Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (PG-13)
Giant monster battles are fun and humans are meh in mega fight-fest.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is the fifth film in Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse series. Violence, as expected, is the main issue. Expect lots of giant monster fights, with slamming, punching and choking. Kong rips open a hyena-type monster corpse and showers green guts all over himself, and also slurps up the innards of the creatures he’s killed in battle. And Godzilla blows up a crab-type monster and showers yellow goo everywhere. Kong also takes a young ape by the foot and swings it around as a weapon. A sharp blade slices open Kong’s paw, and a human is attacked and eaten by sentient tree roots. A dead body is seen underneath wreckage. Language includes infrequent uses of “s—,” “a–,” “hell,” “damn” and “oh my God.” There’s no sex or substance use of note. As usual, the monsters have more personality than the humans, and the story is too convoluted, but the big, boomy battles are fun. (115 minutes)
Slapstick animal heist tale has violence, partial nudity.
“Cat & Dog” is a French comedy that follows the misadventures of a talking cat (voiced by Inès Reg) and a dog (voiced by Artus) who inadvertently swallows a stolen ruby, setting off a wild chase involving thieves, a cop and the pets’ human owners. There’s lots of slapstick violence, including falls from extreme heights, punching, kicking, strangling and Tasering, as well as violence involving animals. A girl references putting her first two cats in a washing machine. The main animals face peril throughout the movie; they outrun predators and get zapped by electrical lines. An animal falls through thin ice and nearly drowns in freezing water. Most injuries don’t last long, but a character is shot in the foot, and another nearly dies when he’s crushed. Expect kissing and partial nudity (a glimpse of a topless woman), plus potty humor like “booty shake” and “smell my butt” and language like “Jesus, help.” Adults drink champagne on a private jet. While the film touches on themes of friendship and teamwork, negative behavior like greed and selfishness overshadows these messages. (86 minutes)
Dense sci-fi drama has violence, language and nudity.
“3 Body Problem” is a science fiction drama based on the award-winning 2015 sci-fi novel by Liu Cixin and produced by the creative team behind “Game of Thrones.” Expect lots of intense violence, including deaths by suicide and a mass killing where bodies are sliced up by nanotech. A child’s severed leg shown on the ground. There’s a mass indoor gunfight (screaming, blood spatters), and a daughter watches her dad get beaten to death while a crowd jeers, his face bloodied and mangled. Strong language includes “f—,” “s—” and “a–.” Main characters frequently drink, smoke cigarettes and use marijuana. There are also references to being high, dropping acid and overusing anti-anxiety pills. There’s some nonsexual nudity, including brief full frontals, set in a virtual world. Characters date and talk about love with brief kissing. The show incorporates theological and philosophical questions about the existence of God, and characters demonstrate ingenuity, bravery, resilience and compassion. The series has a diverse cast, starring several actors with Chinese heritage, such as Rosalind Chao and Benedict Wong, plus Black and Mexican actors, including Jovan Adepo and Eiza González, as part of the main ensemble. (Eight episodes)
Morphle and the Magic Pets (TV-Y)
Solid spinoff offers new adventures, inspires creativity.
“Morphle and the Magic Pets” is a spinoff of the popular series “Morphle” and “Morphle 3D.” It expands the world of main character Mila (voiced by Lexie Foley) and her magical shape-shifting pet, Morphle. After Mila’s dad marries her friend Jordie’s mom, the kids become stepsiblings. When their magic pets get into trouble, Mila and Jordie (Ayden Elijah) step up to help. With creative thinking and Morphle’s shape-shifting powers, the pets morph into cars, helicopters and even a hot-air balloon to help them navigate adventures safely. At times, trouble may escalate, but Mila’s refusal to give up helps save the day. While there are brief moments of tension and surprise, the tone is never too scary. (18 episodes)
Available on Disney Plus.
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Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/29/common-sense-media-godzilla-kong-cat-dog/