Not suitable under 12, not recommended 12 to 14 (scary scenes, violence and supernatural themes)
This topic contains:
Children under 12 | Not suitable due to scary scenes, violence and supernatural themes. |
Children aged 12 to 13 | Not recommended due to scary scenes, violence and supernatural themes. |
Children aged 14 | Parental guidance recommended due to scary scenes, violence and supernatural 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: | Dark Tower, The |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Science fiction themes and violence |
Length: | 95 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
A young boy named Jake (Tom Taylor), has recurring dreams featuring children being tortured by an evil sorcerer named Walter (Matthew McConaughey). The children’s psychic energy (called “The Shine”) is channelled through a weapon in which aims to destroy a dark tower (which protects the Universe from its centre). Jake’s dreams also feature a good Gunslinger named Roland (Idris Elda) who is tracking Walter in order to seek revenge for his father’s death.
When two people come to his house to offer psychiatric treatment, Jake recognises markings on their skin that are the same as those in his dreams. This confirms what he has suspected all along- they are not just dreams, but visions of reality. Jake’s escape from the two posers leads him to a portal which crosses over to another world where he meets the Gunslinger. Roland confirms that Jake’s dreams are real, and that Walter is chasing Jake for his unprecedented psychic power in order to destroy the dark tower.
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.
Good vs evil; revenge; the supernatural; extra-sensory perception; trust
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.
There is some violence in this movie including:
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 many 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.
Children in this age group are also likely to be scared by the above mentioned scenes, and in particular the themes and imagery involving Jake’s parents. Jake’s father is dead from the start of the movie and his mother and stepfather are later killed by Walter.
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 scared by the above mentioned scenes.
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 scared by some of the above-mentioned scenes, especially those involving occult themes, which could be disturbing both visually and psychologically.
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
Infrequent coarse language includes "batshit"
The Dark Tower is a science fiction action movie based on the book series by Stephen King.
The main messages from this movie are about good vs evil, trusting your instincts and the importance of relationships. Despite heavy opposition, Jake always struggles to do the right thing. Following his instincts, Jake seeks the help of Roland the Gunslinger and together they take on the evil sorcerer Walter. Hence, it’s the strength of this relationship that ultimately overcomes evil and saves the Universe.
The film is not suitable for under 12s and not recommended for viewers under 15 due to scenes and characters that are likely to scare young viewers, and the violence and supernatural themes which gave the film its M rating.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include the importance of strong relationships with family and friends.
This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
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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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