| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie is extremely violent. There are numerous scenes of passengers being shot and killed. Members of the salvage crew are picked off one by one. Scary ghosts, including a ghost-girl named Katie, permeate the film. Members of the salvage crew drink, swear, and are easily swayed by potential wealth.
If there is one thing characters should know in horror films, it's that entering an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere is never a good idea. The characters in GHOST SHIP of course ignore this simple rule, resulting in a bloody confrontation that leaves only one member left standing. Things go horribly wrong for a salvage crew assigned to recover a passenger ship missing since 1962. Despite such odd occurrences as the appearance of a ghost girl, the team continues to explore the ship. The crew finds what seems like a fortune –- boxes filled with gold bars. Of course, nothing in horror films comes without a price.
Ghost Ship has virtually no redeeming qualities. The plot is tired and poorly developed, the character development is sparse, and the gory scenes (including one that features a cable slicing 40-50 couples across a dance floor) do not even appear that scary. There is absolutely no reason to watch this movie unless you have a hankering for seeing people get sliced, diced, dismembered, and shot. Definitely NOT for kids.
Families can talk about the ideas of greed and honor depicted in this movie. At what point does the crew's greed become problematic? Why does Epps refuse to leave behind her crewmates and defend Murphy even after he attacked her? Families may want to discuss the filmmaker's decision to cast a woman in a role that is traditionally assigned to men.
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Steve Beck |
| Cast: | Gabriel Byrne, Isaiah Washington, Julianna Margulies |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 91 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 22, 2002 |
| DVD release date: | March 28, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong violence/gore, language, and sexuality |