other than the war scenes, the makers of this movie kept the rough stuff to a minimum. In many places, romantic encounters are suggested, but they are only subtle suggestions mainly through body language. It was rated a little higher than PG-13 in this parental guide to the movies because of the amount of violence in the film. You know there is something going on between the lead female character and Captain America, but that is not the focus of the film. This parental guide to the movies considers the costume to be one of the coolest parts to the movies and gives it two thumbs up.