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"Star Trek" (PG-13, 2 hrs., 7 min.)

The special effects are just tacky enough and the characters more than vivid enough to make this "Star Trek" prequel work just fine. It recounts in boisterous and occasionally confusing detail how Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov met and wound up boldly going from galaxy to galaxy at warp speed aboard the USS Enterprise. Whether Trekkers (as purist buffs prefer to be called) will approve of every aspect of director J.J. Abrams' film is secondary to whether it's a good popcorn flick. It is.

Fine for teens, the film will also work for many kids 10 to 12, but some of them may be unsettled by the Enterprise's space battles with the vengeful Romulan leader Nero (Eric Bana), his ominous-looking ship and planet-killing drill. There is verbal reference to "billions" dying when planets are imploded. The prologue shows George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), heroic father of James T. Kirk, sacrifice himself by flying his starship straight into an attacking Romulan vessel, even as his wife (Jennifer Morrison) gives birth to their son on a fleeing shuttle. There is implied torture, when Nero tries to get information years later out of the Enterprise's first skipper, Capt. Pike (Bruce Greenwood). The film includes hand-to-hand and sword-to-sword fighting and an implied impalement, as well as phasers set on more than stun. There is mild sexual humor and innuendo, a brief nongraphic sexual situation, rare mild profanity, and a giant lobsterish monster.

As a wild 20-something, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) gets into bar fights and chases women. But Capt. Pike reminds the young Kirk of his heroic father and convinces him to become a Star Fleet cadet. He excels and breaks the rules. Kirk's initial acquaintance with fellow cadet Spock (Zachary Quinto) sparks quite a rivalry, including a romantic one over language expert Uhura (Zoe Saldana). Kirk also befriends Dr. Leonard McCoy, aka Bones (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho), and the comically accented Chekov (Anton Yelchin). Later in the adventure Kirk encounters cranky engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg). On their maiden voyage with the Enterprise, an emergency call from Vulcan leads to a confrontation with Nero and the attacking Romulans. Spock struggles to balance his rational and emotional sides when his Vulcan father (Ben Cross) and human mother (Winona Ryder) are endangered. And thanks to a confusing "disrupted time continuum," young Kirk encounters old Spock (Leonard Nimoy, who else?), who offers key advice.

Parents and grandparents will chuckle to hear Scotty yell "I'm givin' it all I've got, Captain!" and to observe the pitch-perfect banter between the young Enterprise officers. Even for teens who don't remember the 1960s TV show or the feature films, this "Star Trek" stands on its own.

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Beyond the Ratings Game: Movie Reviews for various ages

-- OK FOR KIDS 8 AND OLDER:

"Hannah Montana The Movie" G -- Teen pop star Hannah Montana's off-stage self, Miley Stewart, gets too big for her high-heeled sneakers in this saccharine confection, so her dad, Robby Ray Stewart, decides she needs some "Hannah detox" time at the family's Tennessee farm. Miley Stewart is played by real-life pop star Miley Cyrus, of course, and Robby Ray is played by her real-life dad, country-and-western star Billy Ray Cyrus, so it's hard to see them as "just folks" who got lucky in showbiz. But little girls will thrill to see Hannah/Miley sing, shop, take pratfalls, ride a horse, sing to save her town from a developer, and flirt with an aw-shucks local boy (Lucas Till). The brashest phrase is "sweet cheeks," the strongest brew is iced tea, and there is mild sexual innuendo. OK for under-8s, too, but they won't get everything.

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-- OK FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER:

"Battle for Terra" PG -- Humorless and preachy, this computer-animated sci-fi tale tells of a peaceable planet called Terra attacked by human invaders. The humans need a new planet, because Earth is uninhabitable due to war and climate. The Earthlings' militarist leader argues that all alien beings are expendable, but when human officer Jim Stanton (voice of Luke Wilson) and his translator robot (David Cross -- the film's lone dash of wit) encounter Terrian teen Mala (Evan Rachel Wood), they bond and try to stop the attack. The 3-D animation is dim and colorless, but at least there's an artful whimsy in the shapes of the Terrian world. There is at least one sacrificial suicide to save others. Mala sees her father's (nongraphic) death. Terrians are captured and perhaps killed, and aerial battles feature explosions and sci-fi zaps. Characters nearly suffocate for lack of atmosphere. Kids 10 and older may like the film's ideas.

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-- PG-13s OF VARYING INTENSITY:

"Star Trek" (NEW) -- The special effects are just tacky enough and the characters more than vivid enough to make this "Star Trek" prequel work just fine as a popcorn flick to please both purist fans and general audiences. It recounts in boisterous and occasionally confusing detail how the young Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) met and wound up boldly going from galaxy to galaxy at warp speed aboard the USS Enterprise. Fine for teens, the film will also work for many kids 10 to 12, but some of them may be unsettled by the Enterprise's space battles with the vengeful Romulan leader Nero (Eric Bana), his ominous-looking ship and planet-killing drill. There is verbal reference to "billions" dying when planets implode. The prologue shows the sacrificial suicide of George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), who flies a starship straight into an attacking Romulan vessel, even as his wife (Jennifer Morrison) gives birth to their son James on a fleeing shuttle. There is implied torture, intense fighting, an implied impalement and a lobsteresque monster, as well as mild sexual humor and innuendo, a brief nongraphic sexual situation, rare mild profanity. As a wild 20-something, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) gets into bar fights and chases women. But Capt. Pike, who'll command the new Enterprise, reminds Kirk of his heroic dad and convinces him to enlist in Star Fleet, where he meets the whole gang as a cadet. The Enterprise's first mission leads to a battle with the Romulans; Kirk and Spock clash over how to handle it once Pike is taken hostage, and Spock struggles with his emotions when his Vulcan father (Ben Cross) and human mother (Winona Ryder) are in peril. Thanks to a "disrupted time continuum," young Kirk meets an old Spock (Leonard Nimoy, who else?), who has key advice. Even for teens who don't remember the 1960s TV show or the feature films, this "Star Trek" stands on its own.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" -- There's a brooding intensity to this prequel about the origin of Wolverine, leader of the mutant X-Men fighters (based on the comic books). Though also a PG-13, it is darker than its predecessors -- more violent than enlightening and an iffy proposition for middle-schoolers or preteens. Innocents die and there are implied impalements and a beheading, but little graphic gore in the vicious fights. Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine and Liev Schreiber as his murderous half-brother Victor/Sabretooth get us over the narrative bumps (a puzzling prologue and a muddled ending) by sheer force of personality. We meet James Logan and Victor as boy mutants in 1845 Canada. Logan has blades of bone that pop out of his knuckles when he's riled. Victor soon develops a tiger's traits. We follow these apparent immortals through the Civil War, World Wars and Vietnam. Victor becomes an amoral killer. He and Logan sign on with a special ops mutant team recruited by an evil military man, Stryker (Danny Huston). Offended by the unit's war crimes, Logan quits. Years later, Victor seeks out Logan and commits a murder just to hurt him. Bent on revenge, Logan finds Stryker and allows him to amplify his mutant traits, changing his blades and skeleton into metal. Now calling himself Wolverine, he goes after Victor. There is occasional profanity, sexual innuendo, and brief nongraphic long-distance nudity.

"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" -- Crass but semi-clever, this fable owes its plot to Charles Dickens and its sensibility to "Sex and the City." Matthew McConaughey spoofs his own image as Connor, a vain, smarmy fashion photographer who beds all his models, then drops them cold. The spirit of his late uncle (Michael Douglas), a womanizer who taught Connor how to treat "dames," appears to him, all repentant, warning that three ghosts will visit Connor to save him. This occurs during his younger brother's (Breckin Meyer) wedding weekend, where Connor has been trash-talking marriage and trying to fluster the lovely Jenny (Jennifer Garner), who broke his heart in middle school. The movie dodges an R with witty euphemisms for sex and promiscuity, but there is much sexual innuendo and a few briefly steamy but nonexplicit sexual situations. There are verbal references to drugs, midrange profanity and toilet humor. Connor shows signs of alcoholism and others drink, too. There is a theme about losing one's parents very young. Too bawdy for middle-schoolers.

"Obsessed" -- Beyonce Knowles gets angry, pouts and yells a lot as Sharon, a wife and mother threatened by a woman who is literally crazy for her husband in this cheesy, predictable thriller. The only nuanced performance is by Idris Elba as Derek, Sharon's stockbroker spouse. Lisa (Ali Larter), a flirty/snarky temp at Derek's office, makes a play for him and won't accept his rebuff. Lisa's nutty behavior -- jumping into his car wearing lingerie, drugging him at a company retreat so she can sneak into his bed, attempting suicide by overdose -- gets the attention of the cops and proves dangerously psychopathic. The film has considerable sexual innuendo and brief nonexplicit marital sexual situations. Lisa's attempted seductions are steamy on her part, but stylized and nongraphic. At one point, Sharon and Derek's baby seems endangered. There is smoking, drinking and midrange profanity. Not for middle-schoolers.

"The Soloist" -- High art, edginess and entertainment mix in near-perfect proportions in "The Soloist." It is based (with some fictionalization) on columns by Los Angeles Times writer Steve Lopez (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and his discovery of Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a homeless musician of great gifts trapped by mental illness. Lopez learns Ayers was a cello student at Juilliard 30 years earlier. (Ayers plays several instruments, but has no cello when we meet him.) Flashbacks show how the young Ayers began to hear voices and disassociate from reality. After one of Lopez's readers donates a cello, Nathaniel plays it ecstatically, and director Joe Wright cuts to pigeons gliding over the city. The moment could be corny, but it isn't. L.A.'s violent Skid Row is a character itself, and many of its denizens are extras. The workaholic writer and the homeless musician slowly build a friendship. There are briefly violent scuffles, a bloody crime scene, people using drugs or unconscious from overdoses, occasional profanity, drinking, smoking, and toilet humor. For thoughtful teens.

"17 Again" -- Teen idol Zac Efron may thrill his fans, but he lacks the acting skill to play a 37-year-old man zapped back into his 17-year-old body. At least the supporting cast helps him out. In a prologue set in 1989, 17-year-old Mike (Efron) walks away from a college basketball scholarship to marry his pregnant girlfriend Scarlett (Allison Miller). Twenty years later, 37-year-old Mike (Matthew Perry) is out of work, living with his oddball best friend Ned (funny Thomas Lennon) and being divorced by Scarlett (now played by Leslie Mann). Visiting his old high school, he wishes aloud he could be 17 again, and a magical janitor (Brian Doyle-Murray) makes it happen. Posing as a student, young Mike lectures about abstinence and tries to reconcile with his wife, which is more creepy than funny. There is much sexual innuendo, some of it semiexplicit, mild profanity, and condoms passed out in a human sexuality class, though they're not shown. It's implied that some teen characters drink and engage in sexual activity. Not for preteens.

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-- AN R:

"Next Day Air" (NEW) -- Violent, profane, lewd, full of drug references (and some drug use) and characters on the wrong side of the law, "Next Day Air" is not for under-17s. That noted, the movie is very funny and, with well-known actors such as Mike Epps in a lead and actor/musician Mos Def in a supporting role, likely to attract teens. Directed by music video maven Benny Boom, it takes an edgy, wildly satirical jab at inner cities where choices seem so limited that drug dealing looks like an answer. Leo (Donald Faison of TV's "Scrubs"), a delivery guy for the parcel service Next Day Air, is always high on pot. He mistakenly drops a package at the apartment of crooks Brody (Epps) and Guch (Wood Harris of TV's "The Wire"), who discover it contains a load of cocaine. They plan to sell it, but the drug runner down the hall (Cisco Reyes) and his wife (Yasmin Deliz) were expecting that package, and their boss (Emilio Rivera) will kill them if they don't find it. They're all on a collision course. The film also has sexualized comedy and brief seminudity.

(c) 2009, Washington Post Writers Group.

This news arrived on: 05/07/2009

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