Not suitable under 13, PG to 15 (Violence; Disturbing scenes and themes)
This topic contains:
Children under 13 | Not suitable due to violence and disturbing scenes and themes |
Children 13-15 | Parental guidance recommended due to violence and disturbing scenes and themes |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines.
Name of movie: | Dark Knight Rises, The |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Violence |
Length: | 164 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) has remained in seclusion for the past eight years and has never fully recovered after taking the blame for Harvey Dent’s crimes. He is now labelled a criminal and murder. As a result of the passing of the “Harvey Dent Act”, the bulk of Gotham’s criminals are now behind bars giving the residents of Gotham a relatively crime free city. However, all that changes when Bane (Tom Hardy) arrives in Gotham with the intent to steal a nuclear weapon and destroy Gotham City’s police force.
The threat Bane poses forces Bruce Wayne out of retirement.
But Batman finds Bane to be more the he can handle, and knowing that he is
outclassed, enlists the aid of some old friends, Commissioner Gordon (Gary
Oldman) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), as well as some new friends including
rookie cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and cat-burglar Selina
Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway).
The film is a race against time as Batman and his band of followers fight to
locate and disarm Bane’s nuclear weapon before he can use it to destroy
Gotham.
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.
Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) has remained in seclusion for the past eight years and has never fully recovered after taking the blame for Harvey Dent’s crimes. He is now labelled a criminal and murder. As a result of the passing of the “Harvey Dent Act”, the bulk of Gotham’s criminals are now behind bars giving the residents of Gotham a relatively crime free city. However, all that changes when Bane (Tom Hardy) arrives in Gotham with the intent to steal a nuclear weapon and destroy Gotham City’s police force. The threat Bane poses forces Bruce Wayne out of retirement. But Batman finds Bane to be more the he can handle, and knowing that he is outclassed, enlists the aid of some old friends, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), as well as some new friends including rookie cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and cat-burglar Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). The film is a race against time as Batman and his band of followers fight to locate and disarm Bane’s nuclear weapon before he can use it to destroy Gotham.
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.
As well as the stylised action violence expected in superhero films, the film contains scenes of disturbing realistic violence and battles resulting in large scale collateral damage, hostage taking, anarchy and rioting. Examples include:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
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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, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of 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.
In addition to the above mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:
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 also be disturbed by some of the above-mentioned scenes.
The following products are displayed or used in this movie:
There are some low-level sexual references in this movie, including:
There is some partial low-level nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
The film contains some occasional low-level coarse language, name calling and putdowns. Examples include:
The Dark Knight Risesis the final chapter in the current trilogy of Batman films. The film is a powerful and intense drama with a plot and sub plots that require the viewer’s full attention. Parents of younger viewers should note that the film is too intense, violent and disturbing for children less than thirteen years of age. The film’s running time of almost three hours is also too long for younger viewers.
The main messages from this movie are:
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