Jonah HexMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 33 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 14+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

50

Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert
It's based on some DC Comics characters, which may explain the way the plot jumps around. We hear a lot about graphic novels, but this is more of a graphic anthology of strange occult ideas. Read full review
50

Los Angeles Times | Betsy Sharkey
Brolin's intermittent voice-over narration proves to be the most powerful stuff, with the rest curiously sputtering. Read full review
50

The New York Times | Manohla Dargis
Though it has bad word of mouth, Jonah Hex is generally better, sprier and more diverting than most of the action flicks now playing, "The A-Team" included. Read full review
40

The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen
It admittedly starts off great guns, but all too quickly it becomes apparent that the big-screen arrival of the supernatural Western DC Comics series Jonah Hex"is firing loud, empty blanks. Read full review
40

Variety | Justin Chang
The film's noisy, slam-bang approach and lack of imagination in all nonvisual departments will keep it from rounding up a fresh generation of thrill-seekers. Read full review
38

Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan
Jonah Hex may not be the longest 81 minutes you ever spend, but it might well be the most tedious. Read full review
38

USA Today | Claudia Puig
The opening frame of Jonah Hex should say: "Caution: Made expressly for the male teen demographic. Not suitable for anyone of any age who prefers movies with coherence, an original plot or characters they give a hoot about." Read full review
33

Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum
The star is done in by the deathless mediocrity of the production, an assemblage of random camera shots, messy editing, redundant scenes, and witless dialogue as haphazardly stitched together as the flesh on Jonah Hex's face. Read full review
25

San Francisco Chronicle | Amy Biancolli
Visually, Jonah Hex is an orgy of overstatement: rapid edits, garish colors, harsh light. Read full review
25

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
Jonah is fated to ride alone. Don't make the mistake of keeping him company. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Jonah Hex on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Dumb, violent action Western totally misfires.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Jonah Hex -- a disappointing action Western based on a comic book hero created in the early '70s -- is very violent. Hex acts mostly out of revenge (killing many without remorse), and the body count is high, though there's relatively little blood and gore. There are some spooky images connected to the movie's supernatural elements, plus many weapons and scenes of things burning and exploding. The female lead, a prostitute, is seen wearing skimpy lingerie throughout the movie (which may be enough to draw in some fans of actress Megan Fox...), and there's the suggestion of sex. Language is on the light side, and there's not much drinking.

Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is this kind of violence necessary to tell the story? How did it make you feel?
Is Lilah's character a stereotype? Why or why not? What does it say about her that she can take care of herself?
What distinguishes Hex from Turnbull? Both kill people; why is one a hero and one a villain?

The good stuff

Positive messages: The hero's main motive is revenge. He kills lots of people -- they're implied to be "bad," and he doesn't seem to have any remorse. His one selfless act is to put down his gun to save Lilah's life.
Positive role models: Hex is the "hero" and Turnbull the "villain," but one character calls them both monsters. Acting out of revenge, Hex kills without hesitation. Although Lilah is a tough girl who can handle herself, she's also a stereotypical prostitute character and isn't satisfied until she "gets" her man.

What to watch for

Violence: Intense violence on all sides -- characters are shot, stabbed, slapped, chopped, and burned, and the body count may be in the dozens. Jonah Hex shoots all kinds of guns -- including Gatling guns and a special kind of crossbow gun with flaming arrows -- and he kills many people, onscreen and off. The villain obtains an explosive weapon that blows up entire towns, and his henchmen use everything from guns to knives to dynamite. In one scene, Hex watches, helpless, as his wife and son are burned alive. Lilah is slapped around but mostly stands up for herself.
Sex: Lilah is clearly a prostitute, and she wears skimpy lingerie throughout the film, but her job and the act of sex are never mentioned out loud. She sees several male clients, who are shown on their way in to see her or after they're done; all are fully dressed. Some innuendo. Lilah is seen in bed with Hex; she's clothed and he's shirtless. She touches his chest, and they kiss.
Language: The dialogue is often hard to hear over the movie's mayhem, but an exclamation of "Jesus Christ," plus words like "bastard," "hell," and "ass."
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Hex is seen drinking in a bar, with no obvious effect. A Native American medicine man blows smoke to heal Hex's gunshot wounds.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.