Leigh Paatsch’s ultimate holiday movie guide
FORGET G or PG — this is the guide you really want. Leigh Paatsch rates each of the big movie offerings, revealing top picks to keep primary-school kids, teens, and maybe even adults, happy.
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FORGET G or PG — this is the guide you really want.
Here's what you need to know about each of the big school holiday movie offerings, including the top picks to keep young kids, teens, and maybe even adults, happy.
STAYING HOME? KIDS FILMS TO STREAM THESE HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAY MOVIE GUIDE — TERM 1 2018
Early Man (PG, 89 min)
*** TOP PICK — PRIMARY SCHOOLERS ***
Who?: The voices of Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams
What?: Animated comedy adventure. A tribe battle to save their home from a vengeful enemy at the dawn of the Bronze Age, while prehistoric creatures like woolly mammoths still roam the earth.
Well ... ?: Next to Pixar, the most reliable brand in kids’ movie entertainment is Aardman, the British studio that specialises in stop-motion claymation. This is their first release for the creators of Wallace and Gromit since 2015’s wonderful Shaun the Sheep, and it does not disappoint. Kids will absolutely love the movie, which jams both cleverness and silliness into every frame.
Which age group?:
under 5yo : ***
5yo — 8yo : ****
9yo — 12yo : ****
13yo+ : ***
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Ready Player One (M, 140 min) *** TOP PICK — HIGH SCHOOLERS ***
Who?: Tye Sheridan, Ben Mendelsohn, Olivia Cooke
What?: Action adventure. In the near future, life is so horrible that most of the world prefers to seek refuge (and their fortune) inside a sleek and inviting virtual reality gaming environment heavily influenced by the 1980s.
Well ... ?: This much-anticipated adaptation of the 2011 bestseller by Ernest Cline will be the hottest ticket in town this holidays. Veteran filmmaker Steven Spielberg has crafted a relentlessly exciting and mind-expanding adventure that gaming-savvy kids (and nostalgic parents who lived through the ‘80s) will find irresistible.
Which age group?:
Under 5yo : *
5yo — 8yo : ***
9yo — 12yo : ****
13yo+ : ****1/2
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Peter Rabbit (PG, 95 min)
Who?: James Corden, Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson
What?: Animated comedy. Peter Rabbit, his cousin Benjamin, and his triplet sisters Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, spend their days raiding the McGregor vegetable garden. But all that is about to change.
Well ... ?: This reckless rendition of the books by Beatrix Potter could have been another Paddington in the right hands. Sadly, this very British bunny has been Americanised in all the wrong ways, and can be quite the fluffy-tailed smart-alec. Any appeal vanishes for viewers above the age of 8 or so.
Which age group?:
Under 5yo : **1/2
5yo — 8yo : **
9yo — 12yo : *1/2
13yo+ : *
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A Wrinkle in Time (PG, 109 min)
Who?: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon
What?: Fantasy drama. After the mysterious disappearance of her scientist father, Meg, her brother and a school friend enter an alternate dimension to look for him. Guiding the way are three strange and wise beings.
Well ... ?: This is a tough one to rate, primarily because of the unorthodox interpretation the beloved book by Madeleine L’Engle. Though boasting visuals to rival Ready Player One — and arguably features more interesting characters — a desire to get all deep, meaningful and ominous will baffle (and maybe even bore) many youngsters.
Which age group?:
Under 5yo : **
5yo — 8yo : **
9yo — 12yo : **1/2
13yo+ : **1/2
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The Greatest Showman (PG, 105 min)
Who?: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron
What?: Musical. The birth of show business as seen through the eyes of circus impresario P.T. Barnum, a dreamer who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
Well ... ?: The sleeper hit of the summer is still going strong in selected cinemas because of its impeccable songbook, packed to the hilt with the catchiest earworms since Frozen. Kids who carry a strong musical gene should seek out the ‘sing-a-long’ version, with the lyrics cascading across the screen for double the fun.
Which age group?:
Under 5yo : ***
5yo — 8yo : ***1/2
9yo — 12yo : ****
13yo+ : ****
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Pacific Rim: Uprising (M, 111 min)
Who?: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny
What?: Sci-fi action sequel. Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako
Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots, against a new Kaiju threat. If they fail, Tokyo will be toast.
Well ... ?: Hard to recommend this lifeless apocalyptic yarn to anyone but high-schoolers who want to see massive robots and monstrous creatures smack each other around. The Transformers movies do this kind of thing much better (and we already know they are no great shakes).
Which age group?:
Under 5yo : *
5yo — 8yo : *
9yo — 12yo : *1/2
13yo+ : **
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Sherlock Gnomes (G, 86 min)
Who?: the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp.
What?: Animated adventure-comedy. Garden gnomes Gnomeo & Juliet, recruit renowned detective Sherlock Gnomes to investigate the unexplained disappearance of many garden ornaments across London.
Well ... ?: Though as utterly forgettable as a modern cartoon can possibly get, it does stand as the best choice this holidays for preschoolers who just need plenty of antics, bright bursts of colour and a story that is very easy to follow. Relatively short running time also a blessing for parents attending.
Which age group?:
Under 5yo : ***
5yo — 8yo : **1/2
9yo — 12yo : **
13yo+ : *1/2
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Tomb Raider (M, 118 min)
Who?: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins
What?: Action adventure. Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the same island where her father vanished.
Well ... ?: A solid, relatively balanced mix of escapism and substance that compares favourably to last Easter’s action hit Kong: Skull Island. Doesn’t overdo the violence and can get some good storytelling going in its quieter moments. Worth the look for kids craving some action, and who’ve seen enough of Black Panther for now.
Which age group?:
Under 5yo : *
5yo — 8yo : **
9yo — 12yo : ***
13yo+ : ***1/2
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