Battles BC

Review

Common Sense Media says

Action-heavy educational series brings ancient wars to life.
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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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this educational series about ancient warfare -- which recreates key battles using live action and computer animation and combines these sequences with insightful explanation from scholars and historians -- plays like an entertaining history lecture. While there's no sex, drugs, or swearing, the battle scenes can be quite intense. Expect scenes of hand-to-hand combat featuring swords and spears and some images of victims being killed, with blood spattering. None of it is real, but it still has an impact.

  • Positive messages0
    The military historians do a great job of explaining why the ancient armies were so willing to take to the battlefield, including nuanced descriptions of the social, economic, and political factors that led to armed conflict. There are no obvious good guys or bad guys; every side has complex, detailed motivations.
  • Violence3
    Many of the recreated battle scenes are quite violent, with some intense hand-to-hand fights using swords, spears, and other ancient weapons. Footage includes shots of the losers being impaled and blood splattering across the screen (none of it real, but still).
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
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What's the story?

The History Channel has perfected the art of bringing the past to life through a combination of live-action recreations of important moments, computer graphics, and knowledgeable talking heads. BATTLES BC, which focuses on warfare in the ancient world, is a perfect example of this genre. Each episode highlights an important military leader -- such as Hannibal of Carthage, Julius Caesar, or Alexander the Great -- and explains who the leader was fighting and why. Historians also offer commentary about the leaders' military tactics, the results of each battle, and how smaller clashes fit into each leader's overall campaign.

Is it any good?

 

The result is an entertaining, insightful history lecture. The scholars are good on TV, and the live-action recreations and computer graphics help viewers understand the tactical decisions that carried the day in some of the most important battles of the ancient world.

The show's subjects tend to be names that most people will recognize, but viewers may not know exactly what made them significant in the first place. Battles BC is a fun (albeit sometimes intense) way to fill in these knowledge gaps.

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about whether war is ever justified. The series explains the combatants' motivations -- which range from revenge to economics to a desire for glory and power -- in detail. After hearing the scholars' explanations, which side do you think was in the right (if any)? Many movies and TV shows about war paint conflict in stark terms, with one side clearly fighting for the side of right. Do you think that's ever true? Sometimes true? Never true? Families can also discuss the impact of seeing violence in the media, whether real or fantasy.

This review was written by Will Wade
Kid, 13 years old
March 24, 2009
AGE
10
 
Really good show
Really good show a little violent yet it's worth it it's really cool
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This review was written by Will Wade
TV rating:TV-PG
Network:History
Cast:Brad Wilcox, Brian Danner, Cazzey Cereghino
Genre:Educational
This review was written by Will Wade
 

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About our rating system
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.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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