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Story

Justice League is set several months after Batman verses Superman: Dawn of Justice.

For thousands of years three alien boxes of immense power have been hidden on Earth as a safeguard. They’re called the ‘Mother Boxes’. One box was given to the Amazons, one to the Atlantians, and one to the races of men. But now an evil alien called Steppenwolf (voice of Ciaran Hinds) and his army of parademons have come to Earth to recover the Mother Boxes and destroy Earth in the process. To stop Steppenwolf, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) form the Justice League and recruit several meta-humans including The Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg/Victor Stone (Ray Fisher).

But the Justice League still might not be powerful enough to defeat Steppenwolf. Unless they can find a way to resurrect Superman, the fate of the world looks grim.

Themes

Superheroes; aliens; world destruction; terrorism

Violence

Justice League contains extended sequences of violence, which is brutal at times. It also shows violent deaths and mass destruction. For example:

  • A rooftop fight between an armed thief and a superhero ends with the thief bound and hanging from a pole over the edge of the rooftop.
  • A superhero impales a parademon on a spear.
  • Several armed men enter a bank and fire their weapons at people who fall to the ground (they’re probably dead, but no blood is shown). Other people scatter in terror and children scream. The captives huddle together on the floor, and a bank robber fires at them. The captives are saved by a superhero who deflects the bullets.
  • There are several battle scenes in which dozens of warrior women fight a giant demon wielding a battleaxe and numerous smaller demonic flying creatures. The women fight with swords, spears and bows. The demon uses the axe to slash women. One woman is stepped on and crushed, and another is pinned under her horse and killed.
  • In other battle scenes more modern weapons are used, including jet planes, armoured vehicles, laser weapons, automatic guns and missiles. There are lots of explosions as well as property damage on a large scale.
  • A parademon attacks a man. We hear the sounds of bones breaking and see the man fall to the ground. In another scene the demon grabs a superhero by the throat, lifts him into the air and attempts to crush his face.
  • In one brutal scene the demon creature rips the legs and arms from the body of a cyborg (we later see the cyborg repaired and uninjured).

Sexual references

Justice League has some sexual references. For example, a male superhero talks about a female superhero, saying that he’s only interested in her ‘skill set’.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Justice League shows some use of substances. For example, characters drink spirits and beer.

Nudity and sexual activity

Justice League has some partial nudity and mild sexual activity. For example:

  • In several scenes two male muscle-bound superheroes are shown with bare chests.
  • A female superhero’s costume includes a short skirt and a top that reveals cleavage. She also wears tight-fitting pants.
  • A couple kisses and hugs.
  • After being thrown through the air by an explosion, a young male superhero ends up lying on top of a female superhero, which is awkward for him.

Product placement

Merchandise associated with Justice League is being marketed to children. The movie also shows brand-name cars like Mercedes.

Coarse language

Justice League has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Justice League is a superhero action adventure targeting teenage and adult fans of DC comics. Fans are likely to find this movie more entertaining than its predecessor, Batman verses Superman. There’s also a hint of more movies to come.

Justice League is being widely advertised and might attract younger viewers, but it isn’t recommended for children under 13 years. This is because of its violent and scary scenes and characters. We also recommend parental guidance for children aged 13-15 years.

These are the main messages from Justice League:

  • It’s important to be willing to take risks.
  • Good always triumphs over evil, but at a cost.
  • When you work together and combine different skills and abilities (or superpowers), you can achieve goals that seem impossible.

Supported By

  • Department of Social Services

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

  • Parenting Research Centre
  • The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

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