Not recommended under 13, parental guidance recommended 13 to 15 due to violence and scary scenes.
This topic contains:
Children under 13 | Not recommended due to violence and scary scenes |
Children 13 to 15 | Parental guidance recommended due to violence and scary scenes |
Viewers 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: | Black Panther |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Action violence |
Length: | 134 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Black Panther continues on from the end of Captain America: Civil War. After the death of his father (the former King of Wakanda) T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to his apparently ‘third-world’ African country. However Wakanda has a closely guarded secret. While depicted as underdeveloped, the country is in fact the most technological advanced in the world and contains an unlimited supply of the priceless metal Vibranium which powers the technology. T’Challa’s coronation takes place, but not without incident, because a rival chieftain named M’Baku (Winston Duke) unsuccessfully challenges T’Challa for the throne.
Following his coronation, T’Challa goes to America after receiving information regarding the infamous arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), whom the Wakandans have been trying to capture for twenty years. The information reveals that Klaue, together with a ruthless and dangerous ally named Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), killed several people during a robbery in which they stole a priceless African mask made of Vibranium. T’Challa and Wakanda’s General O’Koye (Danai Gurira) manage to capture and arrest Klaue, but in a daring raid Klaue is broken out of jail. CIA operative Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) is shot in the back in the process. Not wanting to let Ross die, T’Challa takes him back to Wakanda to be healed with Vibranium-powered technology.
Life becomes even more complicated for T’Challa when Killmonger arrives to challenge him for the throne, with dire consequences.
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.
Superheroes; civil war; child soldiers; revenge and betrayal
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 extended scenes depicting intense action violence (some of which is brutal), the destruction of property, multiple violent deaths, ritual violence and self-mutilation. Examples include:
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:
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.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:
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.
The above-mentioned scenes are also likely to scare children in this age group.
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 scared by some of the above-mentioned scenes.
The following products are displayed or used in this movie:
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 is some coarse language and name-calling in this movie, including:
Black Panther is the latest film featuring Marvel characters and the first to feature this black superhero. It is aimed at older adolescents, adults and fans of these films. The films actors, soundtrack, score, and scenery combine to make it entertaining and the storyline has real substance. There are a number of strong characters, including the female leads. The intensity and brutality of the violence are depicted in a way which is likely to make the violent scenes seem more real to younger viewers, so the film is not recommended for children under 13 and parental guidance is recommended for the 13 to 15 age group.
The main messages from this movie are:
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
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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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