Parents' Guide to

Next Gen

By Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Great animation, solid messages; lots of cartoon violence.

Movie NR 2018 106 minutes
Next Gen Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Next Gen Movie: Mai and 7723
  • Next Gen Movie: 7723 and Mai look out over the city
  • Next Gen Movie: Mai learns to trust a robot

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 112 parent reviews

Mvenpyp
Mvenpyp Adult
May 7, 2021
age 14+

Equivalent of a school shooter

So there’s obvious use of the word “f*uck” that is bleeped out, my kid didn’t have a clue what was being said so I didn’t pay it much attention. I even chuckled a bit at it and can tell it was meant for any adults being sucked into watching the movie. What got to me and made me cringe was the fact that the main character, who is a bit rebellious and reluctant to blend in with the “cool kids” gets bullied and “beat up” by her peers and their robots, so she returns to school with her bigger robot to literally shoot up the place. Exaggerating a bit, the main characters robot shoots one of the peers little robots, but in the eyes of a 10 year old it’s “get bullied, show up with bigger badder thing and pew pew your problems”. And then they go on a robot killing spree. Animation is meant for children, but the story line and plot is most certainly not. Movie makers missed the target audience on this one. I am not sure who this movie is for to be honest
Life is a journey 17
Life is a journey 17 Adult
April 5, 2021
age 15+

It's not really a kids movie

So I'm 19 and I enjoyed the movie. I totally agree with parents who don't want to show this to their kids it's understandable. There is violence,I really wish they wouldn't have added that much. The bleeped out cussing was ridiculous. But I also feel there was a good message here. At first Mai really took out her anger on people and robots. But you also get to know why she felt angry. Her dad left and you could feel how much she was hurting. Now it wasn't right how she was handling the situation. But she was corrected and was willing to change after some time had passed. I find that very honorable some people don't take correction or counsel but Mai did. She made a lot of mistakes and let her anger get to her,but she also was willing to listen maybe not right away but she did in the end. I feel like it touched on many deep things that happen in real life. Most animated movies don't have human emotions as deep as this. In conclusion I think they really could have lessened the violence and bleeped out swearing. However there are some good lessons to be learned here as well. If your child is very sensitive and easily influenced I would NOT recommend this. Each child is different and affected in different ways. But mainly this should be for teens and adults.
See all 112 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Young Mai (voiced by Charlyne Yi) is one angry girl in NEXT GEN. She hates robots; she's bullied; she can't seem to get her mother's attention. And she's never recovered from her father's leaving her and her mom, Molly (Constance Wu), years earlier. Molly hasn't helped matters; she's obsessed with robots, as well as Justin Pin (Jason Sudeikis), the genius behind IQ Electronics, who like Steve Jobs before him, is revered as the face of the future. But unbeknownst to Justin Pin, in a secret lab at IQ Electronics, Dr. Rice (David Cross) has created an extraordinary prototype AI (artificial intelligence), whom he calls 7723 (John Krasinski). When 7723 escapes from the lab, in a stroke of great serendipity, it's Mai whom he encounters. Bent on revenge, Mai sees 7723's powerful strength and abilities as the answer to what she calls her "unfocused rage": getting back at the bullies and the robots. Awed by his first real view of the world outside the lab, 7723 sees Mai as a new and wonderful friend in need of his guidance and protection. As their relationship surges, changes, and ultimately becomes a very important one, the two discover a dire threat to the world that only they may be able to stop.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (112 ):
Kids say (51 ):

A warmhearted story lies beneath the vibrant animation and imaginative cartoon mayhem, all made distinctive by the outstanding cast of actors and the original characters they've created. Charlyne Yi's Mai is unique: surly, funny, needy, and smart. John Krasinski is wonderful as 7723, evolving almost magically from robot to almost-human. Jason Sudeikis and David Cross are simply terrific. Next Gen is long and packed with many characters and plot complications that probably didn't need to be as complicated, and it has some striking changes in tone. But it's easy to see why Netflix came up with a lot of money when the film was up for sale in Cannes, France. Recommended.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in Next Gen. Most of the victims in the story are robots. Does it have the same impact as when human characters are killed or injured? For kids? For adults? Why or why not?

  • In the movie, a scientist says "Perfect is the enemy of good." What do you think he meant? Has "trying to be perfect" ever gotten in the way for you? How so?

  • Track the evolution of Mai's character as the story progresses. She started out angry and hopeless. How did she end up? What events made the changes possible?

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