Not suitable under 13, not recommended 13 to15 (Violence; Disturbing scenes)
This topic contains:
Children under 13 | Not suitable due to violence and disturbing scenes |
Children 13 to 15 | Not 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: | Wolverine, The |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Frequent action violence and coarse language |
Length: | 126 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
The opening scenes of The Wolverine find Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as a prisoner of war in Nagasaki at the end of World War Two. When the atom bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Logan saves the life of a compassionate Japanese soldier named Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) and in return Yashida offers Logan his prized Samurai sword. Logan refuses the offer, telling Yashida to keep the sword safe for him.
The film jumps to the present day where we find Logan in a self imposed exile. He is haunted by the ghost of Jean Grey (Framke Janssen). Logan’s reclusive life doesn’t last for long because he is sought out by a sword-wielding young woman named Yukio (Rila Fukushima). Yukio wants Logan to return with her to Japan so that a now aged and dying Yashida (now the owner of Japan’s richest technology company) can give Logan a gift and say “thank you” for saving his life sixty years earlier. When Logan meets Yashida, the gift Yashida offers is to relieve Logan of his immortality, enabling Logan to live a normal life, a gift that Logan refuses.
After refusing Yashida’s offer, Logan finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy plot with Yashida’s granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto), who is in line to inherit Yashida’s empire, at the centre of the intrigue. Logan, who is attracted by Mariko, takes on the role of her protector and together with Yukio, Logan battles with Japanese villains from all directions until he uncovers the real protagonists behind the attacks.
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.
Mutants and special powers; immortality; Samurai warriors
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 and peril, some scenes depicting emotional trauma, cruelty against animals, gruesome images and blood and gore. Examples include:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
Children in this age group are likely to be disturbed by all of the violent scenes and the scary characters in this movie. Other scenes include:
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 would also find the whole film and particularly the above-mentioned scenes, disturbing.
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 very likely to be disturbed by the scenes described above
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 also likely to be disturbed by some of the above-mentioned scenes.
The following products are displayed or used in this movie:
Associated merchandise is also being marketed to children
The film contains some sexual innuendo. Examples include:
The film contains some partial nudity, and sexual activity. Examples include:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
The film contains a scattering of coarse language and name calling throughout. Examples include:
The Wolverine is a fantasy action adventure based on a Marvel Comics character and targeting adolescent and adult males, Hugh Jackman fans and followers of the X-men series of films. It contains frequent and extended scenes of intense violence that seem to become almost gratuitous towards the end of the film. It is not recommended for under 15s and has many scenes and scary characters that would terrify younger children.
The main message from this movie is that all of our actions have a consequence - nothing is without meaning.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include selflessness and bravery: throughout the film Logan/Wolverine demonstrates selflessness and bravery towards others by repeatedly placing his life on the line when he is rendered mortal.
Parents may also wish to discuss the lack of real life consequences of much of the violence shown throughout the film.
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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