Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
In this Japanese animated tale based on Asian folklore, humans,
animals, spirits and workers at an iron factory battle for space
within a forest. With the voices of Billy Crudup, Claire Danes,
Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson, John DeMita,
John Di Maggio and Jada Pinkett. [2:15]
SEX/NUDITY 1 - We see men in loincloths. It's mentioned
a few times that the female characters formerly worked in
brothels. Some mild flirting.
VIOLENCE/GORE 6 - In a few battle scenes, we see sword
fights with people being stabbed (we see some blood and hear some
screaming); also, a few people are beheaded and some have arms and
legs cut or shot off (one man's arms are seen hanging on a tree)
-- all with bloody results. A boar covered with writhing snakes
knocks down a tower (two people fall to the ground, uninjured),
chases people, is shot in the eye and forehead with an arrow (the
wounds drip blood), falls to the ground and dies (blood pours out
of its mouth, pools of blood form around its body and its flesh
disintegrates). We see a very bloody, badly wounded boar and wolf;
bloody snakes cover the boar (lots of blood also gushes out of its
nose and mouth), it carries a girl in its mouth (she is also
covered with bloody snakes, but is rescued) and then smashes
through a boulder and runs into a wolf (snakes cover part of the
wolf and then both animals die). A boy is shot twice; his clothing
is drenched in blood and we see a trail of blood as he walks (he
survives). A wolf is shot (the wound is very bloody), catches on
fire and falls off a cliff (it survives); also, an animal is shot
with an arrow and we see some blood dripping from the wound as a
boy removes it. An animal's head is shot off (we see blood
spurting) and placed in a box; in a later scene, two people pull
the head out of the box (it's covered with slime) and put it back
on the animal's neck (now turned into a monster). A few wolves
attack people and a wolf head appears to bite off a woman's arm. A
girl has blood on her face after sucking blood from an animal's
wound and spitting it out. We see people with bandages all over
their bodies and learn that they are lepers. Twice, apes throw
stones and sticks at some animals and people; once they beg to eat
an unconscious boy. A wolf puts a boy's head in its mouth and
shakes it a bit (the boy isn't injured). Lots of people and
animals are shot at with guns and arrows. Snakes wrap around a
boy's arm and leave a striped mark that spreads across his body
throughout the movie. Boars stampede through a village. A monster
creates a windstorm and destroys a fortress; it also rips trees
out of a forest. We see many corpses strewn on a mountainside and
floating in a lake. We see some fires and an explosion (we see
lots of boars flying in the air, then see their carcasses
scattered on the ground). A black gel rolls through the forest and
kills everything it touches (grass and flowers grow back
afterwards). A few people are knocked unconscious, some are
knocked off a cliff by a wolf, a girl bites a boy's arm, some
people are kicked, a boy is flung into a lake by a boar, a girl
steps on a man's face and men beat others with hoes and clubs.
the review continues below...
PROFANITY 3 - A scatological reference, some mild
obscenities, a couple of insults and some name-calling. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Asian folklore, nature, demons and gods,
industrialization, intolerance, hatred.
MESSAGE - If you don't respect nature, nature can
destroy you.
A CAVEAT: We've gone through several editorial changes since we
started covering films in 1992 and some of our early standards were
not as stringent as they are now. We therefore need to revisit many
older reviews, especially those written prior to 1998 or so; please
keep this in mind if you're consulting a review from that period.
While we plan to revisit and correct older reviews our resources are
limited and it is a slow, time-consuming process.
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