The summer movie season has begun! How do you decide if you should let your kids see a movie or not? Here are two websites we always check before going to the theater or renting a DVD…

Movieguide.org provides very helpful movie analysis. Not only do you get a synopsis of the movie and a critics review, they also provide a clear idea of the worldview children will see in the movie.

We like dove.org because they give details about what language, violence and sex (if any) the movie contains.

So let’s say you’re considering going to the new X-Men movie: X-Men, First Class. Movieguide.org gives a great synopsis and detailed worldview analysis. In summary it says:

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS has a convoluted, uninvolving story with a strong humanist worldview that promotes evolution and contains some very cruel violence, foul language and salacious content.

Dove.org gives a more favorable review of the story. The critic clearly thinks the movie is well done, and is sad that it can’t receive the Dove Family Friendly rating. Dove.org provides the detailed information below (which I love), but their worldview analysis is weak.

Content Description: (from Dove.org)
Sex: Kissing; a few innuendos; a man kisses woman’s chest; implied sex between unmarried couple.
Language: GD-3; G/OMG-3; J-3; H-6; “Hellfire Club”-2; F-1; B-1; A-2; D-1; Bloody-1
Violence: A man uses his mental powers to make another man slap himself; a character is stabbed in the hand and another in the stomach although it is not graphic; a character is stabbed in the back; guns pointed at people; shootings; explosions; ship and plane crashes; a woman is shot point blank but it is not a graphic scene; fights; character uses powers to send fire at enemies.
Drugs: Drinking in several scenes; bar scenes; talk of having a drink; beer and champagne; the smoking of cigarettes and cigars; a man is in a beer drinking contest.
Nudity: Strong cleavage; women in lingerie and skimpy clothing; blue skinned woman and outline of breast clearly seen; female manikins with breasts and rears showing.
Other: Disagreements among characters; evolution is mentioned on several occasions.

Armed with these two websites you will be able to make wise and informed decisions about the movies your kids see this summer!