Not recommended under 13, PG to 15 (Violence; disturbing scenes)
This topic contains:
Children under 13 | Not suitable due to violence and disturbing scenes |
Children 13-15 | Parental guidance recommended due to violence and disturbing scenes |
Children 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: | Jack the Giant Slayer |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Fantasy violence |
Length: | 114 minutes minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Jack the Giant Slayer begins with a young farm boy called Jack being read a bedtime story about King Erik, a legendary king who defeated the giants of Gantua, a land between Earth and heaven. Through a series of flashbacks we learn that a race of fierce giants from the land of Gantua reached the lands below by climbing down magic beanstalks. They pillaged villages and feasted upon humans for many years. The giants were only stopped when King Erik created a magical crown that gave him supreme control over the giants. King Erik banished the giants back to their own realm in the sky and chopped down the beanstalks. The magical crown and beans were buried with King Erik when he died.
Next seen as a young man of eighteen, Jack (Nicholas Hault) heads off to market to sell his uncle’s horse and cart. While at the market, Jack rescues Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) from men who are assaulting her. She has a liking for adventure and is dressed as a commoner. Later, a monk persuades Jack to sell him his horse in exchange for a few beans - the very magic beans of the legend. The monk had just stolen the magic bean from the king’s councillor Roderick (Stanley Tucci), who had acquired the magic beans for his own evil purposes.
That night Princess Isabelle, who is out on one of her adventures, takes refuge in Jack’s house when the weather turns bad. Disaster strikes when one of the magic beans accidentally gets wet, sprouts into a giant beanstalk and shoots skyward, taking Jack’s house and the Princess with it.
The next day father King Bramwell (Ian McShane) orders Isabelle’s guardian Elmont (Ewan McGregor), Jack, the treacherous Roderick and several guards to climb the beanstalk and bring back the princess, but when Jack and Elmont reach the top of the beanstalk they discover Gantua and an army of giants. Not only does rescuing Isabelle become very dangerous, but the entire kingdom is placed in peril when the leader of the giants General Fallon (Bill Nighy) declares war on the kingdom below and descends with his army.
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.
Fairytales and the supernatural; revenge; treachery
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 intense fantasy violence, action violence, murder, battle violence and peril throughout including the depiction of a number of gruesome deaths. 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.
Children in this age group are also very likely to be disturbed by the above-mentioned scenes
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 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 may also be disturbed by some of the above-mentioned scenes
None of concern
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
None of concern
The film contains infrequent low-level coarse language and name calling. Examples include:
Jack the Giant Slayer is an adaptation of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale. It is a fantasy adventure targeting a teenage audience – particularly boys. The film contains a large amount of violence with gruesome deaths and scary visual images that may disturb younger viewers e.g. horrible-looking giants ripping the heads off men and eating them, and the giants themselves also meeting gruesome deaths. It is therefore not recommended for under 13s who may be attracted to it because of familiarity with the original fairytale and parental guidance is strongly recommended for 13-15 year olds. The film is also unlikely to entertain adults because it lacks character development and the plot is predictable.
The main message from this movie is that power is dangerous when placed in the hands of people who are corrupt. People who wield power should use it to make the world a better place and put the needs of others above their own.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include bravery, courage and selflessness, as displayed by Jack, Elmont, King Bramwell and Isabelle.
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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ABN: 16 005 214 531