Not recommended under 13, parental guidance strongly recommended 13-15 ( Intense violence; disturbing scenes and themes)
This topic contains:
Children under 13 | Not recommended due to intense violence and disturbing scenes and themes |
Children 13 to 15 | Parental guidance strongly recommended due to intense violence and disturbing scenes and themes |
Children aged 15 and over | OK for this age group |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.
Name of movie: | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Intense sequences of violence and mature themes |
Length: | 151 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
The film is set 18 months after the events depicted in the film Man of Steel. As a result of the titanic battle between Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon), in which the city of Metropolis is all but destroyed, Superman is being held accountable for both the casualties and the destruction caused and is now seen by some, including Gotham’s Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck), as vigilante who is a threat to the entire world. Superman has a similar opinion of Batman and is determined to publically expose him.
The rivalry between Batman and Superman is fuelled by criminal mastermind Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) who wants both men out of the picture. Luthor convinces a US Senator June Finch (Holly Hunter) to import Krytonite recently found at the bottom of the Indian Ocean with the intent of using it as a possible weapon against Superman. Senator Finch also gives Lex access to General Zod’s body and the crashed Kryptonian space ship which Lex intends to use for evil purposes.
While Batman and Superman are bent on destroying each other, both are also determined to defeat Lex. Simultaneously, the mysterious Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is also investigating Lex. When Lex unleashes a monstrous genetically-engineered creature with superpowers, Batman and Superman must put aside their differences and work together if they are to have any chance of saving Metropolis.
Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.
Aliens; superheroes; genetic engineering
Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.
Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.
The film contains intense sequences of action violence and peril throughout. There is mass destruction of property, fiery car chases, the execution style killings, mass deaths, the threat of violence against loved ones, and some depiction of blood and gore. Examples include:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
Most of this film is likely to be very frightening for children in this age group. As well as the violence described above, there are demonic creatures, scary dream scenes and transformations. Examples include:
Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.
Children in this age group are also likely to be disturbed by many of the above-mentioned scenes
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.
Children in this age group are also likely to be disturbed by scenes in this film
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
Younger children in this age group may also be disturbed by some of the above-mentioned scenes
Brand-named vehicles
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There are some coarse language and insults in this movie, including:
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a superhero action adventure that targets older adolescents and fans of DC comic books. It is likely to entertain this group of viewers, who are also likely to be pleased with the promise of more to come.
Parents should be aware that the film is very dark and full of intense violence, mass destruction and scary characters that will disturb younger viewers. At 151 minutes it is also very long. It is definitely not recommended for children under 13 and parental guidance is strongly recommended for the 13 to 15 age group.
The main messages from this movie are:
Parents may wish to discuss the two superheroes as role models and what the film reveals about them.
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
Selecting an age will provide a list of movies with content suitable for this age group. Children may also enjoy movies selected via a lower age.
Content is age appropriate for children this age
Some content may not be appropriate for children this age. Parental guidance recommended
Content is not age appropriate for children this age
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