Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 69% (Critics) / 64% (Audience)
Directed By: Jason Lapeyre and Robert Wilson
Written By: Jason Lapeyre
Starring: Siam Yu, Kolton Stewart, Gage Munroe
Studio: Drafthouse Films

Synopsis: Armed with nothing more than twigs, their imaginations and a simple set of rules, a group of 12-year-olds engaged in a lively game of Capture the Flag in the neighborhood woods start dangerously blurring the lines between make-believe and reality. Rocks = Grenades. Trees = Control towers. Sticks = Submachine guns. The youthful innocence of the game gradually takes on a different tone as the quest for victory pushes the boundaries of friendship. The would-be warriors get a searing glimpse of humanity’s dark side as their combat scenario takes them beyond the rules of the game and into an adventure where fantasy combat clashes with the real world. – (Source)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMEo58G-jpw
The Good:
The “combat scenes” were very cool with the way the kid’s toy guns would turn into real weapons and the simulated war would become all too real through the strength of their imaginations.
And the kid’s were all very genuine and while some of the acting was better than others at least they all seemed like real kids and not overly precocious miniature adults for the most part.

The Bad:
There were a couple of times where the kids went past the point of imaginative and creative kids and ventured into the realm of over-the-top caricature. This was especially true of the one kid who turned into a pint-size version of Colonel Kurtz.

The Ugly:
It is really unfair the power girls have over boys especially when the boys don’t truly realize why they are so helpless.

Final Verdict: I DECLARE WAR is one of the rare cinematic exceptions where a high concept is executed very well instead of falling short. The performances of the young and inexperienced cast may be uneven at times but the movie as a whole is very well done and satisfying in every way that matters.

Grade: B+