Not suitable under 13; parental guidance to 14 (intense violence and disturbing scenes)
This topic contains:
Children under 13 | Not suitable due to intense violence and disturbing scenes. |
Children aged 13-14 | Parental guidance recommended due to intense violence and disturbing scenes. |
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: | Ben-Hur |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Mature themes and violence |
Length: | 123 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
The film opens with a scene of a Roman circus arena in Jerusalem and two men standing on the back of chariots. One man looks at the other and says “You should have killed me” the second man says “I will”. The film then jumps to eight years earlier where we see the same two men on horseback racing each other across the desert. One of the men is Jewish, Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) and the other is his adopted brother a Roman, Messala Severus (Toby Kebbell).
Dispirited with his life as Judah’s adopted brother, Messala decides to make his own way in the world and joins the Roman army. After fighting in various wars for the next three years Messala rises through the ranks to become a tribune and returns to Jerusalem escorting the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
After an attempt to assassinate Pontius Pilate, Judah Ben-Hur and his family are wrongly accused and imprisoned. Judah is then betrayed by Messala who sentences Judah to be a galley slave for the rest of his life. Judah spends the next five years as a slave chained to a war galley until one day the ship sinks and Judah is the only survivor.
After being washed up on beach, Judah is found by Sheik IIderim (Morgan Freeman), who befriends him. IIderim has a passion for horse and chariot racing, and wants to race his horses in Jerusalem. After hearing that Messala is now a champion chariot racer, Judah decides to drive IIderim’s chariot and race against Messala in the arena where there are no rules and where the two brothers are intent on destroying each other
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.
Family relationships and rivalry; religion; the Roman Empire; blood sports; executions including crucifixion; war.
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.
Ben-Hur contains scenes of intense action violence, blood sports, cruelty, and executions including crucifixion. Examples include:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
Much of this film is likely to disturb children under five. In addition to the violent scenes described above, examples of disturbing scenes 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 the scenes described above
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 the scenes described above
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 are also likely to be disturbed by the scenes described above
Nothing of concern
The film contains occasional mild sexual references. Examples include:
None of concern
Ben Hur is a remake of the 1956 classic and may appeal to those who like action adventure films. It may attract young teens, but there are many intense violent and disturbing scenes so the film is not recommended for viewers under 15.
The main messages from this movie are that:
Parents may wish to discuss the historical background to the film, the nature of the Roman Empire and Jesus as a historical figure.
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
Children and Media Australia (CMA) is a registered business name of the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM).
CMA provides reviews, research and advocacy to help children thrive in a digital world.
ACCM is national, not-for-profit and reliant on community support. You can help.
ABN: 16 005 214 531