Not recommended under 13; parental guidance recommended 13 to 15 due to scary and violent scenes and disturbing themes
This topic contains:
Children under 13 | Not recommended due to scary and violent scenes and disturbing themes. |
Children aged 13 to 15 | Parental guidance recommended due to scary and violent scenes and disturbing themes. |
Viewers 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: | Fantastic beasts and where to find them |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Fantasy themes and violence |
Length: | 133 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Fantastic beasts and where to find them is a prequel to the Harry Potter movies but it is more adult focussed. The story, set in the 1930s, follows Newt Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne) a British Wizard with a passion for magical beasts and the creator of the infamous Hogwarts Textbook of Magical Creatures. Scamander journeys to New York with his suitcase full of magical beasts. When one of the cute but cheeky creatures escapes and causes havoc, and Scamander misplaces his suitcase, New York is set for some magical fun.
New York city is already having some troubles with a mysterious black and destructive force that is destroying property and causing fear and mayhem in the No-maj (Muggle) population. Scamander not only has to try and find all his escaped beasts on the streets of New York, he must also make sure that the black force doesn't end up in the wrong hands.
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.
Wizardry and the occult; extinction and conservation of animals; war and terrorism; domestic violence and abuse
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 are many scenes of 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 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.
Children in this age group may also be disturbed by a number of 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 may like to discuss some of the themes with their parents or caregivers
None of concern in the movie but plenty of tie-in Harry Potter merchandise.
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
Queenie is shown in her nightgown and then seductively dressing while being ogled by Kowalski, who is awestruck by her beauty.
There are some instances of substance use in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
Fantastic beasts and where to find them, a prequel to the Harry Potter series, is a beautifully made, visually spectacular fantasy film that teenagers and their parents are likely to enjoy. Although there are some dark themes in this film, they are treated lightly and there is enough humour and fun to make it not too intense. The characters are kind and strong and refreshingly unconventional. There are, however, some scary and violent scenes and disturbing themes, so the film is not recommended for children under 13. Parental guidance is recommended for the 13 to 15 year old age group.
The movie has important messages about:
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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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