Today, we continue to unveil our nominations for the 2025 Plugged In Movie Awards, this time with Best Movies for Teens.
As we look at the teen category, we try to pick films that are still relatively family-friendly—in fact, all our nominees this year are rated PG—but perhaps just a little too gritty for younger kiddos. The themes tend to be heavier, the language perhaps a bit coarser, the plot more mature. And there’s usually some sort of fight or battle that just may be too intense for a 3-year-old.
We also try to identify movies that you and your teenager will enjoy, movies with inspirational messages and entertaining plotlines. But please don’t take our nomination as a blanket endorsement. We still encourage you to read our reviews in full to determine what’s right for you and your family.
We’ll be selecting a winner out of these nominees on The Plugged In Show Feb. 27. But we want to hear what you think, too. Vote for your own pick on Facebook, Instagram and this very blog. You can even write in a vote if you wish we’d included another film.
Voting concludes on Feb. 25, and we’ll announce your winners (and recap our own) right here on Plugged In’s blog Feb. 28.
And now, the nominations … (Summaries are written by Paul Asay, Bob Hoose, Emily Tsiao and Kennedy Unthank.)
Most cats believe the world revolves around them. But the cat in Flow has more evidence than most. Everywhere the cat walks, he finds statues of … cats. Cats sitting. Cats standing. Cats playing. There’s even a giant feline that seems to look over the surrounding environs with a godlike aura of control. But then a flood hits: One by one, the carvings sink beneath the waters. Our protagonist finds a safe place atop a giant statue for a time, but even that soon begins to vanish. Then, just in time, the cat sees a boat float by. He braves the water, climbs aboard and finds … another creature. As the boat welcomes more and more passengers, the cat discovers—first to his annoyance, then to his joy—that the world doesn’t revolve around him after all. Flow is one of the year’s most beautiful, and most ambitious, movies. It features plenty of animals that act, mostly, like animals. It doesn’t contain a single spoken word. Yet its bestial stars communicate powerfully and poignantly. And the film delves deeply into themes revolving around community, kindness and sacrifice. While appropriate for kids, we put this film in the teen category because it’s older audiences who will likely appreciate the film’s deeper messages. This movie makes you think, laugh and maybe even cry—all without saying a word.
It all starts when a golf ball crashes through J.B. Peña’s car window. When J.B. learns that the shot was made intentionally, well, he knows he should be mad. But as an avid golfer himself, he can’t help but be impressed. That’s why he offers the Hispanic boy who made the shot, along with four of his friends, spots on the newly formed San Felipe High School golf team. But golf balls in sand traps aren’t all they’ll need to worry about: It’s the 1950s, and not everyone in Texas is willing to compete against a team of Hispanic students. But if they play their best, they may just spark conversations that will lead to positive change. In a genre often overstuffed with inspiring true stories, The Long Game manages to stay compelling. And while four uses of the s-word and a mix of other profanities make for less-than-ideal golfing conditions, The Long Game still comes out above average … or should I say under par?
Anyone who knows Transformers lore will recognize the names Optimus Prime and Megatron. They’re incredibly powerful living robots from the planet Cybertron who have been locked in a constant struggle of robotic right and wrong. But about a billion years before these bots landed on Earth, they were nothing more than lowly robo-workers—and the best of friends. Oh, but there were hidden things of power waiting to be discovered … things that would change a pair of best buds and transform Cybertron completely. Unlike many of the live-action Transformers movies, this animated origin story is packed with personality and a solid plot. (Along with big bots and ‘splosions, of course.) Other than a touch of coarse language, there’s not too much here that will keep young humans from enjoying their time on the planet of Cybertron. Transformers One is a fun, fast-paced and lightly funny action film that families and, yes, even Transformer fanboys, can enjoy.
The year 2024 wasn’t a very good one for family-friendly Marvel movies. But maybe that’s because Disney execs knew they couldn’t compete with Ultraman: Rising. You see, Ultraman is the superhero name for Kenji “Ken” Sato, a Japanese baseball player by day and a giant who fights kaiju (oversized destructive animals) by night. That is, of course, until he realizes that one such kaiju is a mother, and she’s left her egg behind. When that egg hatches, the baby monster imprints on Ken. Now, Ken will have to learn not only how to fight the kaiju but how to raise one of them. Ultraman: Rising showcases the beauty—and difficulty—of parenting, and it comes with many positive messages about how raising a child can change a father and mother for the better. Because it’s a superhero film, some animated violence does take center stage, and there are roughly 20 misuses of God’s name, leaving a kaiju-sized claw mark against it. But for those who can endure those punches, Ultraman: Rising tells a sweet story that’ll resonate with teens and parents alike.
Trudy Ederle knew even before her feet first hit the water that she wanted to swim. Unfortunately, taking that first dive wasn’t easy. Trudy had survived having the measles as a child, permanently damaging her hearing. Swimming—or really any prolonged exposure to water—could further irritate her ears and cause her to go completely deaf. In addition, girls in 1914 weren’t traditionally taught to swim. But Trudy did learn to swim, and as it turned out, she was fast—faster even than some men. She was invited to compete in the 1924 Paris Olympics on the first-ever female swim team for the United States. And when it was done, she took on an even greater challenge: She decided to become the first woman to swim the English Channel. Young Woman and the Sea delivers an inspiring tale of courage and perseverance. A couple of profanities are used. Folks perhaps drink too frequently. And a man’s bare rear briefly makes an appearance (though he’s also promptly arrested for public indecency). But what really sets this film apart is the sense of camaraderie you get just by watching it. You laugh, you cry (happy tears), and you find yourself rooting for Trudy alongside her family and the people listening to her oceanic trek on the radio worldwide.
