Of course it's violent, but not for violence's sake.

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2007)

I have seen a lot of comments about the violence in this film, and frankly I'm disappointed in the people who are posting them. This is not a children's movie. This is not a fairy tale. If you were looking for that, perhaps Narnia would be more to your liking.
The fairy tale world that this girl inhabits is a form of escape from the realities of her life. Those realities include neglect, they include injustice, and of course, they include violence. The viewer has to see that, and they must feel it too. To not show the violence and not elicit that visceral reaction in the viewer defeats the purpose of the whole movie.
Stop being such prudes.