Overall Grade: B

Rating: 8/10 (2 July 2007)

I enjoyed this movie, but had two issues. The first is more of a warning or concern. The second is more of a personal film preference.
First of all, there seems to be a trend in films over the past few years to give the PG-13 rating to any big budget film that has a 99% chance of being on the "Must Watch" list of any group of 10-year olds, regardless if it needs it or not. With marketing targeted at pre-pubescent viewers, it can be hard to justify NOT taking your little ones to a highly anticipated film if exposure to it is everywhere. This film, however, can make the exception. For the first time in a long while, the MPAA has gotten it right. This film earns its rating as a lot of the action violence and dialogue are not appropriate for younger audiences. There is a fair amount of swearing, and brief discussion of a sexual nature. I would suggest a young couple review this film prior to taking anyone under the age of 12. Parents are the best judges as to whether or not their children are mature enough for this film.
The only other issue I had with this film is the way it was shot. I cannot stand action scenes that are "intensified" by a shaking camera. Do directors actually believe an unsteady camera makes the action scenes better? In my opinion, scenes "enhanced" this way become too much of a blur to follow what's going on anyway. So why continue doing it? This kind of filming is irritating and headache-inducing. HINT: USE STEADY-SHOT!! Overall, I had a good time with this film. As a fan of the original comics, toys, TV show, and movie from the 1980's, it was fun to get back into that world. This film would have been better if the camera work hadn't given me a migraine.