Not recommended under 11, PG to 15 (Themes, Violence, Scary scenes)
This topic contains:
Children under 11 | Not recommended due to dark themes, violence and scary scenes |
Children 11-14 | Parental guidance recommended due to its dark themes, violence and scary scenes and particularly, the death of a main character |
Children 15 and over | OK for this age group but many older adolescents will benefit from discussions with their parents around the uncertain outcomes of some actions and that battles between good and evil may not have clear cut or desirable outcomes. |
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: | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Moderate dark themes, Moderate fantasy violence |
Length: | 157 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) receives an invitation from his friend Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) to attend the Quidditch World Cup which is being contested by Ireland and Bulgaria. The match ends in chaos when dark wizards appear, destroying everything in sight and placing the ‘dark mark’ of Voldemort, a huge skull, high up in the sky. Ron, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Harry are still trying to unravel the events when they return to school for the start of the new year.
When they return to Hogwarts, they are greeted with the news that the school is hosting the Triwizard Tournament, an event which hasn’t taken place in over a hundred years. The Tournament is a challenging and dangerous event, traditionally contested by three students, one representing each of the world’s wizarding schools, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The three students are chosen by the Goblet of Fire which spits out their names, with Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) chosen to represent Hogwarts. However on this occasion the Goblet of Fire chooses an additional fourth contestant—Harry Potter. Harry has to compete against students much older than himself, fighting fire breathing dragons, rescuing his friends from the bottom of the Black Lake and finding his way through a maze which is intent on strangling all contestants.
Unbeknownst to him, as he defeats each obstacle he falls further into the trap set by Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) who plans to capture him and use his blood to be reborn in human form.
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.
The supernatural
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 several violent scenes in this movie mostly performed by magic, including the following:
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:
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 above-mentioned scenes and by the death of Diggory (see below)
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.
Although children in this age group will understand that the magic and wizardry are fictitious, children aged eight to thirteen could still be disturbed by some of the above-mentioned scenes.
Other themes could also concern children in this age group, including:
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 alsom be disturbed by some of the scenes in this film, particularly the death of Diggory.
None of concern in the film, but plenty of associated merchandise being marketed to children, including those too young to see the film
None of concern
None of concern
None of concern
Mild coarse language such as "bloody hell"
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a visually stunning film and excellent story, full of witchcraft, wizardry and magic. The special effects are very well done, the clumsy teenage romances are deftly handled and many adolescents will enjoy this movie. However, due to its overall sense of brooding darkness and the very dramatic and dark climax, this movie is not recommended for young and / or sensitive children.
The movie gives mixed messages. While Harry appears to have done the right thing, by sacrificing his win at the tournament to help his competitor, he in fact causes his death by doing so.
Values parents may wish to encourage include:
This movie could give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children the use of violence as a means of solving conflict. Parents should also be prepared for questions about what happens when good doesn’t appear to triumph over evil.
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