Ben 10: Omniverse

image for Ben 10: Omniverse

Short takes

Not recommended under 8, PG to 13 (violence, Scary scenes)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Ben 10: Omniverse
  • a review of Ben 10: Omniverse completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 9 October 2012.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 8 Not recommended due to violence and scary scenes
Children 8-13 Parental guidance recommended due to violence and scary scenes
Children 13 and over OK for this age group

About the movie

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: Ben 10: Omniverse
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Mild animated violence

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

The film Ben 10: Omniverse consists of two Ben 10 TV episodes. In part one, Ben Tennyson (voice of Yuri Lowenthal) along with his two friends and alien fighting partners Gwen (voice of Ashley Johnson) and Kevin (voice of Greg Cipes) take on the ultimate inter-dimensional alien/monster intent on ruling the universe. Ben and his friends manage to defeat the alien and in reward for not abusing his superpowers Ben is given a new and more powerful Omnitrix; a wristwatch-like device that enables Ben to transform into all manner of aliens, each with unique superpowers.

In part 2, Gwen and Kevin part company with Ben when Gwen and Kevin head off to college. Although intent on working alone to protect the world from power crazed aliens, Ben is landed with a new young and eager partner, Rook Blonko (voice of Bumper Robinson). This episode sees Ben adjusting to life with his new partner, taking on old enemies in secret underground cities, and being hunted by a mysterious trophy seeking hunter called Kyber (voice of David Kayel), who along with his shape-shifting predator stalks Ben as his next trophy.

Themesinfo

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.

Superpowers; aliens

Use of violenceinfo

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 continuous unrealistic, over-the-top, sci-fi action violence, at times comically depicted. Younger children may imitate this violence. Examples include: 

  • A number of hand to hand fights and large scale battles between Ben and alien creatures. The violence includes superheroes and villains using their superpowers to punch and kicking each other, throwing each other through stonewalls, shooting each other with laser guns, firing balls and bolts of energy at each other, using power-enforced broad swords, using force fields to throw their enemies back.
  • A super-villain uses an energy wave to transform the entire population of earth into a robot-like army.
  • An alien super-villain causes acid to rain from the skies dissolving buildings.
  • A couple of large buildings are destroyed by bombs planted by extortionists. Giant craters are left behind.
  • A super-villain hurls a bolt of energy at a man and we see the man’s skeleton briefly eliminated with the man collapsing to the ground, he then instantly ages turns to stone and then ash which is blown away in the wind.
  • Ben, in an alien transformation, fights a large vicious dog-like creature, punching and knocking it to the ground. Ben then hits the creature with an energy beam leaving the creature lying lifeless on the ground; there is no blood and gore and the creature is later seen uninjured.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • The film contains all manner of colourful cartoon alien characters most of which have a benign appearance. However, several alien creatures have a scary, threatening appearance and menacing manner. One resembles a gigantic floating squid head with glowing red eyes, another appears humanoid with tentacle-like hair and beard and a mouth full of sharp red fangs and long sharp claws. There is also a threatening and scary giant wild dog that can transform into a variety of other monsters.       

Aged five to eightinfo

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 may also be scared by some of the violent scenes and scary characters in this film.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

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.

Younger children in this age group may be scared by some of the above-mentioned scenes

Thirteen and overinfo

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.

Nothing of concern

Product placement

The film contains no product placement of concern. However, franchise products including action figures, video games, animated TV shows, accessories, and books are marketed to children.

Sexual references

None of concern

Nudity and sexual activity

None of concern

Use of substances

None of concern

Coarse language

The film contains some name calling and put downs that children may imitate. Examples include:

  • get your butt kicked, toady, doofus, dweeb, low-life, pillow grunter, bubble brain, ape, donut hole, rodent 

In a nutshell

Ben 10: Omniverse is a children’s animated sci-fi action film targeting primary school aged children between the ages of eight and twelve years. While the film contains some worthwhile messages, it also contains frequent animated action violence. Children who are fans of previous Ben 10 adventures will be entertained by this latest instalment with new characters and a new Omnitrix full of unexpected surprises. 

The main messages from this movie are:

  • It is difficult not to abuse power if you think that doing so may help others or make the world a better place.
  • You can achieve more by working as part of a team rather than independently.
  • Working with others in a team requires patience and respect.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Responsibility: Ben demonstrated responsibility when he refrained from misusing his powers to enforce his own ideals.
  • Adaptability: while initially hesitant to take on a new partner, Ben adapted to the situation. Parents may wish to discuss the importance of being able to adapt to unwanted change and new situations, and how adapting to change can makes us stronger.