parent warning

Rating: 6/10 (29 January 2007)

My family saw a "making of" type show on TV for this film and decided it look fantastic. The kind of movies we love to go to....filled with fantasy and creatures similar to those in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Narnia. These movies are all, in a way about the war between good and evil. We didn't look into it any further, we went. The plot is absolutely war driven and there is a clear "good and evil" aspect to it but the graphic nature surprised me. My children (9 and 12) are somewhat desensitized as they have seen many "R" rated movies with vampires and gore and the like but I was alarmed by this movie mostly because I was expecting it to be heavier on the fantasy side, like fighting some unseen force or mystical beast. The violence in this movie is done by real people to real people. It is not held to the imagination and there is no panning away at the last minute. My children left the movie ultimately liking it. My husband and I also liked the movie. There is no doubt of the beautiful simplicity in the message regarding the loss of innocence... but parents be warned, its rated R for a reason.