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Amazon Prime Video’s SWARM Parents Guide Review

Amazon Prime Video’s Swarm delves into today’s obsession with celebrities and toxic fandom, yet tells a story that is so absurd it loses its message in its delivery. Check out the details in my parents guide review.

Amazon Prime Video's Swarm

Amazon Prime Video’s Swarm releases on the streaming service in the United States tomorrow, March 17, 2023. The series stars Dominique Fishback (Dre), Chloe Bailey (Marissa), Nirine S. Brown (Ni’Jah), Karen Rodriguez (Erica), Heather Simms (Loretta), Kiersey Clemons (Rashida), Damson Idris (Khalid), and Paris Jackson (Hailey). It was created by Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, who is best known for Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Lion King, and the television show Atlanta. Check out the details in my parents guide review.

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Amazon Prime Video’s SWARM Parents Guide

In Amazon Prime Video’s Swarm: An obsessed, Houston-based fan goes to increasingly violent lengths for her favorite R&B singer.

Amazon Prime Video's SWARM Parents Guide

Amazon Prime Video’s SWARM Age Rating Parents Guide

**Disclaimer: Below may contain spoilers**

Let’s take a look at what parents need to know about the age rating of the movie before letting their younger children watch Amazon Prime Video’s Swarm.

LanguageAmazon Prime Video’s Swarm contains some strong language, with light profanity used throughout. Stronger words include f*ck, sh*t, N-word, d*mn, g-d d*mn, and more.

Mature Content: Other than the bad language mentioned above, the other big indicators of adult themes include strong, persistent violence, sexual content, drug use, and nudity. Violent scenes include a suicide, violent murders such as smashing a character in the head with a big rock until he dies, shootings, and other violent murder scenes, even showing dead bodies. There are explicit sex scenes that show characters in sexual acts like thrusting and moaning while fully nude. Characters are also shown consuming alcohol and smoking cannabis.

Age Rating of SwarmAmazon Prime Video’s Swarm has a TV-MA rating for intense violence, language, sexual content, and drug use, and the parents’ advisory recommends it for an adult audience, younger adults, and teens 17 and older. The suggestion of parental guidance or an adult guardian is highly suggested for younger kids (or older kids) under 17 years of age for this R-rated film. The minimum age recommendation is 16 years old; it is not suitable for young children. Young viewers are not recommended to view this film.

Overall Thoughts

Amazon Prime Video’s Swarm has an intriguing and relevant concept that relates to today’s society, where toxic fandom, social media addiction, and celebrity obsession are prominent problems in today’s culture. The show centers around a weird, clingy, and socially awkward girl named Dre (played by Dominique Fishback) who is obsessed with the fictional pop singer Ni’Jah (Nirine S. Brown), so obsessed she literally begins attacking those who aren’t fans of the singer. Ni’Jah doesn’t have much of a role in the show, but more of a presence that is always there in the background and provides motivation to the story, but viewers can see many parallels between her and real-life pop icon Beyonce. We all know the lengths some fans will go for their favorite celebrity; however, what this series fails to convey is the actual motivation Dre has to become such a devoted fan of her or her connection to Ni’Jah’s music. This lack of backstory and connection disconnects the viewer from Dre’s motivations and only serves to foster feelings of resentment towards her character. Perhaps this is what the writers were shooting for?

Amazon Prime Video’s Swarm has a solid cast, whose convincing performances are necessary to make this story believable. As the series progresses, the story itself becomes more absurd and outrageous, which is fitting but can easily lose viewers since motivations seem to go out the window and it quickly becomes a slasher-type flick. The show itself is named after a swarm of bees that seems to pop up throughout the show with a buzzing sound that swarms the scenes, but leaves audiences confused on the symbolism or how it ties into the story.

Perhaps the biggest problem with Amazon Prime Video’s Swarm is that it is confused on what exactly it is triyng to be or the message it is trying to get convey to viewers. One on hand, it seems to take shots at toxic fandom and the obsession with celebrities, and on the other it is terrifying while also attempting to be a dark comedy. Even the disclaimer at the beginning of each episode leaves viewers pondering “This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.

Amazon Prime Video's SWARM Parents Guide