Not recommended under 13, parental guidance recommended 13 to15, due to violent and scary scenes
This topic contains:
Children under 13 | Not recommended due to violent and scary scenes and themes |
Children aged 13 to 15 | Parental guidance recommended due to violent and scary scenes and themes |
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: | Rampage |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Action violence and sustained threat |
Length: | 107 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
The film’s opening scene depicts a space station littered with floating dead bodies. We learn that the scientists aboard the space station were conducting genetic editing experiments on animals and that a rat mutated into a monster that has killed all but one of the scientists. The surviving scientist manages to escape the space station before it self-destructs, but on re-entry the escape pod is destroyed and three gene-editing canisters fall to earth. One lands in a wildlife centre in California, affecting a gorilla named George, one in Wyoming affecting a wolf and one in Florida affecting a crocodile.
Davis Okeye (Dwayne Johnson) is a primatologist who has cared for George since he was rescued as an infant from poachers who slaughtered George’s parents. Davis is able to communicate with George via sign language and when Davis arrives at the wildlife centre the following day he immediately notices that something is terribly wrong with George. George has grown considerably bigger overnight and is far more aggressive.
It is at this point that Dr Kate Cadwell (Naomie Harris) arrives at the animal centre, announcing that she knows what is wrong with George and how to cure him. Kate formally worked for Claire and Brett Wyden (Marlin Akerman and Jake Lacy) the owners of the corporation funding the genetic editing experiments in space. Kate explains to Davis what is happening to George and that the Waydens have a cure at their lab in Chicago.
The remainder of the film features Davis’s race to get to Chicago, as George and the other two monsters rampage out of control.
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.
Genetic engineering; cruelty to animals
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 sequences of intense violence, including destruction of property, gun related violence, the graphic depiction of violent deaths including blood and gore, injury and death to animals, and rampaging monsters. 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 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 likely to be disturbed by some 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.
Children in this age group are also likely to be disturbed by the above-mentioned scenes
None of concern
Some flirting
A woman wears low-cut clothing
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
Rampage is an action adventure based on a 1980’s video game and is targeted at older adolescents and adult fans of the game. The giant rampaging creatures and many violent scenes including graphic blood and gore are likely to terrify younger viewers so it is not recommended for children under 13 and parental guidance is recommended for the 13 to 15 age group.
The main message from this movie is that people will often do and say anything to get what they want.
Parents may wish to discuss some of the ethical issues surrounding the use of genetic engineering. Can the risks be justified if there is a possibility of curing cancer?
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
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