KIDS FIRST! News

With Lionsgate release Abduction making its way through theaters across the country, KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Gabriella Chu (age 14) shares a thoughtful view from the age group the film seems to be intended for.

Abduction
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu
(See her full review on video.)

If you like to watch action movies or are a fan of Taylor Lautner, then Abduction is the fast-paced one for you. It’s about a teen boy named Nathan, played by Taylor Lautner, who finds a baby pciture of him on a missing persons website. As he investigates, he finds out his parents aren’t his biological parents. They get killed, and the CIA starts chasing after him.

If you want to unlock the mystery to why all these astonishing events are happening to Nathan in just one day, watch the movie.

In the beginning, the director films Nathan’s normal life, and then quickly transitions to a suspenseful action movie.

It’s exciting because Nathan constantly finds himself in the midst of an obstacle. On the other hand, the storyline and plot didn’t exactly work out for me. Although the movie shows that you shouldn’t trust anyone but yourself and close friends, some parts of the movie didn’t quite make sense to me.

I recommend this movie to teen 13 and up. There are intense fighting scenes, brief language and other teen behaviors not appropriate for children.

Photo: Abduction poster (top), Gabriella Chu (bottom)

KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda (age 9) catches the latest in theatrical releases and shares his review of Dolphin Tales (“really funny,” he says, and points out that it’s based on a true story) and fellow critic Makai Weber Colvin (age 10) revisits the 2002 video release Kermit’s Swamp Years in time for its screening on HDNet Movies on several dates in October and November. “I think the audience for Kermit’s Swamp Years is bigger than most kid’s movies, because I think nearly all teens and adults will like it, too,” she says.

Dolphin Tale
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

This movie was great. I loved it. I loved it because it was really funny and it’s based on a true story.

This movie is all about a dolphin named Winter. She got her tail trapped in a crab trap, and now her tail is really injured and she had to be taken away to kind of like an aquarium.

My favorite characters in the movie would be Sawyer; the dolphin, Winter; and a doctor named Dr. Clay. I like Dr. Clay because he is a really good character and he helps, trying to save Winter.

My favorite part in the movie is when Winter starts to actually swim. Nobody thought that could really happen. She wasn’t really swimming too right, because she lost her tail, and they tried to make her a new one. But that didn’t work out too well.

I would recommend this movie for all ages because the movie is really great and there were only about two scary parts in this movie.

Charles Martin Smith directed Dolphin Tale from the screenplay that Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi wrote based on a true story. The film stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr.

Kermit’s Swamp Years
Reviewed by Makai Weber Colvin

This movie is about Kermit the Frog when he was a young kid like me (I’m ten years old). It is great see what Kermit’s life is like before the Muppets.

Kermit is a humble country frog who wants to see what life is like outside the swamp. The movie tells the story of how Kermit discovers the real human world and the amazing adventures ahead of him. I really love the animated backgrounds and the country feel when he is in the swamp. The music in Kermit’s Swamp Years adds a nice touch and covers every emotion. I call it “gator music” because it feels like music you’d hear in the good ol’ country.Kermit meets up with a new friend, a stray dog who helps Kermit find his lost friends. The voice of the dog has a nice, energetic feeling to it.

I think the audience for Kermit’s Swamp Years is bigger than most kid’s movies, because I think nearly all teens and adults will like it, too. It’s just that much fun. Over all, I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars.

The animated feature Kermit’s Swamp Years was nominated for an Emmy in 2003, the same year it won a Genesis Award for Children’s Programming as a television movie.

Photos: Dolphin Tale poster (top); Anthony Aranda, Kermit’s Swamp Years poster, Makai Colvin Weber (bottom, from left to right)