Roots (2016) Movie Review
Kari Croop
Reimagined slave epic is violent but stirs worthy questions. Read Common Sense Media's Roots (2016) review, age rating, and parents guide.
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Common Sense Media
If you still haven't seen the groundbreaking TV miniseries that inspired this four-part History Channel reboot, add it to your watch list yesterday. That said, we can tell you that this deeply moving remake is equally excellent. The story is just as powerful, the acting is equally affecting, and the message it imparts is still important -- in some ways, even more so -- nearly 40 years later.

A word of caution: Though it's rated TV-14, the level of violence here is truly graphic, and even adults will have trouble getting through some of the series' toughest moments. But Roots' realistic depictions of what enslaved Africans endured over several generations is essential to understanding the black experience, and older teens who watch will gain critical insight into America's complicated racial history.