Tales from Earthsea

  • Review Date: August 11, 2010
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • 2010
Review

Common Sense Media says

Stylish animation isn't enough to save violent adaptation.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this animated movie -- based on the classic fantasy novels of Ursula K. Le Guin -- is rated PG-13 for a reason: It has many violent/scary scenes, including two dragons in a bloody aerial battle, a teenager stabbing his father to death, a character being chased by wolves, slave traders capturing innocents and holding them in chains, lots of sword and knife fighting (with lots of damage and blood), and a wizard morphing into a series of monsters, beasts, and skeletons. The movie deals with complicated mythic concepts and mature ideas such as "to deny death is to deny life" that aren't fully explained and could be hard for younger kids to grasp. Female characters mostly fill traditional roles, and there's one mention of child abuse, with the resulting facial scarring visible on a young girl.

  • Positive messages2
    The movie's ultimate message is that the world needs to be in balance in order to sustain life. Good triumphs over evil, and the cycle of life is necessary for survival.
  • Positive role models2
    The heroic wizard who leads the forces of good is loyal, brave, honest, and loving. He's guardian to a teen who has both a good side (with all the attributes above) and a dark side, capable of pure evil, which at intervals "steals his body." The females are mostly seen cooking, cleaning, tending to the sick, and getting captured, though one young girl shows some courage in defending herself and others.
  • Violence3
    Lots of action sequences, beginning with a bloody battle between two dragons that's quickly followed by a young boy stabbing his father to death. Major characters are in jeopardy many times, including scenes in which wolves with teeth bared chase a teen, structures collapse with heroes inside, evil henchmen capture citizens and imprison them as slaves, sword fighting to the death (in one shocking swordfight scene, a severed hand flies into the air and bleeds copiously), a nightmarish sequence in which a wizard is shown drowning in black oil, and a ghostly monster capturing a young girl.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking1
    In one scene, as a dealer tries to entice the film's hero with an addictive recreational drug, a group of young people can be seen under its influence, barely conscious.
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What's the story?

Strange occurrences threaten the balance of life in  Earthsea, a kingdom of magic, wizards, and dragons. Hoping to find the cause of the imbalance and save his world, Sparrowhawk (voiced by Timothy Dalton) -- along with Prince Arren, the boy he's rescued -- sets out on a journey fraught with danger and terrifying villains. Helping him along the way -- and getting into danger themselves -- are loyal farmer Tenar (Mariska Hargitay) and her ward, Therru, a young, seemingly fragile girl. The evil Cob (Willem Dafoe), obsessed with living forever, uses his magic rule to wrest control of all Earthsea and vows revenge on Sparrowhawk. Complicating the quest are the personal demons that can be found just beneath the surface of the younger hero's heart.

Is it any good?

 

Using the classic Earthsea novels by Ursula K. Le Guin as inspiration, director Goro Miyazaki (son of acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki) has created a beautiful mythic kingdom and brought it to life with a good versus evil theme, lots of stunning derring-do, and striking imagery. Sadly, visuals aren't enough. There are many ideas searching for expression here -- far too many to execute successfully. Complex notions are given very short shrift, and several story lines are never resolved; some are even contradictory. Characters' motivations are loud, but not logical.

Given the violent nature of the imagery and the incomprehensibility of the plot and messages, there's little to appreciate in this effort.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the fact that, in the kingdom of Earthsea, "balance" is seen a necessity of life. What does this mean to you? How can you relate this to life in our own world?

  • How does the violence in this movie compare to what you've seen in live-action fantasy movies? Which has more impact?

  • Prince Arren must face two sides of himself. How did the filmmakers try to show those two sides? Do you think they were successful in showing how Arren dealt with both sides?

This review was written by Renee Schonfeld
Kid, 10 years old
March 15, 2011
AGE
9
 
I love this movie!
It's not done by Hayao Miyazaki (the guy that made Ponyo and Spirited Away), but it's done by his son, who is just as good. Excellent film!
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Kid, 13 years old
August 3, 2011
AGE
10
 
Fine
It's not that great a film but i think it's fine for kids 10+ and some younger kids might be able to watch it too. It's more for boys than girls.
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Parent
March 3, 2012
AGE
15
 
Nope. Not for kids.
Any positive messages that are found in this movie are lost in the frightening imagery and violent sequences. This is not a kids movie. The concepts of Death being important and a motivator to live life are too complex for most children. The sweet moments between the children are overshadowed by an evil wizard who is bent on killing them... He drugs the boy to steal his life/soul and strangles the girl while turning into an eyeless sharp toothed blob. In the ensuing battle - it shows in graphic detail - the evil wizards hand being hacked off - blood and all - flying through the air... I could only cringe and apologize to my kids for picking such a violent movie.
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This review was written by Renee Schonfeld
Studio:Buena Vista
Director:Goro Miyazaki
Cast:Mariska Hargitay, Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe
Genre:Fantasy
Run time:115 minutes
Theatrical release date:August 13, 2010
DVD release date:March 8, 2011
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:some violent images
This review was written by Renee Schonfeld
 

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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.
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BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
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