Godsend

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Entertainment: +2

Content: -2 1/2

Paul and Jessie Duncan (Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) experience the loss of their only son, Adam (Cameron Bright), in a freak accident. His death hollows them out from the depths of their souls. In this horror thriller, Dr. Richard Wells (Robert De Niro), a stem-cell research scientist, tells the Duncans that they can have their son back. While admittedly an illegal procedure, Dr. Wells can take DNA cells from their deceased child, regenerate them, and Adam can be born once again. The Duncans face the reality that what theyre doing is immoral but conclude that when it comes to their son, ethics must take a back seat. The consequences of having Adam secretly cloned become more keenly apparent after the second child passes the age of the first childs death. Godsend delivers a powerful, suspenseful presentation with many twists and turns.

Godsend deals with the heartfelt emotions of parental love, the study and experimentation of scientific scholars, and identity issues for a struggling child. Upsetting dreams leave him with two identities who he is and who he was. Particularly disturbing in this film is that Adams clone became a testament to Dr. Wells accomplishments as a scientist when things were going well. But when unanticipated problems set in, the clone is viewed by some as a mistake that can be terminated and attempted again with another clone. Adams dreams are scary, and his involuntary movement in and out of reality is mysterious. There is a single sex scene between husband and wife, which is not graphic but is there nonetheless. And the flagrant misuse of Gods name should make viewers question if this film is a Godsend.

Preview Reviewer: Brian Hughes
Distributor: Lions Gate

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Few (2) times mild (hell 1); strong (ass 1)

Obscene Language: Few (3) times moderate (crap 1); strong (s-word 2)

Profanity: Many (15) times moderate (G 4, swear to G 1, thank G 2); strong (GD 7, J 1)

Violence: Many times mild (father and son scuffle, arguing between husband and wife, man pushes another man against a wall, a boy bullies kids on the playground); moderate (children shown being suffocated and thrashing, children shown trapped and scared, man hit in the head with a candelabra); strong (scenes of a woman about to be hit over the head with a hammer to be killed, woman about to be hit over the head with an ax to be killed, boy killed by a car, boy killed by another boy)

Sex: Once strong (husband and wife are coupling but are interrupted)

Nudity: Few times mild (man and woman in bed together, boy in bathtub)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Few times mild (discussions about reproduction in clinical terms); strong (woman says to her husband, I have to do you)

Drugs: Few times mild (drinking of wine by adults)

Other: Themes include the controversial topic of cloning humans and its effect on society, the moral dilemma of playing God with human life, and the effects of memories on the soul

Running Time: 102 minutes
Intended Audience: Older teens and Adults

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